Spitfire Visitor Centre

Took my daughter who is really interested in modern history, from WW1 to-date, and she absolutely loved the time we spent here…..she’s quite a shy person, but it’s clear the people that run this are passionate about what they do and she could have spent hours listening to the stories that you wouldn’t normally hear. Who knew you could be captivated by a story about a bent and charred piece of metal!!

I would highly recommend visiting if you have any interest in the forces, RAF, or modern history. The admission price, and prices in general are more than reasonable. Make sure you visit the NAAFI for a cup of tea and a biscuit!

Thanks to everyone who we spoke to, and good luck building Amy Johnson’s last plane!!
If you follow your sat nav by the postcode it will send you the wrong way, so look for the RAF cadet shed which is behind the pub. 👍🏻

We visited Hangar 42 at Blackpool Airport on Sunday the 30th of August 2020 !
It's a very cool place to visit for anyone including Spitfire enthusiast's .. Myself and my husband had a lovely cup of tea and the lady who made the tea was very nice The staff are all very knowledgeable and very interesting to talk to especially the Gent dressed in a uniform stood next to a Spitfire !
The added bonus was a Spitfire took off from the runway as they had been flying over the Hospital's in Lancashire ! What a special treat it made our visit even more interesting ! Thank you Hangar 42 if you can donate please do as this hangar won't run itself ! Enjoy ☺️

I booked a Spitfire Simulator Experience with Raven Cockpits for my husband. We absolutely loved it. It was an amazing experience for my husband and also for myself as a visitor. I was included in the flights as I was given a pair of headphones so that I could listen in during the simulation and it was fascinating. The attention to detail and knowledge was outstanding. Andrew was very informative and what he doesn't know about planes is not worth knowing! We came away with even more respect for the pilots of these amazing machines and would highly recommend to anyone.

This is a great collection of memorabilia, vehicles and fighter planes from WW2. At £6 it's well worth a visit to get so close to such legendary fighter planes. For another £5 you can get to sit in one.

"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." Don't let this ever be forgotten. The work here is invaluable. The tribute to Polish pilots is relevant and so important.

The staff here are so pleasant, enthusiastic and helpful, it was such a pleasure to chat with them. I understand that most are volunteers. A big thank you for what you do.

You are free to take photographs but it's a bit limited for space for a wider shot on occasions and all from floor level. If you're a real photographer, you may have to be patient as the mobile phone users will constantly step in front of you. The lighting is a bit low in places too so you might wish to consider a faster lens (under f4) or risk much higher ISO.

Access is all easy enough for anyone with mobility issues. I wouldn't hesitate to go here again and I would recommend it to anyone interested, it's a great exhibition.

My partner and I had a great time at the Spitfire visitor centre. There’s lots to see in a relatively small area. Most of the displayed information is based on the personal stories of those that flew out of the Blackpool aero drone during the war. The volunteer guides are very engaging and knowledgeable. If you have even a passing interest in WW2, aircraft, the armed forces I would definitely make time for a visit.

We spent 4 hours at the visitor centre and there’s a cafe which puts you in mind of a WW2 NAFFI.

Great place to visit. Highly recommended.

We spent a couple of hours in the afternoon going around the visitor centre. Fabulous exhibits and the volunteers were incredibly enthusiastic and knowledgeable. Excellent value for money with so much to see. We then went back in the evening and I took part in the Spitfire Experience. We spent three hours there and Andrew took us round the exhibits explaining what they were and where from. The Spitfire Experience was amazing. The stimulator is a full size Spitfire with all the original controls. Flying it was nerve wracking but exciting and felt so real. Andrew was incredibly patient with a complete novice. My two spectators also were involved getting dressed up in WW2 flying gear. I had over an hour in the cockpit flying round Blackpool and through the Lake District. I would fully recommend this to anyone.

Visited on Saturday 29th August with my big brother. On entry we were met with a a friendly welcome and given clear instructions under the government advice with Covid 19.

Being ex RAF it was great to see all these guys doing a great job in their time.

Heading into the hangar one of the volunteer team showed us how to link in with the audio available for all visitors.

We were met by Eric in the crash investigation part who then continued to show us around the whole hangar giving us a detailed information on all the museum pieces

A thoroughly worthwhile visit. Thanks to the team. And good luck on the Any Johnson Project.

We are interested in aviation and this was on our ‘to do’ list and we weren’t disappointed. Thought we would be there for about an hour and to be honest it was £21 for three Adults and if we had only been there 1 hour it would have been great value for money. However, the volunteers are so knowledgeable, patient and friendly we ended up being there for 3 hours!!!! The exhibits are so realistic (they are actually replicas), the artefacts are well laid out and the volunteers make it so interesting and are happy to chat for as long as you want to chat. Had a lovely cup of coffee and cake in the cafe which is set out in period decor, with lots of information and pictures on the wall. Coffee was in a lovely mug (not a flimsy paper cup)! Would highly recommend this museum but do check the opening hours befor you set off! When the Airspeed Oxford Project starts coming together and is on public display we will certainly be back to take a look. Thank you everyone at the museum for making a great day out.

An amazing place to visit for a few hours or more as there is loads to see and many informative volunteers who are only too keen to share their knowledge and true stories of these WW2 heroes.
Incredible team here make it a pleasure.
OUTSTANDING

A fabulous experience for all ages, the staff/volunteers are brilliant at their jobs to explain the various areas of an operational air flied, take time to chat to them as it will add value to your visit. There is memorabilia, flight simulators, re-created scenes and countless items to see.

It is in a hangar, hangar 42, hence can be cool, wrap up warm.