wings museum

This is a fascinating place for any vintage military aviation fan. Exhibits range from whole aircraft, recovered engines down to original uniforms. Exhibits are simply but effectively presented with just the right amount of detail. Several volunteer guides are usually on hand to assist visitors and go into more depth on some of the exhibits. The museum is small but crammed with stuff to see. Featuring aircraft from many nationalities and vintages.

We love to visit especially to see the bomber boys what a fantastic bunch of chaps they are living history ! We have bought our grandchildren and they love it !

Living locally in Crawley, we have driven through Handcross so many times and seen the signs to this museum, commenting that we must visit soon - my husband in particular is very interested in war history and memorabilia. Today, we finally remembered te museum and took the short drive out there. The £8 admission fee I found to be quite expensive, but once we started to look around the museum, we couldn't believe how many exhibits were displayed in what was seemingly quite a small barn! Everything was carefully itemised with full stories as to where each item had originated from, and so many were locally sourced. We were amazed, and reading all the moving stories about air crews and servicemen killed in action brought tears to my eyes on many occasions. It was really moving, even had an exhibition of photos and paintings from a concentration camp, and articles and artifacts of how the war had affected us here in this country - how a local boys school was destroyed and children killed for instance, which i had never heard about before. We spent a good hour and a half there but could have spent longer. We were very impressed with how the whole museum was run and presented - would hope to see it open more frequently in the future and continue to grow - a small tea room would offer more revenue i'm sure and encourage more groups of visitors

The Wings museum in Balcombe is one of those places that you drive past, as a local, and think that maybe some day you'll visit but perhaps not today. With not much else to do, and the promise of a sunday lunch thrown in, my husband and I decided it was time to see what Wings was all about. Following the yellow signs into the middle of the countryside, and driving up to what is essentially a farm with a large hanger-type building which has been converted into the museum, I was dubious about whether we would stay for very long. I am now kicking myself that we didn't visit this incredible museum before. We spent the best part of two hours engrossed in all the personal stories of locals who had fought, or been involved, in WWII. Cases of uniforms with the war stories of the people who wore them, war documents, telegrams to mothers with the worst news that they would ever receive, makes this museum come alive to the people who visit it. Combine this with real WWII aircraft and the stories of their recovery and resoration, the passion of the people who volunteer here, the smell of the engine oil and the piped 1940s music makes a visitor feel that they have been transported back to the era. There is something for everyone at Wings - little girls will love the bride's dress made out of parachute silk, little boys will love the ammunition and real guns on display, plus the chance to play with a real morse code devide, adults will love it all. As one previous post has said, a visit to this museum should be on every school's curriculum. It makes the words in the history books come alive. Do go - you won't be disappointed.

What a museum! I only found out about this through a leaflet in a local hotel, it's tucked away down a lane you would never go down, but what a find. We went for an hour and ended up spending 4 hours there. Even my wife who isn't really interested in planes was taken as there's so much of the human side of warfare on display. The men who run this museum have done a wonderful service in excavating buried planes and there occupants all over the world and then tracing the families so they can pay their final respects to their dead relatives. It's full of information and everything is clearly set out. This museum should be on all the local schools list to visit as it is truly an education. If you are in the area pay a visit , you won't be disappointed.

We came across this primarily WWII memorabilia museum (although there are other eras within it) when returning from London. There is a small sign on a roundabout to the north of Handcross adjacent to the main A23 which had a large yellow sign, guiding us towards the Wings Museum, which is only open on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am to 5 pm, you will need to check the opening times in the winter months.It is in a large hanger in the middle of the countryside, you will need to find the directions as the directions are quite complicated to explain in this review.It is run by volunteers and there is an entrance fee, we paid £20.00 for 2 adults and a child. The museum itself it set out in different sections and ranges from a whole aircraft to small memorabilia, all of which has an extensive history attached to it, so you are just not looking at an item on display, but you all also taking in who it belonged to and what happened to it.The museum is not on the scale of Tangmere in size, but is professionally run, very interesting and the staff are very helpful and informative. If you are interesting in this era and not just one of those that likes to see the big shiny planes on display, this is well worth a visit. We were only there for a short period of time as our young 8 year old unfortunately lost interest in the many smaller items as he is more interested in the big shiny planes.You need to be an enthusiast to appreciate this museum fully, not just a day tripper with little or no interest.We were taken behind the scenes by one of the volunteers to see the restoration area, this was most interesting and something I dont think you would get in a larger museum. Whilst talking we found out that they have another large hanger with many aircraft parts awaiting restoration for display, they are going to lose this hanger by October 2014, so are in desperate need of some sort of adequate facility, so if you or someone you know can help, please contact them urgently, as this could affect the museum in general. I myself have taken a poster and displayed it in my workplace to help them out.There were some rifles on display that have been recovered on the D-Day beaches still encrusted in seashells, that would've been dropped by wounded or killed soldiers.All in all, a most interesting, enjoyable and moving experience.

I visited wings at the weekend with my mum, stepdad, stepbrother & 2 year old daughter. Its a very interesting & emotional place, very carefully laid out and provided lots of interesting information about previous wars. My daughter absolutely loved the planes & bomb shelter. The gentlemen there were very informative and friendly. Its all voluntary too. Suitable for all ages & would highly recommend a visit.

The impressive number of artefacts combined with the closeness of the displayed items left me with a sense of awe and very impressed with the vast amount of TLC that has resulted in this fantastic collection. Lovely place to spend some time contemplating the madness of war.

fantastic place, to be honest I wasn't expecting to see what was there. many so called "larger" museums would do well to look at wings and what they have done. definitely make the effort to go and support them.plus friendly staff and onsite parking.

What a great little find. Historical, engineering, local and full of true life stories. Passion attendents and clear labelling. Loved every minute but being a petrol head or an aero fan does help.

Such a fantastic array of artefacts from W W ll. how they managed to collect it all and transport it to a farm in the Sussex countryside is a wonder and unless you know it's there you would be hard pressed to find it, but it's well worth hunting for!!

I was on the way to somewhere else when I saw the sign "Wings museum open" and thought why not? I'm glad I did.The museum consists of an old hangar full of various artifacts, some airframes in varying states, half a fuselage from a Dakota (mocked up to look like it was dropping troops) and much more. Each little artifact has some information attached to it.Couldn't take it all in during one visit so I will return. This is obviously a labour of love and of much hard work.Full credit to all involved for keeping history alive. Very friendly staff, who were keen to tell you about any items when asked.

This is a museum with a difference. Many of the aircraft are on show mimicking the way they were found after they crashed many years ago. The highlight of the visit is a complete fuselage from a Douglas C-47 Dakota which visitors can walk inside. This was used during the filming of the TV hit series Band of Brothers. Allow about 90 minutes unless you are a real aircraft buff. If so allow longer. Lots of exhibits of finds from many crashed aircraft and the stories of those that flew them, and tales of those who sadly died in them.

I went today with my son. Hadn't heard of this museum before so didn't quite know what to expect. I was very impressed with all the artefacts and information that has been collected and put on show for all to see. Some of the stories along with photographs were very moving, you could imagine what the poor people went through. As I was a big fan of the Band of Brothers series, it was good to be able to sit in the plane they used in the film and watch the part of the episode on the screen while you sat there. The men who work there voluntary are full of knowledge should you need questions answering. The only problem is finding the place, not very well signposted. As I have rated, an excellent two or three hours spent there.

Visited with a group of friends over the weekend. I thoroughly recommend it. Such a treasure trove of interesting artifacts. So much to see and read about there. The volunteers are excellent and extremely knowledgeable. Full marks - thank you for an enjoyable and educational experience.