Global tour of aviation museums and heritage

This museum holds several centuries of military aircraft, engines, missiles, and spacecraft arranged in chronological order. The collection starts with the first attempts at powered flight in the early 20th century and continues through both world wars to the jet fighters of the postwar era and the beginnings of space exploration. The aircraft stand in large hangars and show how technology has evolved. You see bombers, fighters, transport planes, and experimental models used over the decades. Engines and rocket components are also on display.

This museum in Hendon preserves military aircraft from both world wars, early passenger planes, and historic flying machines of British aviation. Visitors walk through several halls organized by period, viewing bombers, fighters, transport planes, and prototypes that span from the beginnings of flight to the development of jet engines. Some aircraft hang from the ceiling, others rest on the floor, and panels explain their use in war or civil transport. The museum helps trace the technical evolution of British aviation and shows how flying changed over a century.

This museum holds over 130 aircraft and flying objects from different periods of Canadian aviation history. The collection includes military machines from both world wars, bush planes used in remote regions, commercial models, and experimental prototypes. Inside the exhibition halls, biplanes stand next to jet fighters, old helicopters near space equipment. Visitors can see how flying developed in such a large country where distances matter so much. The museum explains how pilots transported people and goods over long stretches and how military innovations shaped civilian air travel. There are cockpits to step inside, engines to observe, and technical documents showing how engineers solved problems.

This museum traces the history of Australian aviation through a collection of aircraft, engines and technical equipment. The exhibition includes military machines used in different conflicts as well as civilian models from early commercial flight. Visitors can understand how flying developed in Australia and what role it played in connecting remote regions. The displays show the technical progress from simple biplanes to modern aircraft.

The Museo del Aire displays aircraft used in Spanish military aviation. The planes come from different eras and are exhibited in several hangars. Visitors see fighters, bombers, and transport aircraft that took part in conflicts throughout the 20th century. The collection also includes engines, uniforms, and technical documents.

This museum brings together a collection that traces the development of Italian aviation since the early 20th century. Around 60 aircraft are displayed across several halls, including propeller planes from World War I, fighter jets and passenger planes from later decades, and prototypes built for experimental purposes. Technical drawings, manuals, and documents complement the exhibition and provide insight into the work of engineers and pilots who advanced flight in Italy.

This museum gathers aircraft and engines built or used in Russia and the Soviet Union. The halls and outdoor grounds hold military machines from different eras: fighter jets, transport planes, helicopters, and early test models. Some date back to the early years of flight, others to the Cold War period. Alongside the planes, engines, instruments, and technical drawings are on display. Visitors can trace how flight technology developed in this part of the world and what solutions engineers found at the time.

This museum documents the history of Swedish military aviation. Inside the hangars, around a hundred aircraft from the 20th century stand on display, including fighter jets, training planes, and helicopters. The collection also includes engines, uniforms, instruments, and documents related to each model. Visitors can see how the Swedish Air Force developed from early flight experiments to modern jet fighters. The exhibits combine technical explanations with personal accounts from pilots and mechanics. You walk through the aircraft halls and watch as visitors circle the machines, examine details in the cockpits, or read the information panels.

This aviation museum in the Arizona desert preserves over three hundred military and civilian aircraft, organized by era and operational role. The collection includes fighter planes from several conflicts, reconnaissance aircraft, and commercial airliners, displayed in large hangars and outdoor areas. The museum also shows original components, engines, and instruments that make the technical evolution of flight easier to follow. Walking through the open sections, visitors can see these machines up close and understand their different functions and sizes.

This museum preserves ninety aircraft that trace the technical evolution of Brazilian aviation since 1910. The collection includes military planes, commercial airliners and experimental prototypes displayed in large hangars, where visitors can observe the different construction phases and engines that shaped air travel in Brazil.

This aviation center preserves a collection of historic aircraft, technical drawings, and navigation instruments documenting Dutch aviation history. The exhibition shows how flight developed in the Netherlands, from early attempts to modern aircraft. Visitors find machines that were used in the country over the years, accompanied by documents and objects that trace the technical evolution.

This museum, set in a former military airfield, displays aircraft from different periods of Chinese aviation history along with planes from other countries that arrived through conflicts or technical exchanges. Visitors find fighter jets and bombers from the mid-20th century, transport aircraft used for domestic routes, and early prototypes from the time of the first flight attempts in China. The collection shows how military aviation developed and how it connected with political events and international relations. Parts of the old airfield infrastructure remain visible, which gives the place an authentic character. People can walk through the hangars or stand outside among the large aircraft to see their size up close.

This museum displays over two hundred aircraft from Polish, Soviet and Eastern European aviation history, housed in restored historic hangars. The collection includes military planes used in conflicts, civilian transport aircraft from various decades, and experimental models documenting technical developments. Exhibits range from early fighter planes to post-war jets and illustrate how aviation evolved in Central and Eastern Europe during the 20th century. The hangars themselves recall the military past of the site and offer direct insight into the infrastructure that once supported flight operations.

The museum holds over 150 aircraft, including the first French helicopter and the country's first supersonic planes. The collection features machines from different periods, from early aviation attempts to space exploration. Exhibition halls display military aircraft, commercial planes, and prototypes that document the technical evolution of French aviation. Visitors can explore cockpits, examine engines, and review documents about the history of flight.

This museum in the Bodø area gathers around forty aircraft that trace Norwegian aviation history since 1912. You see military planes from different periods alongside civilian models that tell how flying developed in Norway. The exhibition combines technical objects with documents that show how aviation started in the country.

The State Aviation Museum of Ukraine displays around 70 aircraft from different eras. The collection includes former military planes as well as civil airliners that document the transformation of Ukrainian aviation since its beginnings. Visitors can walk around the outdoor grounds and view the exhibited models, including helicopters, transport aircraft, and fighter jets. The exhibition focuses on Soviet-era designs as well as planes used after the country gained independence.

This museum displays aircraft, documents and equipment from Argentina's aviation history, from its beginnings to the present. The collection includes military planes from different periods, commercial aircraft used on early airline routes, and technical equipment that made flying possible in Argentina. The exhibition halls trace how aviation developed in the country and the role it played in connecting remote regions.

This museum documents the development of Japanese aviation, displaying aircraft, engines, and technical instruments dating back to 1911. Visitors can see machines that trace the beginnings of flight in Japan, along with equipment used in pilot training. The collection includes both military and civilian aircraft that operated during different periods of the 20th century. The museum is located in a region closely tied to aviation history, as one of the country's first flight schools was established here. Alongside the exhibits, the displays show the technical progress that allowed the transition from early wooden constructions to more modern metal aircraft. Some cockpits are open for viewing, offering a direct look at how pilots operated these machines. The space conveys how aviation developed in Japan and the role it played in connecting different regions of the country.

The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center displays historic aircraft that are part of the Smithsonian collection. The hangars hold several hundred planes and spacecraft from different eras, including the Space Shuttle Discovery, which flew multiple missions to the International Space Station, and the Enola Gay, a bomber from World War II. The exhibition also includes fighter planes, commercial aircraft, and prototypes. The planes are arranged in a large open space, allowing visitors to walk beneath the wings. The center belongs to the National Air and Space Museum and extends its collection with objects that cannot fit in the main exhibition in Washington due to their size.

This former military airfield in Cambridgeshire houses over 200 aircraft and vehicles from World War I and World War II. The site displays British fighters, bombers, and transport planes used during both wars, along with American combat aircraft that operated from here. The hangars date from different periods of military aviation, and several exhibition halls contain restored machines. Examples of early jet aircraft and experimental prototypes can be found here. The grounds are extensive, with some aircraft standing outdoors and others sheltered in historic buildings. The museum is part of the Imperial War Museum and documents how air power evolved throughout the 20th century.

This museum gathers military aircraft, uniforms, medals, and technical equipment that recall the history of New Zealand's air forces. The collection shows machines used in various conflicts across the Pacific and beyond, along with personal items belonging to pilots and mechanics. You can see here how aviation developed in New Zealand and what role the country played in international operations.

This branch of the Deutsches Museum occupies a former military airfield dating back to the Imperial era and presents the development of German aviation in restored workshop hangars. Alongside biplanes from the early days of flight, jet fighters, helicopters and gliders are on display. The hangars, built before the First World War, provide the setting for aircraft constructed across different periods. Visitors see machines developed in Germany over the decades and can trace how construction methods and propulsion systems evolved. The site served military purposes for many years before becoming a museum.

This museum gathers former airliners and records documenting the growth of civil aviation in South Africa since the 1930s. The collection shows how passenger routes developed across long distances, how cabin equipment changed over time, and which models flew the earliest routes. Visitors see cockpits, onboard gear, and documents that illustrate daily operations both in the air and on the ground. The place recalls that commercial flight started early in this region and expanded over decades into the air traffic familiar today.

The museum preserves aircraft and spacecraft connected to Texas aviation history. Visitors walk past several halls where military and civilian machines from different eras stand. Some exhibition rooms are devoted to interactive stations where one can follow technical connections. The grounds convey how aviation and aerospace developed in the region and what role local manufacturers and pilots played in that process.

This museum traces the development of Italian aviation from the first attempts in the late 19th century to modern military flight. The collection includes aircraft from different periods, among them biplanes from World War I, fighters and bombers from World War II, and jet aircraft from the postwar era. Alongside the machines, engines, instruments, uniforms, and technical documents are displayed. The exhibition shows how the design and use of military aircraft changed over the decades and what role the Italian Air Force played in various conflicts.

This museum of the Royal Navy's air service displays aircraft used from the early 20th century on carriers and coastal stations. The collection includes biplanes from World War I, fighters from World War II, and helicopters from later decades. Historic machines stand beside uniforms, flight gear, and technical equipment in the halls. Part of the exhibition focuses on landings on moving decks, missions over the Atlantic, and the development of onboard electronics. Visitors can understand how pilots worked in tight spaces and how naval aviators adapted to changing threats.

This museum displays fifty aircraft that trace the technical development of flight. Propeller planes from the early 20th century, jet aircraft from later decades, and objects from space exploration are on view. The collection documents how planes changed over time and connects the beginnings of aviation with early ventures into space.

This museum displays 40 military and civilian aircraft from Turkish aviation history. The collection includes machines used across different eras, from early flight attempts to modern jets. Visitors see fighter planes, transport aircraft, and training models, accompanied by documents, photographs, and technical objects. The exhibition traces how aviation developed in Turkey and the role it played in military and civilian contexts.

The museum displays military aircraft and objects from the Pacific War in two restored hangars dating from 1941. The collection includes fighters, bombers and transport planes from World War Two, exhibited on the site where the attack on Pearl Harbor took place on December 7, 1941. Visitors can see remains of damaged aircraft destroyed during the attack, along with technical documents and personal items belonging to pilots. The hangars themselves still bear traces of those events. The museum examines the role of air forces in the Pacific during the conflict and helps to understand how aviation changed military strategies of that time.

The museum explores the technical developments of aviation and tells the story of Japanese flight. The exhibition includes simulators that let visitors experience how flying feels. Various aircraft and parts are displayed throughout the rooms, including models designed by Japanese engineers. You can follow how the technology has changed over time and what role Japan has played in this history. The atmosphere is calm and informative, with many details about engines, wings, and cockpits. Families and aviation enthusiasts find explanations about the beginnings of flight and modern developments.

The museum traces the development of Italian aviation, with aircraft from different periods restored in workshops near Malpensa Airport. The collection includes historical planes, engines and technical documents that show how the aircraft industry grew in Italy. Visitors can see restored aircraft up close and understand how technology changed over the decades.