England WWII Air Force/Aircraft Museums

You could consider the RAF Museum in Hendon, which is easily accessible from London. The exterior appearance is a bit deceptive as the museum is larger than it looks, and contains an incredible collection of aircraft. I especially enjoyed the Battle of Britain displays.

https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/london/

I haven't made it to Duxford yet, so can't comment on that. It was on the list for my last visit to the U.K. but I didn't make it. One reason for that is that transportation there from London is more a challenge.

Depending on your time and Itinerary, you could also consider the Fleet Air Arm Museum at Yeovilton.

http://www.fleetairarm.com/

Were are you staying? They are all very good Duxford also has a Concorde. If you are interested in the Battle of Britain they have an exibit with Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire. However it is in the sticks and miles from any town or city. Cosford is easily reachable by car from Liverpool or Birmingham

In London is also a RAF Museum. It's located in north London, the Tube station is Colindale, ca 10-15 walk from the station to the Museum grounds. It features British, US, German planes (and others?) from WW2. I thought Duxford was hard to get out to.

I haven't been to the RAF Museum in Hendon for years but it has a very good collection. Duxford is very good but public transport access is limited.

However according to the website, the main WWII galleries at Hendon are closed for refurbishment until "summer 2018". I would keep checking the website to see if there's a more specific opening date published.

In addition to where are you staying, 2974, is when?

That is critical because of the air shows at each museum - flying ones at Duxford, static at Hendon, less frequent with less flying at Cosford - happen on certain days which would either encourage or discourage you from visiting on those days.

In my opinion the flying at Duxford is incomparable. Most excellent.

Duxford is much bigger than any of the others, with a particular concentration in WWII and especially the USAAF and USAF involvement in it. Almost everything at Duxford is flightworthy or being worked on to be. Getting there can be a bit of a picnic for tourists but I think it is well worth it. It is an active airfield and even on non-flying days there is usually something moving. They do a decent air raid mockup, too.

Cosford has a lot of planes, some in better nick than other samples. Much less crowded, in Shropshire, with a train station adjacent. More civilian planes than at Duxford which is almost all military.

Hendon (when we say Colindale that is the same place) is entirely static but what they do they do well. Entirely military.

If you are here during the Farnborough International Air Show, that is when you can see current and prototype aircraft from civilian to military both static and flying performance demonstration flights. It is primarily a vehicle for selling aircraft and missiles to governments around the world and airliners to airlines all around the world. It is where I saw a 747 performing acrobatics, some years ago.

IWM Duxford is on my “to see” list for our next trip to England because of the number of aircraft there and because it’s one of only a few places with air-worthy Spitfires. I hope to see one flying.

We visited Duxford a few years ago and really enjoyed it. It is not limited to WWII aircraft, although there is a significant amount of WWII aircraft from different countries there. The biggest problem was getting there via public transportation. We followed the instructions in the RS book and took the bus and then walked. Well, I will walk just about anywhere and any distance, but this walk was treacherous! For much of the time it was along a busy road and there were no sidewalks or even an open path to walk along off the roadway. If I were to go again via public transport, I might look into the train and then perhaps a cab from the station. But given all that, we really enjoyed the museum.

I'd also recommend Duxford. In addition to the many aircraft, they have also preserved a building used during the Battle of Britain to track the German bombers and the RAF fighters. If you've seen the movies with the staff moving model airplanes on a huge map with things that look like poker sticks--this is one of the actual places--and they've saved everything as it was in 1940.

air-worthy Spitfires. I hope to see one flying

and the really best bit is to hear and feel that incredible Merlin engine.

There are not infrequent air shows around the country several of which feature either a fly-by or a demonstration of a Spitfire, and some include the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight which includes a Spitfire, a Hurricane, and a Lancaster. They have had a spot of engine trouble (a gear acting up) but we are assured that they will be back soon.

Will you be here in the summer, preferably around a Bank Holiday?

Duxford is a great day out.

I hear a Spitfire flying over my garden in Kent most days between spring and autumn, as one is based at the nearby Headcorn Aerodrome and it offers pleasure flights for an eye watering £2,750! A bargain for a 20 minute flight.

My husband and son went to the one in north London and absolutely loved it. They mentioned it was deceptive as it didn't look like much from the outside but easily filled an entire day. His recollection (it was 5 years ago!) is that there was a good collection of WWII aircraft, and that it was easy to get to on the Tube.

Thank you so much for all your wonderful and most informative replies! We deeply appreciate the time and effort it took to pass along your knowledge and information. Alas, we were not able to make it to any of the museums (travel is often comes with more than an ample supply of "surprises" and setbacks). We will save this information for our next trip. We hope it can be sooner rather than later. Again, Thank you all very much!