IWM Duxford

The museum

Built around a historic Royal Air Force airfield, IWM Duxford combines preserved hangars, major British and American military aircraft collections, restoration activity, and flying events.

IWM Duxford preserves an operational airfield with direct connections to the Battle of Britain and the American Eighth Air Force. Historic hangars, aircraft operations and personal accounts put the visitor among aircraft and buildings that were part of wartime flying rather than a reconstructed display.

The American Air Museum brings together a B-17 Flying Fortress, B-52 Stratofortress, U-2 reconnaissance aircraft, A-10 attack aircraft and SR-71 Blackbird. Elsewhere in the visitor complex are large British types including the Avro Vulcan and Short Sunderland, while Hangar One includes Concorde 101. These are named examples documented in current institutional visitor or gallery information, not a comprehensive Duxford aircraft inventory.

Duxford remains a working airfield where flying aircraft, conservation projects and temporary exhibition arrangements mean particular exhibits can be moved. Check current display access, and do not confuse visiting aircraft or airshow participants with permanent museum holdings.

IWM Duxford occupies an active historic airfield and combines RAF heritage, American military aviation, large civil airliners and restoration projects. Beyond the celebrated fighters and bombers, its AirSpace galleries have preserved early biplanes and Cold War aircraft. The British Airliner Collection extends the aviation story into British passenger transport, including the Avro York connected with the Berlin Airlift. Duxford’s aircraft are held and displayed by several organizations across a changing airfield site, so distinctions between ownership, custodianship and exhibition matter.