The collection includes the Focke-Achgelis Fa 223 Drache, one of the first transport helicopters ever built.
The site features a G-LYNX, which holds the world speed record for a conventional helicopter, achieved in 1986.
The museum preserves the Westland Scout, a type of helicopter that saw extensive service during the Falklands War.
It is home to the last remaining Bristol Sycamore, the first British-designed helicopter to enter production.
The facility is situated on the historic site of the Weston-super-Mare RAF airfield, which operated during World War II.
Several exhibits were utilized in humanitarian missions, including specialized air-ambulance variants.
The collection contains a Soviet-era Mil Mi-2, reflecting Cold War-era aviation engineering.
The museum manages an extensive archive of rotary-wing technical documents and photographs.
The Helicopter Museum in Weston-super-Mare houses the world's largest dedicated collection of rotorcraft. The exhibition displays over 80 civil and military helicopters from various nations in an indoor hangar setting. Highlights include the Queen’s Royal Flight helicopter and the world’s oldest surviving helicopter. The site occupies the former Weston-super-Mare airfield, historically significant for the Westland aircraft manufacturing facility. Exhibits range from rare prototypes to search-and-rescue and heavy-lift machinery. Visitors can access the cockpits of selected aircraft during special event days. The museum serves as an educational center for aviation history and rotorcraft technology. It maintains a restoration workshop where ongoing conservation projects are often visible to the public.
The central hangar area provides a wide-angle perspective of the dense rotorcraft collection.
Check the events calendar for 'Open Cockpit' days to sit inside historical aircraft.
Wear comfortable, flat footwear, as the hangar floor is concrete and you will be walking between numerous machines.
Allow extra time if you are interested in the restoration hangar, as volunteers are often available to explain technical details.
Do not assume all helicopters are open for internal inspection; most are for viewing from the exterior only.
Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays during the winter months.
Do not touch the aircraft displays unless signage explicitly permits access or it is a designated open-cockpit day.
