Great :) Lots to see, some things to do, mostly accessible!
5
5
Date of visit: October 2022
I have experience of challenges around: moving around and understanding.
Overall Rating
Excellent
A charming aviation museum, with countless exhibits from the tiniest models to complete airliners! Many unique pieces, often with local historical significance, from the birth of aviation to the present day. Some excellent 'themed' sections, telling a coherent story, as well as various collections of interesting bits&bobs!
Disabled Access In and Around
Excellent
Everywhere was accessible to my small mobility scooter, and I assume therefore also to wheelchairs/power chairs. A few of the smaller buildings are portakabin type structures, with regular width doors, and could be a little tight to get into with a larger chair, but the main buildings are literally hangars, with plenty of room to get in and out. Some exhibits are hands-on, others are behind little fences, or in glass cabinets - I didn't feel particularly disadvantaged on my scooter, some of the smaller exhibits are almost at ground level, so I f you want a close up look that might be an issue, but If I was walking I'd have to crouch down too - If you're a dedicated museum nerd who absolutely has to read all the description cards maybe this could get tiring, but for most of the visitors most of the timer it's a non-issue. By their nature, the vintage aircraft open to visitors are not at all easy to get in to, even if you're fully ambulatory, but that experience is only a small part of the museum as a whole - you can sit in the shade under one of the wings, and imagine what it's like to bash your head on the ceiling inside!
Parking & Transport
Excellent
Drove in, a friendly volunteer manning the gate directed me to where to park. Car park is compressed hardcore, some of which is a bit mossy, but I had no trouble with my mobility scooter on its tiny 8"(200x50) wheels.
Accessible Toilets
Excellent
Didn't use the loo while i was there, but there doesn't seem to be a 'no opinion' option, and if it was anything like the rest of the site it certainly wasn't a zero - will update when i next visit.
Staff
Excellent
The staff are all very friendly and keen to explain the exhibits to anyone who'll listen! They're mostly volunteers, and passionate about the aircraft they're curating, so they're much more engaging than your average bored teenager at a more commercial attraction.
