The new RAF museum - a must-visit

[caption id="attachment_4430" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Robert sitting in the cockpit of a Spitfire[/caption]

When the kids were small, we would often pop over to the RAF museum, not far from where we live, in North London, to have a look around and take part in some of the children's activities offered there. It was a pleasant day out, a bit old-fashioned, but convenient and good for the children. But it wasn't anything special.

Fast-forward a few years and a multi-million pound transformation has occurred. The new RAF museum (and I'm calling it new, even though it's on the same site) is worth not just taking your kids to, but your teens, your other half and your parents... And it's still free entry.

2018 is the centenary of the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the museum is now a great testament to that (it was previously a bit tired). It offers some excellent galleries (including a new one on modern warfare, which contains up to date aircraft plus interactive exhibits including a quiz which I very much enjoyed), brilliant exhibits (including bombs from World Wars One and Two), hundreds of new artefacts and some very clever interactive experiences including the chance to build your own computerised plane (and then to see it fail miserably when tested - or perhaps that was only us).

The space itself (a former air field) is also vastly improved, with a green space in the middle of it and simply more space to breathe. There's also a new restaurant, but it needs more staff (and more panini machines!) to be as appealing as the rest of the site. The only other thing they need to add is a really good audio tour, as it would help you to organise what you should see - there's so much on offer.

Now, that's enough of me. Robert, who's now 13, explains more: 

When a child comes to a museum they are hoping for interesting things to look at and interactive activities to take part in.The RAF museum has always provided awesome vehicles to examine, (planes, tanks, helicopters…) yet the latter was only really provided in a kids' activity centre, not around the rest of the site.

But now, scattered around the different exhibitions are loads of online and real-life activities to have fun with. These include: designing your own plane and then testing it in a series of online challenges (which I really enjoyed and did more than once), a multi-tasking test where you had to complete logic puzzles at the same time as tapping coloured squares, and a screen where you have to put famous events in chronological order. More physical activities included dressing up in the clothes of RAF pilots, placing cogs in a wheel to try and complete a successful engine and a speed test where you had to tap lights as they flashed up. There were also loads of other interactive things to do for both younger and older kids, on top of the old activity centre (which, funnily enough, is one of the things that doesn’t really work that well anymore).

Royal Air Force

[caption id="attachment_4435" align="alignnone" width="1000"] There were so many interesting cut outs of people who had been, or were, in the RAF[/caption]

The Royal Air Force is what the activities and the museum is all about.There are many exhibitions displaying information about times when the RAF was needed and in each hangar there are the different vehicles used at those times; from the spitfire to the German Messerschmitt to the incredible, giant Vulcan. In the first exhibition, “Stories of the air force” there are models of every vehicle for children to sit in.

[caption id="attachment_4436" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Some of the older bombs on show[/caption]

In terms of information there are boards next to the planes explaining what they are, as well as loads of lifesize cut outs of former RAF members with their story printed on the back. These were really interesting and varied - from different times and about many different types of people - and I would recommend reading them. I found the planes and the bombs/missiles they carried really cool to look at although I could see younger children getting bored after a little while.

Add-ons

[caption id="attachment_4432" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Robert flying a plane (via a simulator...)[/caption]

There are three main experiences that you could pay to take part in at the museum. The first was a flight simulation where you have six minutes to control the plane. You do feel slight vibrations, but it wasn’t as exciting as I hoped – although my dad did enjoy it. This simulator is only for older kids - however I remember the other simulator (the torpedo) being amazing when I was younger so if you go to the museum after it has been fixed, I would recommend that simulator above the newer one.

There was a 4D film in which you “fly” with the red arrows - one of five different films being shown.

The final add on was “The Spitfire Experience” where you get to go inside a real spitfire and press the buttons and pull the levers as if you were flying. I thought this might be a bit boring, but it was really good. A member of staff explains all the bits of the plane to you, and how it worked, and I thought it was the most interesting thing I had done all day. I would recommend trying this - although it costs £10 - for the explanation alone. It was great.

Evaluation

[caption id="attachment_4438" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Standing in the new gallery, which is the story of the RAF from 1980 to the present day[/caption]

Personally, I had a great day trying out all the new activities and looking at the new exhibitions. The day out was a lot more fun than the last time I came so if you haven’t come in a while or are coming to London on a trip then I would definitely recommend a visit!

The RAF Museum is open from 10-6pm daily from March to October. It's free entry, although the add-ons (as mentioned above) cost extra. It's in Hendon, North West London (the nearest tube is Colindale on the Northern Line) and you can find out more about it via its website..

 

Read more:

Top museums for kids in London - by Robert

A visit to the fantastic Spy Museum

Top museums in London – for kids! (by Robert)

It's the Easter holidays, so we'll be expecting lots of of visitors to our home town, London. Because of this, Robert decided to write a very helpful blog post...

"When you come to England’s capital you might find yourself overwhelmed by the amount of things to do and places to see. Visiting a museum must be one of the most popular days out in London so I thought that I’d make a list of my favourites. (Please note that this is not in any order)

[caption id="attachment_2349" align="alignnone" width="676"] Robert at the British Museum[/caption]

The British Museum

This is the most well known of the lot and for a good reason. Founded in 1753, the massive building has a section on every era of British history where you can learn loads and also have a look at the breathtaking objects that are displayed. It’s amazing for kids as well as adults as they always have many educational activities and workshops going on, plus you can get a backpack at reception on a particular era. This will include fun things to do and items to look out for in the display rooms. One of my oldest memories is going around with my dad in the Egyptian section looking at the mummies. The British museum is a fantastic museum where you can learn so much, not just about British history, but about the world.

The Science Museum 

This is probably the best museum for kids, I’ve been there so many times and it never gets boring. Filled with loads of science experiments to try out and activities to have a go at, this is the building that children love to go to. It so cleverly made that kids learn about science and don’t even realise it. There are so many interactive things to do, plus the normal facts and displays that you find in other museums. This is probably my favourite museum but parents, bring a book as you might be sitting down for a while your children are doing the experiments.

London Transport Museum

This is a fun museum that you only need a few hours to explore. The building is filled with the many vehicles that the public have used over the years and it is a quick but informative learning experience. There are quite a few interactive screens for the kids, plus you are allowed inside some of the vehicles like a double decker bus or a train carriage dating back over 100 years. It is a fun place to go and I especially liked the staff who dress up as old fashioned customers and speak to you in character. But I wouldn’t put it top of my list.

[caption id="attachment_2350" align="alignnone" width="1200"] First World War exhibition at the RAF Museum, pic courtesy of the museum[/caption]

RAF Museum and the Imperial War Museum

Both of these museums are fantastic places to go if you want to learn about soldiers, wars and fighting. Both display an enormous collection of old fighter planes and other cool objects, they have rides, simulating what it was like to be in a plane during an attack plus lots of other interactive activities to have a go on. They also explain about the two world wars in a way so that little kids can understand.  They are fun places to learn especially for adults but because there's so much to see at the Imperial War Museum, younger kids may get a bit bored there. The RAF museum (based in Hendon, North London) may be better for a younger age group.

Bank of England museum

This is lesser known than the others, but is a great building where you learn all about money in Britain and how it is made. You can explore the world of the pound and even try to lift up a real bar of gold. It is a really fun place to go with kids and once again you don’t really need the whole day to go there.

In this post I have listed a few of my favourite museums in London but there are so many more like the Natural History museum or one of my personal favourites (and if you want to travel  bit further afield) the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. I hope this has helped you if you are planning a trip to London, and if you are -  bring an umbrella.

All the museums mentioned above - bar the London Transport Museum - are free to enter, although extras (such as the IMAX cinema at the Science Museum) do cost money. The RAF Museum is free, but you'll have to pay to park in the car park! The London Transport museum costs £17.00 for adults and £14.50 for kids, but that gives you entry for a year.

Read my thoughts on the National Maritime Museum

Read mum's post on 5 free things to do in London!