Santa visit

Saturday 12 December & Sunday 13 December

Father Christmas is Here! (from 11am)

Entrance Fee includes tea or coffee with mince pie or chocolate.  Father Christmas will be at the museum from 11 am.   Kids can post a letter and take home a surprise present. 10% off all models and kits in the shop.

Open Cockpit Days

Saturday 17 - Sunday 18 October

Open Cockpit Weekend

Selected cockpits not usually open to the public are available to enter with volunteers in attendance.  All ages and abilities welcome.  Family quizzes and activity sheets available. 

Military Radio and Electro jumble

Sunday 11 October

Military & Radio Electro Jumble, 9am- 1pm

The Military Radio Equipment Jumble Sale.  A fascinating morning - come and rummage through historical aviation artefacts and electronic gear.  You might just find a bargain! 

May Open Cockpit Days

May Bank holiday Open Cockpit days.

Selected cockpits not usually open to the public will be available to enter .

Bank holiday weekend. 23,24 & 25 of May.

Next event

Saturday 21 March & Sunday 22 March

Open Cockpit Days.

Selected Cockpits not usually open to the public are available to enter with volunteers in attendance. 

All ages and abilities welcome.  Quizzes and activity sheets available.

 

Easter opening days

The museum will be open every day throughout the Easter school holidays.

30th of March to 12th of April

Christmas Holiday Opening times

Please note that the Museum will be open everyday throughout the school Christmas holidays except for the following:
-Christmas Day
-Boxing Day
-New Years Day

Don't forget that Father Christmas will be paying us a visit over the weekend of 13th and 14th December too.

Falklands Memorial

Over the August Bank Holiday Weekend the Museum unveiled a new memorial to the British Servicemen  and Falkland Islands civilians killed during the conflict.

The service was well attended by veterans of the conflict, the event coinciding with the annual camping week which the South Atlantic Medal Association hold at SYAM. The Deputy Civic Mayor of Doncaster and the Mayor of Whitby (twinned with Stanley, the Island's capital) were in attendance.

WW1 Centenary Exhibition Opens

A new display has opened at the Museum to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the start of the First World War.
The display is housed in a newly refurbished section of Building 21 and features original uniforms, trench art and other artefacts as well as photographic displays relating to South Yorkshire in the First World War.

Also recently opened in Building 21 is a recreation of a Second World War plotting room.

Summer Opening

Please note that the museum will be open 7 days a week throughout the upcoming school holidays beginning 22nd July and running through to 31st August!

D-Day Trail

To Commemorate the 70th anniversary of  D Day, a discovery trail is now open marking the contribution of the RAF squadrons most closely associated with Doncaster and South Yorkshire, No's 616, 271 and 659 Squadrons RAF. Other stories based on displays about aircraft and equipment which are on view at the museum are included in the trail guide available from the Museum Shop.

Easter Holiday Opening

The museum will be open everyday throughout the easter holidays. This means that in addition to our normal opening hours we will also be open on the following Mondays:

-7th April
-14th April
-21st April

Don't forget to have a go at the Easter Scavenger Hunt!

Please note that we are now open until 5pm.

February Half Term Opening

As usual the museum is opening everyday during the upcoming school holidays. This means that in addition to our normal Tuesday to Sunday opening hours we will also be open on:

• Monday 17th Feb
• Monday 24th Feb

Christmas Holiday Opening

The museum will be opening everyday throughout the Christmas holidays except for the following;

-Christmas Day
-Boxing Day
-New Years Day

Don't forget you can visit Father Christmas at the museum this weekend (more details on homepage).

On behalf of the Museum, Merry Christmas and thank you for your support in 2013.

Rare Argentine Jet arrives at SYAM

On Wednesday 23rd October the Museum welcomed a new addition to the collection.

The Aermacchi MB339A was used by the Argentinians during the Falklands War. This example was brought back to the UK following the conflict. The airframe has been acquired from the Fleet Air Arm Museum although it has been stored at Rolls-Royce, Derby for many years having been used for testing and away from public view. This is the only Argentine example to find its way back across the Atlantic, the only others outside of Argentina being located in the USA.

Building 19 Upgrade

Following an extensive upgrade Building 19 is now fully open again.

The temporary dividing wall blocking off half of the main display hall has been removed, reverting the Building to its original configuration and giving a much brighter more open display space. The whole building including the toilets has been re-decorated, thank you to the apprentices from BAe Systems for their assistance in this.

A number of airframes have now been brought undercover thanks to the increased space. The Beverley cockpit is a rare example and its future is now much more secure, along with the Museum's Canberra B.2 cockpit, now displayed along with the Red Dean missile which that airframe was involved in testing. Also re-assembled undercover is recently arrived Grumman G-BCLW, seen complete with flashing light in the photo below.

Engine Hall Re-Opens

Following a major refurbishment the Museum's engine hall has re-opened to visitors.

The ceiling has been under-drawn, preventing material falling from the ceiling onto the exhibits. The walls have ben clad and insulated, providing a better environment for the long term preservation of the objects. The lighting has also been replaced with modern low energy units switched on by motion sensors which is much more efficient that the older generation fluorescent tubes which were there before. Along with a good coat of paint the room is now a much brighter and more pleasant environment to view the items on display.

The engine hall displays introduce visitors to a selection of engines which span the history of aviation, from an early Liberty engine from the First World War period, through the inter-war years with engines including a very rare French Lorraine Dietrich engine, into the Second World War with engines including the iconic Rolls-Royce Merlin and engines from post-war designs like the Rolls-Royce Avon which powered the classic Hunter and Lightning aircraft.

The Engine Hall, prior to refurbishment

The new Engine Hall

Grumman Comes Home...

The latest addition to the museum's collection arrived on 27th April in the form of Grumman AA-1 G-BCLW. The aircraft has flown most recently from Robin Hood Airport where it was dismantled during the morning and transported the short distance to SYAM. The trip in fact saw the aircraft return to its original home, its first owner was based at our own Doncaster Airport site, where 'LW can now enjoy a long retirement.
It is hoped to assemble the aircraft in the coming weeks as work on the Building 19 display hall is completed and it is planned to ground run the aircraft, which is 100% complete, on occasions in the future.

New Look Shop

The Museum's shop has undergone some re-modelling over the last few weeks. There is now a much more spacious area to view our wide range of kits, die-casts and books, as well as a good selection of children's toys.

Whats On In 2013 At South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum

The list of special event days at the Museum in 2013 is now online.
Please see our Whats On page for more information about whats happening and when.

As always please check the website closer to the event day for more up to date news and information.