South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum

South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum, AeroVenture, Doncaster, June 2025

AeroVenture is the name of this site, based at the old Doncaster Airfield and RAF Doncaster. A few WW2 buildings survive, especially the big Bellman hangar, and there are two occupants sharing the facilities, the main one being the South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum (SYAM), and the other is the Yorkshire Helicopter Preservation Group (YHPG).

The group that became SYAM was founded in 1973, and had a couple of homes before moving to the present site in 1999. There's an emphasis on aircraft with a local connection, plus Falklands War survivors, and there's an impressive Battle of Britain memorial.

We visited on 18 June – it's a splendid, friendly place, with an open field, a picnic area, and a range of old wooden buildings along with the main hangar. All the buildings are completely crammed with a huge range of displays, all of which are beautifully curated and well worth a leisurely visit. The shop is well stocked with kits, and a cafe serves the basics, while you are welcome to take your own picnic. Quite a few cockpits are open to be sat in, and they hold Open Cockpit Weekends when up to 30 are available.

Aircraft Reg'n Thumbs Notes
Aermacchi MB339A 4-A-116 116 0767 Argentine Navy
Auster AOP9 cockpit XR238  
Auster J1N Alpha G-AHHP Spent five years in the '80s as G-SIME. The wings are in the workshop.
Austin Whippet replica BAPC.207 'K.158' Marked as the 1st example built (of 5).
Avro Anson C19 cockpit VP519  
Avro Vulcan B2 cockpit XL388 Mayflower III markings
Beagle A109 Airedale G-ARYZ Executive Air
Bell UH-1H Iroquois tail boom AE-406 Argentine Army
Bensen B-8M BAPC.533  
Blackburn B.2 fuselage G-ACBH Composite with parts of G-ADFO.
Blackburn Beverley C1 cockpit XL149  
Blackburn Buccaneer S2B cockpit XX888  
Blackburn Buccaneer S2B cockpit XZ431  
Bleriot XI replica BAPC.307 Delagrange
Bristol Sycamore HR14 XE317 Ex G-AMWO
Cayley Glider Replica BAPC.639  
Cessna (Reims) F.150G G-AVAA  
de Havilland Canada Chipmunk T10 WB733  
de Havilland DH89A Dragon Rapide fuselage G-AHED Ex RAF Museum
De Havilland DH104 Dove 8 G-DDCD Ex G-ARUM of the National Coal Board, later G-OEWA.
De Havilland Goblin    
Canberra Avenue    
English Electric Canberra B(I)6 cockpit WT319 In Camberra Avenue
English Electric Canberra B2 cockpit WD935  
English Electric Canberra PR7 cockpit WH779 Camberra Avenue
English Electric Canberra PR7 cockpit WT536 Camberra Avenue
English Electric Canberra T17 cockpit WJ565 Camberra Avenue
English Electric Canberra T19 cockpit WJ975 Camberra Avenue
English Electric Canberra T22 cockpit WT525 855 Camberra Avenue
English Electric Canberra TT18 cockpit WH887 847 Camberra Avenue
English Electric Lightning F3 XP706  
Enstrom 280C cockpit HB-XMO  
Falkland Islands liberation memorial    
Gloster Meteor T7 WA662 Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE)
Grumman American AA-1B Trainer G-BCLW  
Handley Page Jetstream 200 cockpit G-ATXH The prototype Jetstream.
Hawker Hunter F51 E-424 Ex Danish AF, marked as RAF 'WV314'.
Hawker Hunter FGA9 cockpit XG297  
Hawker Hunter GA11 cockpit WT741 791  
Hawker Siddeley Dominie T1 XS735 Note the fuselage of Douglas DC-3 N4565L at the back.
Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR1 cockpit XV280 BAPC.484  
Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR3 XV752 9078M Marked as 9075M
Hawker Siddeley Hawk T1 XX238  
Hawker Siddeley HS748 cockpit G-OPFW Emerald Airways Parcelforce livery. Ex G-11-10, 5W-FAO, VR-BFT, VP-BFT, G-BMFT.
Hawker Siddeley Nimrod R1 cockpit XW666  
Hiway Skytrike G-MJKP  
Hunting Jet Provost T3 cockpit XM411  
Hunting Jet Provost T3A XM350 Flew with the Central Flying School's Pelicans 4-ship display team.
Mainair Tri-Flyer G-MMDK  
Mignet HM14 Flying Flea G-AEJZ BAPC.120  
Northern Battle of Britain Memorial    
Robinson R-22 G-DELB At the base fof the 2nd photo is the only view I could get of DH Vampire T11 XE935.
Robinson R-22 Beta EI-JWM  
Rolls-Royce Derwent    
Rolls-Royce Griffon    
Saunders-Roe Skeeter AOP12 XM561 Marked as 'XM651' AAC
Schleicher K8b cockpit GGA.522 GGA = RAF Germany Gliding Association, Laarbruch. Ex D-0322
Scottish Aviation Bulldog T1 XX669  
Scottish Aviation Jetstream T1 XX495  
Short Tucano T1 ZF167  
Sikorsky Sea King HAS6 XV677 Royal Navy
Slingsby T51 Dart 15 cockpit BGA.1268 404  
Slingsby T30B Prefect TX1 WE987 BGA.2517  
Taylorcraft Plus D (Auster AOP1) LB314 Ex D-ELUS, G-AHHX, OY-DSZ.
Vickers Valetta T3 cockpit WJ476 Identity is uncertain.
Vickers Varsity T1 cockpit WJ903  
Westland Lynx HAS3S(ICE) XZ246 434 Modified for Antarctic service aboard ice patrol ship HMS Endurance.
Westland Scout AH1 XP190  
Westland Scout AH1 XV139  
Westland Wessex HU5 XS481 Served the Army and Navy.
Westland Whirlwind HAR1 XA870 911 YHPG
Westland Whirlwind HAR10 G-BDBZ Ex XJ398
Westland Whirlwind HAR10 XP345 UN markings. YHPG
Westland-Bell 47G Sioux AH1 XT242 Showing its Blue Eagles team service. Composite with bits of XW179. YHPG
Whittaker MW5-K Sorcerer G-MVNT  
Whittaker MW8 G-MYJX The prototype

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