The Lashenden Air Warfare Museum is one of the longest established aviation museums in the country, having been formed in 1970.
The museum collection was started by members of the Maidstone branch of Royal Air Forces Association in the late 1960’s. The museum itself came into being when the airfield owner, Mr Freeman, offered the Maidstone branch of the Royal Air Forces Association a building for use as a museum in early 1970. The museum opened to the public Easter 1970 taking on the name of Lashenden Air Warfare Museum (Lashenden being the wartime name of the airfield). The museum’s first aircraft arrived just before Easter 1970, this being the very rare Fieseler Fi103R-4 Reichenberg piloted V1 flying bomb.
The museum’s aim is to advance the education of the public by establishing and maintaining a museum for the exhibition to the public of aircraft and relics, mainly from the Second World War and to preserve the aviation and military heritage of this country for the public benefit & to raise money for RAF & associated charities & to this end it has adopted the RAF Ex POW Association & the Guinea Pig Club as it’s main charities for support.
Since the early days the museum has continued to expand at a steady pace with the collections of a number of “preservation & recovery groups” being added to the museum on the demise of these groups. These collections included a collection of “wreckology” items & 2 airframes (F100 Super Sabre & Whirlwind HAS7) from the Malling Aircraft Archaeologists, a Mystere IV airframe from the Robertsbridge Aviation Society & a rare Focke Achgelis Fa330A-1 (100549) gyro kite from the Merseyside Aviation Society, via the Museum of Science & Industry in Manchester. The acquisition of this World War 2 German aircraft makes the museum the only non-national museum in the country to display 2 genuine World War 2 German aircraft.
Headcorn Areodrome, Headcorn TN27 9HX
Telephone 01622 631799/890226
www.lashendenairwarfaremuseum.co.uk
Opening times:
| Period | Days | Opening times | Exceptions |
| March & April | Sundays & Bank Holidays | 10.30am – 6pm | Closed Good Friday |
| May to September | Saturdays, Sundays & Bank Holidays | 10.30am – 6pm | |
| October | Sundays Only | 10.30am – 6pm | |
| November & December | Sundays Only | 10.30am – 4pm |
Free Parking & free admission
Donations Welcome (Suggested donation £2 to help keep the museum running)