FIND US
CALL US
BOOK & SAVE

Group Visits and Tours

The Yorkshire Air Museum at Elvington near York makes a unique venue for events, conferences and even weddings.​

old buses and coaches

Coach and Tour Operators

As we are located near the centre of York, just off the A64 and A1079, we are great destination for Coach parties. Our site is wheelchair accessible, and we have a small amount of manual wheelchairs for free hire. We offer free parking in our car park for all visitors, and opportunities for group catering and tours, depending on your groups needs. For groups of 10 people or more, contact us via the link at the bottom of the page to discuss details.

Tours of the Museum

To enhance your visit, one of our knowledgeable volunteers can provide a talk to your group about the history of RAF Elvington and why the Museum is so special. Either a brief overview when you arrive, or a more a more in depth 1 hour tour which highlights our unique collections, significant WW2 history, and surprising facts. Charges apply, between 6-12 people per tour).

Scouts and Air Cadets

Scouts can work towards the Air Activities badge with our supporting worksheet covering Stage 1 and Stage 2. The worksheet is available to download here together with answers here. Please contact us directly on museum@yorkshireairmuseum.org

GROUP VISITS AND TOURS ENQUIRY FORM

Terms and Conditions.
The Organiser takes responsibility for the conduct of the group and there must be adequate adult supervision of children. All members of the party are expected to behave with respect and consideration.
Aircraft / vehicle barriers MUST NOT be crossed.
Cancellations: bookings cancelled in advance of one week of visit are fully refundable. Cancellations made less than one week before date of visit are non-refundable but are transferrable within 12 months of the original booking upon agreement with the Museum.
Data Protection: We will use the information you share with us to carry out necessary administration of your booking and contact you only in relation to your booking. Your contact details will be deleted from our files once your visit is completed. We will only keep a record of your visit for the purpose of data analysis. At no point will this information be sold to third parties.

Blackburn Mercury Monoplane 1911 (Replica) AH (BAPC) 130 YAM Jan.1995

The Blackburn Mercury Monoplane is regarded as the first truly successful aircraft made by Blackburn at their factory in Leeds. The Mercury I, powered by a 50 hp Isaacson radial engine, was displayed at the Olympia Aero Show in March 1911 and made its debut flying from the beach at Filey with the newly formed Blackburn Flying School. In May 1911, it flew from Filey to Scarborough and back in 19 minutes at an average speed of 50 mph, reaching an altitude of 1200 feet.
This aircraft crashed the next day when the engine seized and the propeller flew off! The Mercury I was followed by two Mercury II aircraft powered by 50 hp Gnome engines, and six Mercury III aircraft, with a number of different engines. Sadly, a Renault powered Mercury crashed at Filey in December 1911, killing an instructor and passenger.
The Museum’s replica was built for Yorkshire Television in 1979 for the Edwardian drama series ‘Flambards’, and was taxied with a car engine. It came to YAM on 10th January 1995 and after a long period in storage it was painstakingly restored to a superb display standard, and was unveiled in June 2000 by Professor Robert Blackburn, grandson of Robert Blackburn, the aviation pioneer.

AVRO 504K ‘H1968’ (Replica) AH (BAPC) 42 YAM Oct. 1994

The Avro 504 first flew in 1913. In the opening phases of the First World War, it served with front-line squadrons in the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service for bombing and reconnaissance, but from 1915 onwards the aircraft entered the training role for which it is most celebrated.

Over 8,000 Avro 504s were built. In 1918, the Royal Air Force had about 3,000, of which 2,276 were trainers.

The Avro 504 was stationed at many Yorkshire airfields, including Tadcaster near the A1/A64 junction, where a period hangar can still be seen.

The Yorkshire Air Museum’s replica was built by apprentices at RAF Halton and appeared at the Royal Tournament in 1968 to commemorate what was then fifty years since the end of the First World War. The aircraft was refurbished in early 2015 to be transported to Thiepval, Northern France, for the Somme Centenary commemoration event, on request of the British Government. In May 2018, it was also displayed at the impressive Hotel Les Invalides in central Paris for a joint RAF / French Air Force event to mark the Centenary of the Royal Air Force and over 100 years of British and French Air Force collaboration.