This independent museum is situated very close to one of Ronaldsway Airport's taxiways and the main runway, allowing a close-up view of aircraft. It tells TWO exciting stories - the aviation heritage of the Isle of Man from the earliest days of flight AND the Isle of Man and its people at war.

Displays include:

The history of civil flying from 1902 – balloons, air races, pleasure flights and commercial aviation at Ronaldsway Airport and Hall Caine Airport.

1914-18: The Island’s role in the First World War. This moving exhibition tells in detail the stories of young men who left the Island to fight in far-off lands, their tales from the battlefronts and the tragedy of the loss of over 1100 lives from the Island’s small community.

Royal Naval Air Station Ronaldsway. Opened in 1944 as HMS Urley, a training base for the Royal Navy’s torpedo bombers, Ronaldsway became the Island’s busy airport.

The stories of some of the pioneers of flying who have a Manx connection.

A hundred years of links between the Island and the Royal Air Force. Manx people have served with the RAF ever since its formation in 1918 and the RAF itself has had a strong presence on the Island with three airfields, four radar stations and a bombing range.

Relics of some of the hundreds of wartime aircraft crashes in and around the Island, with the stories of the people involved.

Women at War – the largely unsung role of women at war, both in the armed services and at home, with their uniforms and memorabilia.

The Home Front – The Isle of Man Home Guard and Air Raid Precautions.

The museum’s memorial garden is sheltered by a wooden fence which features thoughtfully positioned glass panels through which aircraft can be seen on the nearby taxiway and runway. The central point of the garden is a striking black granite pillar which is a memorial to 28 Canadian airmen who died in the Isle of Man in flying accidents during World War Two.