Permanent

IWM Duxford

Adults

Free with General Admission

If you want to understand the broader context of Masters of the Air, there is no better place to start than the American Air Museum at IWM Duxford.
- Kirk Saduski, executive producer of Masters of the Air
B-52 inside the American Air Museum
©IWM

The American Air Museum at IWM Duxford stands as a memorial to the 30,000 members of the US Army Air Forces who died while flying from Britain during the Second World War. It tells the story of the people - from civilian to Private to President - whose lives were shaped by their experiences of conflict from the First World War right up to the present day.


The American Air Museum is also home to the biggest collection of American military aircraft on public display outside the United States.  You’ll get up close to our B-17 bomber; the iconic plane seen in the show Masters of the Air. Cower under the giant B-52 Stratofortress, and marvel at the SR-71 – the fastest and highest-flying manned aircraft ever built, and the only one outside the USA.
 

Visit the American Air Museum's own dedicated website. Entry to the American Air Museum is included in general admission to IWM Duxford.

Real people, real stories

Explore the American Air Museum's archive to uncover real stories and real history of the people, places and events portrayed in Masters of the Air.
Explore the American Air Museum's archive

IWM Stories

Captain Harold E Stump and 2nd Lieutenant George J. Hays of the 78th Fighter Group with a P-47 Thunderbolt nicknamed "Bad Medicine"
© IWM (FRE 2774)
IWM Duxford

The Arrival of the 78th Fighter Group at Duxford

The 78th Fighter Group was activated in January 1942 amidst the rapid expansion of the US military that occurred in the wake of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor

U-2 thumbnail
IWM
IWM Duxford

U-2 and the Cuban Missile Crisis

The U-2 could fly so high it was initially believed to be beyond the reach of Soviet fighters, missiles and radar. They were used to fly over the Soviet Union but every flight was at risk of being perceived as an unauthorised invasion of another country’s airspace. So why did the US government risk so much on these U-2 missions?

B-17 video thumbnail
© IWM
Second World War

B-17 Flying Fortress

The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress dropped more bombs than any other US aircraft in the Second World War. A lot of these aircraft flew out of bases in England, as part of the USAAF’s daylight strategic bombing campaign. In this video, we take a close look at the B-17, take a look inside the fuselage and cockpit, and hear from two veteran B-17 crew.