RNAS Yeovilton
Yeovil, Somerset, United Kingdom
RNAS Yeovilton
Royal Naval Air Station serving the Fleet Air Arm.
- ›Officially commissioned as HMS Heron, a Royal Navy shore establishment.
- ›Home to the Fleet Air Arm Museum, one of the largest aviation museums in Europe.
- ›Hosts frontline Wildcat and Merlin helicopter squadrons of the Royal Navy.
- ›Leonardo Helicopters (formerly AgustaWestland) operates nearby in Yeovil, with close ties to the station.
- ›Opened in 1940 and has been continuously operated by the Royal Navy since then.
RNAS Yeovilton, known as HMS Heron, is a Royal Navy Air Station located near Yeovil in Somerset, England, and has served as a key military aviation base since 1940. Home to frontline Fleet Air Arm squadrons and the internationally renowned Fleet Air Arm Museum, the station plays a central role in British naval aviation. It is not a commercial passenger airport and public access is restricted to the museum grounds.
- Military Operations Area — Active Royal Navy flight operations zone, closed to the general public.
- Fleet Air Arm Museum — Public-facing attraction on the airfield perimeter featuring historic naval aircraft and exhibitions.
- Car hire available in nearby Yeovil town centre
- Local bus services connecting Yeovil to Ilchester village adjacent to the station
- Taxi services from Yeovil town
- Yeovil Pen Mill and Yeovil Junction railway stations served by Great Western Railway
- Travelodge Yeovil
- Premier Inn Yeovil
- The Mermaid Hotel Yeovil
- Holiday Inn Express Yeovil
Dining options on the base itself are restricted to military personnel. Visitors to the Fleet Air Arm Museum can use the on-site café. A wider range of restaurants, pubs, and cafés is available in nearby Yeovil and the village of Ilchester.
- RNAS Yeovilton is an active military base — civilian entry requires prior authorisation or is limited to the Fleet Air Arm Museum.
- The Fleet Air Arm Museum is one of Europe's largest naval aviation museums and well worth a visit if you are in the area.
- Plan travel via Yeovil Junction station for the best rail connections to London Waterloo.
- Check the Fleet Air Arm Museum's website in advance as opening hours and events vary seasonally.
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Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton, commonly referred to as RNAS Yeovilton, and sometimes as RAF Yeovilton, is an airbase of the Royal Navy, sited a few miles north of Yeovil, in the English county of Somerset. It is one of two active Fleet Air Arm bases, the other being RNAS Culdrose. RNAS Yeovilton is currently home to the Royal Navy Wildcat HMA2, along with Army Air Corps Wildcat AH1 helicopters, as well as the Royal Navy's Commando Helicopter Force Merlin HCi3/4/4A and Wildcat AH1 helicopters.
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