What Navy Wings does

Navy Wings is the public-facing brand of the Fly Navy Heritage Trust, a UK registered charity (Charity No. 1117272) established in 1988 and based at RNAS Yeovilton, Ilchester, Somerset. The charity exists to preserve, restore, and fly historic naval aircraft from the Fleet Air Arm, maintaining a collection of eight core airframes including the world's oldest airworthy Fairey Swordfish (W5856), the last flying de Havilland Sea Vixen, a Hawker Sea Fury, Seafire, Westland Wasp, Harvard, Chipmunk, and Sea Hawk, plus associate aircraft. It displays aircraft at UK air shows reaching more than three million people annually, and operates an engineering workshop using traditional craftsmanship combined with modern tools such as CAD design and 3D-printed replacement components, alongside non-destructive testing including X-ray, magnetic particle, and eddy current inspection.

The charity's revenue model is diversified across individual donations, a £30/year supporter membership, legacy giving, merchandise and flight store sales (shop.navywings.org.uk), photography workshops, raffles and lotteries licensed by the UK Gambling Commission, and corporate event sponsorship. Corporate partners include GKN, Denholm, Leonardo Helicopters, Serco, Wadworth Brewery, and Rolls-Royce. Its customer base spans aviation enthusiasts, Fleet Air Arm veterans and their families, STEM education audiences, heritage tourists, and corporate sponsorship partners; outreach is delivered through Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, email, air show attendance, and STEM events such as MACH 2026.

Navy Wings operates as a mission-driven non-profit with no equity investors, no parent company, and no institutional capital; governance rests with trustees, and operational leadership includes a CEO and small executive team. It is formally affiliated with the Royal Navy including HMS Queen Elizabeth, and its strategic focus is on sustaining airworthy heritage aircraft, expanding public engagement through STEM, and growing corporate fundraising channels.

Name

Navy Wings

Legal name

Fly Navy Heritage Trust

Website

https://navywings.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Navy Wings (Fly Navy Heritage Trust) is a UK charity that preserves, restores, and flies historic Fleet Air Arm aircraft, displaying them to over three million people annually at UK air shows while funded by donations, memberships, and corporate partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aviation Heritage Preservation

NAICS

Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336413)

SIC

Aircraft Parts & Auxiliary Equipment, Nec (3728)

akta.pro primary industry

Military Aircraft Platforms (Fixed-Wing) (IMABAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Military Rotorcraft Platforms (IMABAMAB), Military Aircraft Structures, Airframes & Composites (IMABAMAH)

Keywords

• Heritage aviation
• Naval aircraft preservation
• Fleet air arm
• Charity aviation
• Flight experiences

Headquarters

HQ city

Ilchester, Somerset

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Supporter Membership: Annual supporter membership providing access to special events, discounts, and supporter benefits. Previously mentioned as £30 per year with Dine Club membership benefits including restaurant and cinema discounts.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Direct public donations to support aircraft preservation and flying operations. Funded entirely by public donations according to website.
3. Merchandise and Flight Store Sales: Online shop selling unique Navy Wings branded products including merchandise, aviation memorabilia, and the Flight Store at shop.navywings.org.uk.
4. Lottery and Raffles: Regular lottery programs and fundraising raffles including the luxury cruise raffle with Azamara and the Swordfish Golf Tournament which raised £1,300 from raffle and mulligans.
5. Event Revenue: Revenue from organized events including the FAA Shoot, photography workshops at £35 per person, and night photo shoots in association with Threshold.Aero.
6. Legacy Giving: Bequests and legacy donations from supporters leaving funds to the charity in their wills.
7. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate sponsorship from companies like GKN, Denholm, Serco, Wadworth Brewery, and Leonardo Helicopters who support events and receive brand visibility.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Navy Wings is a UK registered charity (Fly Navy Heritage Trust) that preserves, restores, and operates historic aircraft from the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy. Its activities centre on keeping naval aviation heritage aircraft airworthy and accessible through public display, airshow participation, and heritage flight experiences.

Product overview

Navy Wings operates as a unified charity focused on preserving and flying historic naval aircraft from the Fleet Air Arm. The core offering consists of maintaining and displaying a collection of eight preserved aircraft (Swordfish, Seafire, Wasp, Sea Fury, Harvard, Chipmunk, Sea Hawk, and associated aircraft) at air shows and events. Supporting services include the Heritage Hangar Experience at RNAS Yeovilton, Night Photoshoots, merchandise sales, supporter membership, and fundraising activities including lotteries, raffles, and golf tournaments. The organization displays to over three million people annually, funded entirely through public donations and supporter contributions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Display to over 3 million people annually at air shows and events
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered event sponsor, corporate partner, event partner, benefits partner, supporting partner, maintenance partner and core partner.

• Leonardo Helicoptersevent sponsorGTM or Marketing Partner · 21 May 2026Leonardo Helicopters provided extra support for the Swordfish Golf Tournament 2026 at Bowood PGA Course, Wiltshire, as event sponsor.
• GKNcorporate partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 21 May 2026Corporate partner and winner of Swordfish Trophy 2026 with two teams competing. Regular participant in Navy Wings corporate golf events.
• Denholmcorporate partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 21 May 2026Corporate partner placing third in Swordfish Golf Tournament 2026. Supporting Navy Wings fundraising through golf day participation.
• Sercocorporate partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 21 May 2026First-time participant in Swordfish Golf Tournament 2026, joining as corporate team to support Navy Wings fundraising.
• Threshold.Aeroevent partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 21 March 2019Association with Threshold.Aero for night photo shoot events. Threshold.Aero handles ticket sales for photography workshops and events at Navy Wings hangar.
• Dine Clubbenefits partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2018Dine partnership provides Navy Wings supporters with 25-50% discounts at Bella Italia, Café Rouge, Belgo, La Tasca, Loch Fyne restaurants and 40% off cinema tickets as standard supporter benefit.
• Aerotech (Suffolk) Ltdsupporting partnerTechnology or IntegrationMartin Espin of Aerotech (Suffolk) Ltd provides invaluable assistance to the Navy Wings engineering team, supporting complex restoration projects like the Sea Fury FB.11 with specialized manufacturing capabilities.
• Weald Aviationmaintenance partnerImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWeald Aviation at North Weald conducts routine maintenance on Sea Fury T20 including 50-hour engine inspections, propeller work, and aircraft weighing for Centre of Gravity assessment.
• Royal Navycore partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormal affiliation with HMS Queen Elizabeth and participation in Royal Navy STEM team at events like MACH 2026. Navy Wings represents the living history of the Fleet Air Arm as integral part of the Royal Navy family.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF): The RAF's own heritage flight, operating Spitfires, Hurricanes, a Lancaster, and other historic military aircraft at UK air shows. Operates on a near-identical model to Navy Wings (preserving and flying iconic military aircraft), making it the closest structural and operational peer in the UK heritage aviation sector.
• Historic Aircraft Collection Ltd: UK-based operator that maintains and flies historic military aircraft (including Hurricanes and Buchóns) at European air shows. Closely comparable private warbird operator competing with Navy Wings for air show appearances and the same enthusiast audience.
• Vulcan to the Sky Trust: UK heritage aviation charity dedicated to restoring and operating a single iconic Cold War bomber (Avro Vulcan XH558). Operates on the same charity-based, donation-funded, engineering-led model as Navy Wings and targets a similar enthusiast and corporate sponsorship base.
• Shuttleworth Collection: UK heritage aviation organization that maintains and flies a large collection of historic aircraft, hosts the Shuttleworth Fly Navy event (where Navy Wings regularly displays), and runs a comparable model of air show displays, membership, and event-based fundraising.
• The Fighter Collection: Private warbird operator based at Duxford that flies historic military aircraft including Sea Furies at UK air shows. Competes directly with Navy Wings for air show slots and shares the same display-flying business model around maintaining vintage combat aircraft.
• Fleet Air Arm Museum: The dedicated national museum for Fleet Air Arm history, located at RNAS Yeovilton alongside Navy Wings. Shares the same subject matter, venue, and target audience, and is a natural complementary or competitive counterpart for naval aviation heritage visitors and donors.
• Aircraft Restoration Company: UK heritage aircraft operator specializing in maintaining and flying warbirds (including Sea Hurricanes and Lysanders) at air shows. Direct competitor in the warbird display market with overlapping engineering capabilities, including 3D-printed replacement parts.

Broad incumbents

• Imperial War Museum Duxford: One of the UK's largest aviation heritage sites, hosting major air shows and housing extensive historic military aircraft collections. A broader institution than Navy Wings but directly comparable in its role preserving and displaying military aviation heritage to large public audiences.
• RAF Museum: National museum dedicated to Royal Air Force history with major sites at Hendon and Cosford. While broader in scope (RAF rather than Fleet Air Arm), it operates the same charitable, heritage-preservation mission, runs educational programs, and competes for the same aviation enthusiast donor base.

Regional players

• Mid-Atlantic Air Museum: US-based heritage aviation museum that restores and flies historic military aircraft at American air shows. Operates a comparable preservation-and-display model but in a different geographic market, with limited overlap in donor or audience base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights8 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCOMxh_WWx2UDrHqlle8lg-A
• Facebookfacebook.com/NavyWingsUK
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/navy-wings
• Instagraminstagram.com/navy_wings

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Navy Wings