Website covering the (R)F-84F Thunderstreak / Thunderflash as well as airshow reports, base visits, aircraft museums and lots of aircraft-spotting pictures taken from the sixties to present days
Museums
For a long time we are used to pay visits to museums in which aircraft are being exhibited and to photograph museum-aircraft that are being lined-up during Open Days etc.
This album incorporates a number of galleries holding pictures that we took of aircraft acting as museum-pieces
in the course of time.
While en-route from the RIAT at RAF Fairford , U.K. back to the ferry-boat in July 1987 , Hans made an overnight-stop to pay a visit to Duxford , U.K. Located there is the Imperial War Museum, which houses a large collection of ex-military aircraft , especially of World War Two-origin. This gallery shows just a few pictures of the in - and outdoor exhibitions.
22 Photos
A visit to the Burgundy wine castle of Savigny-les Beaunes in France is an experience in itself , but the fact that there are numerous ex-military aircraft on exhibition in the surrounding area , makes a visit even more worth while. Hans did so on August 26th , 1990. At the time the a/c were in a somewhat shabby condition , but still in their original livery. Nowadays most of them have been freshly painted up , so if you are in the neighbourhood : don't miss this extraordinary collection!
19 Photos
On May 13th , 1988 Hans and Frank paid a visit to the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces in Brussels , Belgium , which houses a large and interesting component devoted to the Air Force. To (partly) solve the lack of space problem in the great exhibition hall , some of the aircraft exposed have been "elevated" or attached to the ceiling to make them look as if they were in-flight. Hans also visited the museum in 1992 and 1997 , while Frank was there again in 1998 to take some more pictures.
33 Photos
The Royal Netherlands Air Force Museum (MLM) was established at Soesterberg Air Base in 1968 and moved to a location nearby the village of Soesterberg , called Kamp van Zeist , in 1980 . In this gallery Hans and Frank show you a selection of photographs they made there in the course of time , representing its interesting collection of military aircraft. From 2011 also a number of pictures are included , taken in the new housing of the museum at the former air base , which is scheduled to be officially opened around 2014.
92 Photos
In the vicinity of the village of Soesterberg the Royal Netherlands Air Force has its museum; until 2011 they opened the depots for the public once in a year ; these depots are situated at the nearby former air base, where they store the remaining aircraft. Hans and Frank visited the depots in 1994 , 2005 and 2008.
34 Photos
The Intrepid has a weight of over 40.000 tons, is over 300 metres long and served as an aircraft carrier in the USNavy from 1943 till 1974. The ship is now anchored in the New York harbour and houses the Air-Sea-Space musem: a remarkable collection of aircraft from several nations and decades. (This gallery courtesy Tim Klaassen)
12 Photos
Israel has a very interesting aircraft museum, located in a corner of Hatserim Air Base. Hatserim is in the Negeb desert, some 150 kms south of Jeruzalem. The museum exhibits all types that ever entered service with the Israeli Air Force. Hatserim Airbase also houses a storage centre which is adjacent to the museum. Frank was there in November 2010 and pictured both in the museum as well as some of the aircraft held in open storage.
58 Photos
This is not really a museum, more a storage depot: Piet Smedts (the PS from the museum title) buys and sells military aircraft from air forces surplus stocks. He presents them to possible customers in his large workshop at Baarlo (province of Limburg). It is his intention to display his aircraft in a more sophisticated way in the years to come though. Frank visited the area (the museum is in Baarlo, storage is in Kessel) in May 2011.
42 Photos
In May Frank visited the Technik Museum in the German city of Speyer (near Frankfurt). Next to other technical hardware (cars, locomotives, boats) this museum has over 60 aircraft on display; they are presented in their “active” mode (meaning that most of them are displayed as if they were flying, placed on poles or hanging on the cealing) and that gives the exhibition a somewhat strange outlook. Some of the aircraft wear their original livery, others have been repainted to give them an exotic outlook. Nevertheless, a nice place to visit!
27 Photos
This museum (situated in the north-eastern corner of Switzerland on the civil airport of Altenrhein) is a private enterprise manned with volunteers only, open on Saturday- and Sunday afternoons. The museum claims that their entire collection is in a flyworthy condition and indeed, most aircraft bear, except for their previous military markings, a civil registration as well. Frank visited the museum in May 2011.
9 Photos
(2011) Spanish Air Force Museum Madrid, Spain, November 2011 The Museo del Aire -the museum of the Spanish Air Force- is situated a few kilometers south of Madrid, in a corner of Cuatro Vientos AB. It exhibits an impressive and interesting collection that includes rare birds such as the Heinkel HE-111, the Junkers JU-52 and onr of the three aquired Boeing KC-97L Stratotankers, used to do in-flight-refuelling of the Spanish Phantoms. And although especially the outside part of the display could use a bit of maintenance/repainting it is well worth visiting! Frank was in the Museo early November 2011.
58 Photos