Finnish Air Force Museum 2020/06/04

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I went to the Finnish Air Force Museum ( https://airforcemuseum.fi/ ) yesterday, and it looks like I might have some passable photos on my phone.

The place has some rare aircraft, engines, weapons, scale models, dioramas and aviation art. There's also an Air Force Signals museum, attached, but I couldn't get excited about all the different boxes with dials. Many exhibits include mannequins, apparently doing things that people would be doing with the aircraft or ground equipment.

I'll be uploading photos to https://www.flickr.com/photos/perttime/albums/72157714583728373 when I manage to sort them out...
Right now, I've only glanced through my pics and selected a few outside views to keep.

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The entrance doesn't look like much but it does say Ilmailumuseo (Aviation Museum) loud and clear.



Next to the entrance, theres some enlarged photos of aviators:

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Still outside...

Opposite the entrance, there's some radar equipment:



On one side, a two-seater Draken, two-seater MiG-21 Bis, and a single-seater MiG-21 Bis. Signs prohibit climbing onto the aircraft or hanging from them.



On the other side, a Mil Mi-8 helicopter. I just took a pic of the emblem.



To the side of the museum, a Folland Gnat Mk.1 on a pedestal.



And in front of the entrance, a MiG-17 (Polish Lim-5). MiG-17 never served in the Finnish Air Force. For this one, it was decided not to make it a museum piece. Instead, the museum ran a design contest in local schools. "Anni" created the winning design.

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One more, for now:
An overview of the museum, from the balcony.

At the top, there's a replica of the first aircraft of the Finnish Air Force, a Thulin Typ D: licence-built in Sweden version of the French Morane-Saulnier Parasol. Apparently spreading leaflets during the Finnish civil war of 1918. The original aircraft was donated by Swedish Count Eric von Rosen. He had marked it with his badge, a blue swastika on a white background. The Finnish Air Force adopted this roundel as the national insignia.

The place is packed, but arranged so that you can get a reasonable view of the exhibits.

[zenrat]

Cool cool cool. 

I've loved that MiG 17 scheme since I first saw it.  I'll build it one day.
You got more pics coming of that Il-28?

[NARSES2]

I've always liked packed museums like that. Much prefer them to the more modern idea of less exhibits and more space.

[perttime]

Cool cool cool. 

I've loved that MiG 17 scheme since I first saw it.  I'll build it one day.
You got more pics coming of that Il-28?

Il-28 isn't on my list of sexy aircraft - but I seem to have a couple of shots anyway:

One from the bridge across the exhibition hall:



... and one from below. I see cameras in the bomb bay.



Paris Peace Treaty prohibited Finland from having bombers, but Finland used a few for aerial cartography, martitime surveillance, reconnaissance, athmospheric sampling and target-tugging.

[zenrat]

Fantastic.  Looks like an early Mig 21 there as well.
Finland has used such a mixture of aircraft.  It's a whiffers delight.

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There's a bit of the Il-28R tail visible above the Gourdou-Lesseurre GL.22 here. I think that might be a packed aerial target in the tail of NH-4 (larger and fuzzier image at https://www.flickr.com/photos/perttime/49976200731/ )



Finland operated the Gourdou-Lesseurre GL.22 fighter from 1922 to 1932.





Detail of the GL.22 nose: The prop hub has a fitting for an external starter engine.

[Old Wombat]

Looks like a fun place to visit!

[zenrat]

Interesting - the swastikas on the undersides of the GL22 wings are mirrored.  I.e. the one under the port wing is showing what I believe was the traditional direction of rotation before the nazi's reversed it (unless of course the story of them doing that is apocryphal).
Model one like that then stand back and wait for the rivet counters to bite...

[perttime]

Looks like a fun place to visit!

Sure is!
It is about 2 hours drive from where I live. No reason not to go on a pleasant day during summer holidays. Lots to see and you don't have to walk miles to see it all 

Interesting - the swastikas on the undersides of the GL22 wings are mirrored. ...
...

I didn't even notice before 
Googling the type, I found what looks like a period photo where the "hakaristi" is like that. A discussion on the Finnish Flightforum suggests that there was some variety in which way they were painted. https://www.flightforum.fi/topic/29159-tunnistaako-kukaan-paikkaa-aikaa-tai-henkil%C3%B6it%C3%A4-t%C3%A4st%C3%A4-kuvasta/

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Next up: one of the Stars of the Museum: The sole surviving Brewster 239 "Buffalo" in the World.

The 239 was the export version of Brewster F2A-1. Finland bought 44 Brewsters. 38 were taken from the US Navy order and 8 from Belgium's order. The aircraft did not reach Finland in time for the Winter War. During the first years of the Continuation War they were the most effective part of Finland's fighter forces. Finnish pilots claimed 477 kills by Brewster 239.

BW-372 made a forced landing into a lake on enemy territory on June 26th 1942. It was found in 1998 in Russian Karelia. It became the property of the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola USA, which kindly lent it to the Finnish Air Force Museum. The loan has been extended several time, most recently until 2022.

It is displayed pretty much as it was found in the lake. Just cleaned up and preserved so that it will not deteriorate.

[zenrat]

Yes, Hakaristi, not swastika.  My mistake.

Nice weathering on the Buffalo.     It looks in remarkably good condition after 56 years in a lake.

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Next to the Brewster, theres a Hawker Hurricane Mk 1. We all know what a Hurricane looks like, so I didn't take many photos. Thos one just has hakaristi "roundels" on it... 
Finland bought a dozen Hurricanes from Britain during the Winter War. They arrived late for that and, during the Continuation War, lack of spare parts reduced the number of operational ones.

.. and up there, a Douglas DC-3C. It was converted from a war surplus C-47 and first operated by the Finnish national airline, then named Aero.



Not sure if there's another Hurricane around, with the location of survival skis marked on the side ("Miehistösukset" = "Crew Skis")



Somebody was getting ready to jump out of a perfectly good aeroplane!

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With the Brewster and the Hurricane arriving too late for the Winter War (and some other acquisitions being not that great), Finland's fighter defense mainly relied on the Fokker D.XXI.

There aren't many of these around but there's one being built in the Netherlands now. I don't remember if it is "original" or a replica. This one is original:



It was a cold winter in 1939-1940, and the pilot is dressed accordingly.



Edit:
one more view of the Fokker: