A roundabout way of displaying aircraft

IAF museum

I visited the museum in March 2008-fantastic!

Some practical info for anyone wanting to go there: I was staying in Tel Aviv and caught a bus from near our hotel, to one of the city’s railway stations. From there, a quick, modern and direct train (not v expensive either iirc) took me to Beersheva. Bus station was next door to rail station and bus no 31 (I think) went to the museum fairly soon after I arrived-20 minute journey. You pass one of the Kfirs on the roundabout.

One or two important matters: you need photo id to get in and it’s closed Friday pm and all day Saturday-Jewish sabbath; and don’t photo any aircraft flying into neighbouring air base of Hatzerim-you’d probably be arrested if they saw you doing this, but 100% free to photo a/c in museum. It’s on the edge of a desert and was 82F on the day of my visit: no doubt 100+F in summer, so take a big bottle of water and a large sun hat, especially if you’re bald, like me. Poor shop, tho managed to get some lunch there.

I think I counted eight(!) Meteors, tho why the IAF have kept so many is a mystery, as, from the (excellent, in English/Hebrew) info boards in front of nearly all the a/c, it wasn’t a significant type for them.

Not mentioned above: good collection of about ten captured Arab air force a/c: Mig 15, 17, 21, 23, Vampires, Hunter. Some Vautours, a simply beautiful Mustang, Ouragans, Mysteres, Super Mysteres, an F15, a Lavi (a still-born home-grown advanced fighter of the 1980s), an E2C, a 707 with full passenger interior, a C97 with an exhibition inside, two C47s (the one on display is unfortunately not in good condition, but another, in a storage area, is, from one side at least, in better condition and incidentally bristles with aerials), another C97 in this area (in v poor condition) plus two more 707s here.

There were four entrances to the storage area with the C97 etc in it, three of them with chains across, saying “No entry,” but the fourth one didn’t, so I chanced my arm, went in with my camera and was able to photograph all the aircraft in it, tho I did get shooed away from photographing a derelict Noratlas and Ouragan in another storage area.

Also: another Noratlas, a Harvard, a Stearman, a Fokker S11, a Sikorsky 55 and a 58 (piston-engined, the latter), a CH53, a Super Frelon, a Hughes 500, an Alouette 2 (plus a captured Syrian Alouette 3), a Huey Cobra, Mirage IIIs, an Arava, etc etc; one of the world’s great (and little known, as yet) aircraft museums-well worth a visit. Let me know if you want to see any of my photos.

heres some more taken in 1976 if I have done correctly

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It looks like a wonderful place to visit, and its particularly interesting to see the Mosquito remains.
Please could you show more of the silver Spitfire? Those yellow/black stripes instead of red/white are a surprise!

Some more to amuse / confuse and titilate.
I sometimes have the same problem as the Mk 8 meatbox when making models – getting the parts to fit:D.
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Much appreciated Aeronaut, the Merlins look well picked! Very good source of spares at least, in some circles this could be a future flyer!

C/KC-97 and a C-47 beyond in the weeds? Looks like some really good stuff lurking around, maybe worth getting shot for!

Thanks Aeronut I had heard that the remains were a bit sparse but nice to see them

Son of DH
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Mossie remains are almost certainly FB.VI by the looks of it so very fitting for Salisbury Hall, I think most of whats needed has been sourced now though. Any more views of these remains by any chance?

I think that the phantoms/skyhawks there are kept as a reserve to swap with other museums for things but i am uncertain if they ever have swapped a phantom for anything? (someone please correct me if i am wrong and what was it?).

But either way nice pics, as a suggestion though you might want to try using a host like imageshack to host your pics as you can upload a batch of them and it will generate the whole code instead of doing it individually to the forum which leave tags behind sometime.

curlyboy

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The stored aircraft are not (as far as I know) part of the museum collection, they just happen to be stored in the open and can be seen from it.
Actually the only thing stopping you from walking over to them is a sign saying do not enter, but as everyone in this country appears to carry loaded firearms (even in the pub:eek:) I wouldn’t advise anyone to try getting a closer look.
Pagan01. I came back from the visit and read the thread about the FB Mossie at Salisbury Hall and thought that the two engines were just what it was missing.

Many thanks Aeronut2008 good to see the old girl being looked after.

Excellent pics Aeronut, and thanks for sharing. With a bit of wood I’m sure the Mossie could be a flyer!
The Phantoms look great together, and particularly like the look of the Catalina.

[ATTACH]170888[/ATTACH]The Avenger as displayed

I was surprised that there was little mention of the use of Beech Bonanza as bombers in the museum, especially as I’ve had a trip in one of the surviving IAF Bonanzas which still operates on the UK civil register. The non aircarft artifact side of the museum is it’s poorest aspect.

Oops sorry (memo to self – don’t try and post following a barbecue with several beers)

I’ll try again.:o
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I recall the way that these were aquired, to smuggle them out of the UK they did a “practice” scramble for a film shot and never came back?

I think these Beaufighter remains have a sad story, crew of three captured when it crashed, executed on the spot and the remains not recovered for many years?

I think also that the museum has an Avenger almost complete somewhere, but they only display types actually flown and the Avenger my be traded one day? IIRC its a ex fire fighting/water bomber airframe.

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Stangman gets his wish.
As for the Auster its a bit more than just breaking the bungees and going on to the safety wires. Note that they too have gone and its only being held up by a freight strop! I just wanted to take it away for some TLC (new perspex, fabric and those bungees.)

Thanks Aeronut2008 for posting photo’s from a rarely seen museum.
Do you have any shots of the PBY 6A [exN285RA] in it’s new home ?

Ryan The u/c suspension on the Auster are 2 bungee cords, one on each leg at the centrepoint. Makes for good landing instruction ’cause if you land to heavy you bounce back up again just as hard. As an engineer it used to be painful to watch the students bouncing down the runway.When the elastic breaks or perishes the leg drops onto a safety wire that prevent a prop strike

Interesting mosquito remains!