Bits and Bobs From The Malta Air Museum.

Yes, that’s it. History in every piece of rock and even in the air…
And still it’s so small you can cross it there and back twice a day.
To add to the atmosphere, I’ve bought this little book in the local grocery/souvenirs shop on the very first day and had a blast all week reading it.
I have finished last pages in the plane on the way back home.

The only drawback was the hot weather – staying outside for more then couple of hours has been very exhousting. Especially for the rest of the company.
Luckily, I was allowed to make the trip to the Aviation Museum alone…
😎

How on earth did you spot the bar with the “Spitfire”? It’s not in the usual tourist part of Valletta.

You’ve got me pining for a visit to Malta – we haven’t been since June! It looks like Malta has caught you if you’re talking about “next time”. It caught me big style; there’s history at every corner.

Many thanks for the pics,, very informative to those of us who have never been there.

The second set of the pictures from my Malta trip is here:

https://flic.kr/s/aHsmqBYm61

All more or less war/aviation related. I hope you like them…

Can anybody identify this Spit for me, please?

Valletta_70541 by Juraj Jankovič, on Flickr

Thanks.

Juraj

Glad you had a good trip – did you take the harbour taxi in Valletta and scoff cake in Mdina?

No time for the taxi…
And the tea garden in Mdina was quite full, so we’ve tried the Coogie’s, which has probably not so excellent, but still great view from the terrace… and great coffee too…
So that’s left for the next time.
We’ve stayed in Mellieha and made only one/half day trips to Valletta, M’dina, Gozo…

Glad you had a good trip – did you take the harbour taxi in Valletta and scoff cake in Mdina? 🙂

Hi there!

I’m back, had a wonderful time, despite the hot summer. Thanks once more for the advice.
The Aviation Museum is great, really.

Malta_70743 by Juraj Jankovič, on Flickr

Malta_70804 by Juraj Jankovič, on Flickr

Malta_70892 by Juraj Jankovič, on Flickr

Malta_70914 by Juraj Jankovič, on Flickr

Malta_70976 by Juraj Jankovič, on Flickr

Malta_80067 by Juraj Jankovič, on Flickr

There are many more pictures in the full album:
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmr6PXNe

I have also managed to visit the Museum of War and the Lascaris War Rooms in Valletta and also some other places. I’ll put those pictures out soon.
Still a lot to see on Malta so I hope I’ll get back there sometime…

Juraj

Thanks a lot for the suggestions and advice!

The cafe looks very attractive!

And the book is on the list of future orders (it wouldn’t arrive in time, I think, anyway..).
I have also some more Malta books there…

😉

Suggest buying a back issue number 10…great then and now photo comparisions https://www.afterthebattle.com/magazine/issues1-25.html

Lucky chap – its a great place! Depending on where youre based you can take a bus to the Aviation Museum, its in the middle of what is now an industrial estate but there is a bus stop round the corner. To keep the kin happy you can pop in on the way to Mdina which is amazing – make sure you grab a slab of cake in the cafe at the upper end of the citadel it has great views across the island and of Ta’ Quali – http://fontanellateagarden.com/

In Valetta, apart from the National War Museum at Fort St Elmo – worth visiting Lascaris War Rooms below the Saluting Battery (if you’re lucky you’ll see the guns fire at 1200 or 1600) the Toy Museum in Valletta is small but fun, its a lovely place to walk around, you can follow the walls as best you can round the city and see the Siege Bell. If you have time take a water taxi across to the Three Cities – you’ll get a great view of Grand Harbour and its not expensive. The Maritime Museum is over there as is the Malta at War Museum.

Have a great time!

TT

As well as the Aviaition Museum, I’d highly recommend the Lascaris War Rooms. An amazing place and they have some very knowledgable tour guides.

https://www.lascariswarrooms.com/

Thanks a lot, PeterW. That looks very interesting.

And, Meddle, thanks a lot for the information, and pictures too.
I think for two thirds of our “group”, ehm… family, exploring these things is not the right thing to do on vacation.
But I will see what can be done.
😎

Add $5million to that Mozzie and shes at Legends in 2022 🙂

The Bulldog XX691 became AS0020 with the Maltese. It was involved in the accident reported in the following link.
https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20070806/local/afm-aircraft-crash-lands-in-gozo.8965

Trak-Tor, Malta is a very laid back place. The stuff I photographed in open storage is round the back, and down the side, of the museum. It wasn’t hard to find, and it isn’t roped off or anything like that. Nobody from the museum seemed bothered that I was round there, including the person doing some gardening at the back of the Hastings cockpits. Being a Brit I guess I’m used to the idea that I should always ask first, and that by default I probably shouldn’t be poking around in the storage area of a museum. In Malta this isn’t the case!

Likewise, I attended the static display at Luqa last year. I had paid for some sort of shuttle bus between Valetta, Luqa and ‘Smart City’, where the flying display took place. I waited to be issued a wristband, which allowed me to see the static display. After half an hour of waiting, and endless shrugging from the officials, I still didn’t have my wristband. I simply started walking around the static display. I was never challenged! Quite astonishing, given that I was walking around on the ramp at Luqa airport and went onboard a USAF KC-135 (etc).

In terms of other things to spot, there are a few BAC 1-11s on the dump at Luqa, as well as a gutted out Dash 7. I think this is pretty easily accessible, as I’ve seen close up photos of it from many different angles, but I’ve simply forgotten where it is! There is Canberra WT483 within the airport, as well as the remains of a SA Bulldog trainer of XX691 and a lot of WW2-era artillery, all of which is dumped to the North East of Mqabba, within the apex of the two runways at Luqa. I’ve seen a couple of photos of this area, so I don’t know how readily accessible it is:

There might still be a BAC 1-11 at the fire training facility at Hal Far, alongside a helicopter of some sort.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]261807[/ATTACH]

Picture of Mosquito centre section from many years ago

As well as the Aviaition Museum, I’d highly recommend the Lascaris War Rooms. An amazing place and they have some very knowledgable tour guides.

https://www.lascariswarrooms.com/

Hi.
I hope it’s ok to bring this interesting thread up and not to start a new one.
I’m off to a week long vacation on Malta next week.
Of course, the Aviation Museum is a must.
Seeing Meddle’s pictures, I guess there is no problem exploring the site there, is it?
And I have read people are great and generous there, aren’t they?

As it’s my first visit to Malta, I’d like to ask you far any suggestions aviation/history related would be appreciated.
Thanks a lot.

I’ll post my pictures when I’ll be back, of course.

Juraj

Its a shame that all the surviving parts of Spitfire EN199 didn’t stay on Malta after they had just about survived for so long.

David – Try to draw some comfort on the up-side of this.

The Maltese were gifted a Spitfire, EN199, to the Boy Scouts Association in May 1947 and allowed it to fall in to substantial disarray.

Th components of EN199 were subsequently used as a Civil Defence crash training aid before being abandoned at Targa Gap.

Upon being advised from the UK of its situation the savaged remains were recovered to the Maltese Air Museum.

Following several car scrapes at the museum car park the longitudinally severed fuselage parts were sent to scrap along with the tail group.

It was only subsequent to the Museum trading the wings to the UK that ‘new blood’ at the museum, together with UK enthusiasm, that the parts were recovered from the scrap yard and a static restoration undertaken.

Whilst the ‘new blood’ would obviously have regretted the loss of the EN199 wings, one of which had been replaced in service, there was still enough wing material on Malta including BR108 leading edge boxes etc, together with personally gifted Rib 1’s from the UK, for a static pair of wings to be successfully constructed.

The up-side:- The Maltese wings were the critical components to justify the financial task of gathering all the parts necessary to set MK XII EN224/G-FXII on its slow path to airworthy.

Win win. 🙂

Mark

There’s still some fast stuff using the Hal Far runway!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]256369[/ATTACH]

Its a shame that all the surviving parts of Spitfire EN199 didn’t stay on Malta after they had just about survived for so long.