Brussels AIr Museum

http://www.airmuseum.be/en/bezoekers.php

http://www.klm-mra.be/klm-new/engels/main01.php?id=menu_links/praktisch

http://www.bamfbamrs.be/

Stan………….

Suggest you check the museum is still open. There are plans in hand to close it for a major refurbishment.

TLC.

I was last there in January of this year and I have not heard or read anything since then about the long-planned refurbishment, so I would be fairly confident that nothing has changed in the meantime.

Stan………….

Bruges to Brussels Midi is about one hour on the train, about three trains per hour. Should not be difficult to transfer to the Museum on public transport as it is not far from the city centre. I have done it but can’t remember the precise details.

Suggest you check the museum is still open. There are plans in hand to close it for a major refurbishment.

Planemike………..

PS It is an excellent museum with some very interesting WW 1 aircraft but they are in need of some TLC.

PPS You could always drop the non-aviation inclined members of the party in the centre of Brussels, plenty to do but be warned shopping can be expensive !!!

It’s easily do-able and I would strongly recommend a visit. Take the train to Brussels and then get the metro (Line 1B) to Merode station; this takes only 10 minutes or so from the central station and the walk from Merode station to the museum is probably five minutes at most. The published opening times are Tuesday-Sunday 0900-1200 and 1300-1630, admission free. You have to leave any bags in a locker, though bringing a camera into the museum itself is not problem.

Hi Laurent,
well, to name 2 in Vissenaken:

-Fouga MT-23. A REAL Red Devils aircraft, not fake like the Hunter.
-The mirage BD cockpit section.

Both would make great additions, but indeed require extensive restoration. Talking about Fouga’s, how about repainting the MT-24 that is on display in colors it actualy flew in? The paint scheme it wears now is far from acurate!
Why not display a Mirage BR? Would be nice to have all 3 versions on display at the same location. Also we are badly missing a TF-104. Their is a Belgian one at Savigny-la-beaune. Why not trade those Mig things for that? Is their allready a marchetti in Brussels?
Space will also be needed for the Seaking that will arrive in the future? Maybe Falcon 20 in a few years? I find it a shame we don’t have a HS748 or Swearingen Merlin left for the museum.
I do find it great that they started displaying flightgear along the aircraft. Most of these were left to rot in storage for years!

Chile is currently phasing out it’s Mirage Elkans, in favour of second-hand Dutch F-16s. The BRs should have left the FACh already. It would be nice to get one of those back, especially since they’ve undergone the upgrades Belgium ordered and paid for, but never got to use.

And why not have a MiG-23 in the museum? This type has definately got something to do with Belgium. A farm near Koksijde, to be more accurate…

Hi Laurent,
well, to name 2 in Vissenaken:

-Fouga MT-23. A REAL Red Devils aircraft, not fake like the Hunter.
-The mirage BD cockpit section.

Both would make great additions, but indeed require extensive restoration. Talking about Fouga’s, how about repainting the MT-24 that is on display in colors it actualy flew in? The paint scheme it wears now is far from acurate!
Why not display a Mirage BR? Would be nice to have all 3 versions on display at the same location. Also we are badly missing a TF-104. Their is a Belgian one at Savigny-la-beaune. Why not trade those Mig things for that? Is their allready a marchetti in Brussels?
Space will also be needed for the Seaking that will arrive in the future? Maybe Falcon 20 in a few years? I find it a shame we don’t have a HS748 or Swearingen Merlin left for the museum.
I do find it great that they started displaying flightgear along the aircraft. Most of these were left to rot in storage for years!

I am in favor however to loose the Migs, F-4, L-29, Ouragan, Gina, Draken, Vampire and Hind. Nothing to do with Belgian aviation and the space could go to Belgian aircraft now in storage!

Hi Fouga23,

I agree with you on the MiGs, F4 and the likes, but can you please tell
me which Belgian aircraft that are now in ‘storage’ are suitable for display according to the new policy !

I visited the Vissenaken storage recently and I must say there is not a lot there that can be displayed apart from ;
– another MiG21 (ex Museum)
– another MiG23 (nothing to do with Belgian aviation)
– another Hind (nothing to do with Belgian aviation)
– a Voodoo (nothing to do with Belgian aviation)
– a Mystère IV (nothing to do with Belgian aviation)
– a Super Mystere (nothing to do with Belgian aviation)
– a TB25N (be honest, nothing to do with Belgian aviation)
– a TS11 Iskra (……)
– a Hunter two-seater (never flown in the Belgian Air Force)

What is ‘useable’:
– an Auster (registration A3), used as a travelling exhibit for the museum (already one example on display in the museum)
– an Alouette II (there is already one in the museum)

The rest are stripped hulks and parts.

My guess is that they will ‘cleanup’ the collection, but that nothing else will come in turn, hopefully the nice things they have are then displayed in a better way.

Another thing that surely will disappear is the restoration corner, all future restorations will be done at Vissenaken (just as the Tank Museum does).

Best regards,

Laurent

Hope they don’t start fake-painting either… that Canuck is a Canadian one, if they would have wanted a Belgian one, they shouldn’t have scrapped them all!

There are more totally unique aircraft in the collection i would hate to dissappear. The MiG-21 and -23BN are both ex-USAF instructional airframes, with the -21 being ex-Indonesia and -23 ex-Egypt. It would be an absolute shame to lose aircraft with such amazing stories to tell.

Canuck won’t happen I think. We flew a different Mk then the canadian that is displayed, so I think it will remain in Canadian colors. On the other hand, the Hunter in Red Devils team colors is completely wrong. It’s an F4 and they flew F6 hunters. The only F6 remaining in Belgium will go up a pole at Chievres normally. It was recently “restored”. There is so much corrosion, its basicly a pile of dust riveted together with sheetmetal and a bucket of paint thrown over!
I am in favor however to loose the Migs, F-4, L-29, Ouragan, Gina, Draken, Vampire and Hind. Nothing to do with Belgian aviation and the space could go to Belgian aircraft now in storage!

Been to the museum several times. They indeed have a great collection. Do understand why they want to focus on the Belgium theme. Belgium has a great aviation heritage. So many types flew in belgium, if they want every type on display they need double the space they have got now.

Hope they don’t start fake-painting either… that Canuck is a Canadian one, if they would have wanted a Belgian one, they shouldn’t have scrapped them all!

There are more totally unique aircraft in the collection i would hate to dissappear. The MiG-21 and -23BN are both ex-USAF instructional airframes, with the -21 being ex-Indonesia and -23 ex-Egypt. It would be an absolute shame to lose aircraft with such amazing stories to tell.

We flew Hurricanes, so I think that one will definatly stay.

Does that mean the Hurricane, Blenheim, Storch etc are also to go?

Well let’s hope the best. For me it is a fantastic museum with a lot of rare aircraft. Keep us informed.

yeah, I totally agree with focusing on Belgian aircraft, but keep the Belgian civil collection! Would be an enormous shame to loose that part. Loose the MIG, F-4,…. stuff and make room for a nice Belgian aviation museum. It’s a waste that those aircraft are displayed, when nice Belgian stuff remains in storage.

it is also said that the future display will be refocused on Belgian and military aircraft. Most of the foreign and/or civil aircraft are not to be reintegrated into the famous hall.

That’ll be a shame – wonder what will become of the Caravelle. Better urge Shuttleworth to start saving their pennies to buy the Gull???

Roger Smith.

No idea about a date, but I think Januari will be safe to go.

Do you have any idea about exact date of closure? I was planning to go there in january.

I heard that the museum is to be closed soon (for a three time periode) to refurbish the building. No details (yet) when this is going to happen.

Benno

Well there is some news from the Brussels Air Museum front.

This is what I picked up on the BAHA-website :

16/12/2006 – Brussels Air Museum soon to be closed for renovation work.
The Aeronautical Department of the Royal Army Museum, better known as the Brussels Air Museum, should close its doors for a period of an estimated four years. The long awaited complete refurbishment of the Air Museum hall now seems to be underway after the official request for tender published in the Belgian Monitor on June 9th, 2006. The Museum is now slowly but surely preparing to move its entire aircraft collection to the Royal Army Museum’s Vissenaken storage facility. Not to say that the careful dismantling and transport of these historically very important birds will be a truly difficult challenge for the personnel involved. At the same time it is also said that the future display will be refocused on Belgian and military aircraft. Most of the foreign and/or civil aircraft are not to be reintegrated into the famous hall.

Best regards,

Laurent

Which ‘they’ would that be then? The ‘they’ that do everything, or the ‘they’ that run Europe (not famous for throwing money at vintage aviation anywhere, IIRC.)

The museum does a fantastic job, IMHO, with the resources the staff have got and a significant volunteer base. Sure, they could do a lot of things better given a cash windfall, but they haven’t got one.

As usual the same old carping remarks from posters who’ve never bothered to ask the questions of those who try and do the work.

It’s not a ‘hangar’, it’s an historic building in its own right as well, which is part of a unique museum complex – badly under funded, but achieving a lot with what they’ve got. Anyone feeling smug about ‘better’ museums needs to recognise that they hold (and are gradually restoring) one of the world’s most significant W.W.I aircraft collections.

Sorry for the rant, but I do wonder at some people’s expectations. We aren’t all millionaires.

You hit the hammer on the nail. BADLY underfunded. But an amazing achiefment when you see the effort that goes into it by volunteers. I do know what it takes. I work for one of the base museums here in Belgium and our aircraft are part of the Brussels museum collection. The budget is so bad we even bring our own sandpaper. Unfortunatly it’s part of a bigger problem. Ou whole military is underfunded. And stil there are ministers who think we should do with half the money we get now 😮