Spitfire Museum, Florennes Air Base – July 2012 visit

Approaching the Spitfire Museum from the west we were impressed with the F84 mounted in the centre of a roundabout near to the base. It seems its safer to leave an aircraft in the middle of the Belgium countryside than it is in the middle of the Sahara desert!

To access the Spitfire Museum requires entry onto the base. Passports are left at the guardroom for collection on departure.

The Spitfire Museum is a tribute to both the Mk XIV Spitfire and also Colonel Raymond Lallemant DFC with Bar. It is an impressive building with a clever Spitfire Mural using red stone paviours cut into the grey stone pathway.

Spitfire Mk XIVe RM921 served with the Belgium Air Force as SG57 from 1948 until 1955. Colonel Lallemant and SG57 are Belgium National treasures and the museum forms an incredible tribute to both man and machine. Col. Lallemend served in the RAF as 609 Sqn CO during WWII and was the first Commander of the Air Base at Florennes.

Adjacent to the Spitfire Museum stands the Florennes Air Base Museum containing an example each of the fighters flown since the base opened. Additional are the early trainers, Tiger Moth and Fouga Magister. The current training role is carried out by the Alpha jet and Aermacchi SF260, neither of which are represented in the museum.