Various new planes came on the market during certain periods, some were popular, and some were not. However, nowadays, we cannot see older planes flying in the sky. So these famous and historical planes are preserved in the aviation museum.
Thus, in a superficial world aviation museum, historical objects such as replicas or accurate reproduction aircraft, exhibits that include photos, charts, models, dioramas (3D figures), clothing, and equipment used by aviators, so that the general public may observe them.
Aviation museums vary in size from one or two aircraft to hundreds. They can be owned or privately owned by the state, regional or local governments. Some museums also deal with space travel history and objects, demonstrating the close relationship between aeronautics and astronautics.
Many aviation museums focus on military or civil aviation, or the history of aviation at a particular period, such as revolutionary aviation or the following ‘golden age’ between the World Wars, World War II aircraft, or a specific form of aviation gliding. Some of the famous aviation museums, including Nepal’s aviation museums, are mentioned below.
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum was established in 1946 AD as the National Air Museum in Washington DC. The museum is the world’s most visited aviation museum, with 6.2 million visitors reported in 2018. The museum features the Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia, the Friendship 7 capsule flown by John Glenn, the Spirit of St. Louis by Charles Lindbergh, the Bell X-1 that broke the sound barrier, the Enterprise starship model, etc.
One of the favorite things in this museum is the original Wright Flyer made by the wright brothers. It was on display at the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building on December 17, 1948. In 1976, the plane was transferred to the new National Air and Space Museum in the Milestones Flight Gallery. Since 2003 it has been kept in a special exhibition in the museum entitled ‘The Wright Brothers and the Invention of the Aerial Era,’ which honors the Wright Brothers in celebration of the 100th anniversary of their first flight.
Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum
The Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum is an aviation museum established in 1991 with a small collection of vintage aircraft in the hangar in McMinnville, Oregon, USA. The museum features the Hughes H-4 Hercules (Spruce Goose) and more than fifty military and civilian aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), and spacecraft. The museum complex consists of four main buildings: the first aviation exhibition hall, the IMAX theatre, the second space technology exhibition hall, and the water park.
The museum’s main attraction is the Hughes H-4 Hercules (A flying boat with the largest wingspan of any aircraft ever flown until Stratolaunch, launched in 2019), Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird, and Titan 23G (American expendable launch system).
Museum of Flight
The museum of flight is the world’s biggest privately-owned aviation museum. The museum was established in 1965 at the Boeing field (where Boeing plane are assembled), Seattle, USA. The museum attracts more than 500,000 visitors each year and also supports more than 140,000 students annually through its on-site services: the Challenger Learning Center, the Aviation Learning Center, and the Summer Camp (ACE), as well as outreach programs that travel across Washington and Oregon. It also hosts the world’s biggest K-12 (kindergarten to 12th grade) educational program.
The Museum of Flight has more than 150 aircraft in its collection, including Boeing VC-137 (first US Presidential jet), Concorde registered as G-BOAG (one of only four Concorde’s on display outside Europe), Caproni Ca.20 (First World War military plane), de Havilland comet (first jet airliner), Aerocar International (one of the five surviving Aerocars) and several Boeing and Lockheed aircraft.
Technik Museum Sinsheim
The Technik Museum Sinsheim is a technology museum founded in 1981 in Sinsheim, Germany. In 2003, Air France donated to the museum one of its retired Concorde aircraft registered as F-BVFB. With the Tupolev Tu-144 on display since 2001, this is the only location where both supersonic passenger aircraft are seen. All are entirely open to the public.
The museum alliance acquired the Russian shuttle Buran in 2004, which opened as a walk-in exhibition at the Technik Museum Speyer on October 3, 2008. Except Concorde and Tupolev 144, the museum contains 50 different aircraft, including Ju 52, CL-215 of Canadair, Douglas DC-3, Tu-134, and many more.
Toulouse Aeroscopia Museum
Toulouse Aeroscopia Museum, known as Muse Aeroscopia (in French), is an aviation museum located just next to the Airbus factory where A380 is assembled in Toulouse, Blagnac, France. The museum’s primary objective is to preserve the history of aeronautics and create interest in aviation, science, and technology. The museum aims to encourage younger generations to consider a future in aviation. Every year, the museum receives more than 150 000 visitors interested in finding out how the A380 is assembled.
The museum includes iconic aircraft such as the Airbus A300B, two of the 20 Concorde airliners ever produced, the Super Guppy, and even the Caravelle (the first commercial aircraft produced in the 1950s), which are the trademarks of European aeronautics and other planes of Airbus Cessna, Dassault, etc. With the unique collection of aircraft, the museum is home to wealthy local aviation heritage.
Chinese Aviation Museum
The China Aviation Museum, also known as the Datangshan Aviation Museum, is one of Asia’s largest aviation museums. The museum was opened to the public on November 11, 1989, to mark the 40th anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force formation. It occupies an area of over 1,000 acres. The collection contains more than 200 aircraft of over 100 types and more than 700 examples of weapons and equipment, such as surface missiles, anti-aircraft artillery, air defense radar, aerial bombs, and aerial camera. Part of the museum is located inside a cave on the side of Datangshan Mountain. The cave was initially part of the tunnels and underground bunker system of the Shahezhen Airbase.
There are more than 200 aircraft on display, focusing on the Korean War and the Cold War. The set contains various unusual machines, including the 1903 Wright Flyer replica, de Havilland panes, Lockheed planes, Douglas planes, Ilyushin aircraft, and many more.
Ukraine State Aviation Museum
Ukraine State Aviation Museum or Oleg Antonov State Museum is an aviation museum located in Kyiv near to Zhulyang Airport. The museum was named after Oleg Antonov and is one of the largest aviation museums in Ukraine and Eastern Europe as a whole. It was established in 2003 and celebrated the 100th anniversary of world aviation. The museum features exhibits on both aircraft and interactive shows. The museum is one of the foremost aviation museums showcasing Soviet technology.
The museum contains famous aircraft like AN-24, AN-26, AN-30, AN-71, Tu-104, Tu-132, Tu-142, and many Antonov, Tupolev, Helicopter, and Rusian military aircraft.
Aviation Museum Dhangadi
The Dhangadhi Aviation Museum is the first Nepal Aviation Museum situated in Dhangadhi. It was founded by the former Nepalese pilot Bed Upreti and his trust on September 17, 2014. The museum is inside the defunct Fokker-100 aircraft, 35.53 meters long, and operated by Cosmic Air until it was shut down in 2008.
There are some 200 miniature commercial aircraft and fighter jets on display. Together with the miniature aircraft, there is an aerial picture gallery and a cockpit model. The revenues from the museum are used to support people with cancer.
Aviation Museum Kathmandu
The Kathmandu Aviation Museum is an aviation museum located in Sinamangal, Kathmandu, Nepal. The museum is inside the Airbus 330-300 Turkish Airlines, which flew for around eight months before going on a runway excursion at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu in March 2015. It was formed on the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority’s combined effort and Captain Bed Upreti and his trust. The museum was formally opened to the public on November 28, 2017.
Aviation museum Kathmandu exhibits include the aircraft’s original cockpit environment, 350 models, and miniature aircraft and objects detailing Nepalese aviation history. The museum is the second of its kind in Nepal after Bed Upreti had already set up a similar but smaller aviation museum, the Dhangadhi Aircraft Museum in Dhangadhi, in Western Nepal. The museum has cost about 70 million NPRs. The museum hires 25 employees and wears uniforms for flight attendants. Following the cabins in the museum, we will experience different aircraft types present in the world. According to the trust grade, students from all over Nepal can access the museum free of charge if they have letters from their schools endorsing the visit. Students with their school IDs get 50 percent off on tickets to the museum.
Carolinas Aviation Museum, Charlotte, North Carolina
January 2021 is the 12th anniversary of a “Miracle on the Hudson,” where, after bird hits, US Airways Flight 1549 damaged all turbines and was obliged to tumble into the Hudson River despite human loss life.
Having followed recovery and review, as apart of a permanent display on the exceptional case, the Airbus A320 finds a home at the Carolinas Aviation Museum.
Compared to others on this series, the Carolinas Aviation Museum is comparatively limited, with just about 50 aircraft on permanent display; its position on the premises of Charlotte Douglas International Airport makes it very convenient for long-distance travelers.
