Poland - Warsaw - Muzeum Techniki

Located at the base of the landmark Palace of Culture & Science is the Muzeum Techniki - Technical Museum.

This museum houses a very varied collection ranging from iron and steel production, through washing machines, early computers, telephones, vintage cars and the space age - plus a few aviation exhibits.

Pictured below is the fuselage of a Polish AF TS-9 Junak 3 trainer belived to be c/n 94-036. The Junak 3 was a fixed tricycle undercarriage re-design of the earlier LWD Junak 2 - the design was created by Tadeusz Soltyk ( of TS-8 Bies and TS-11 Iskra fame ).




The type first flew in August 1953, and 146 aircraft were built at the Okecie factory in Warsaw between 1953 and 1956. The type was withdrawn from the Polish AF during 1961 being replaced by the far more modern and powerful TS-8 Bies design.

There are very few examples of the Junak 3 remaining today - I am aware of two other examples, one being on the gate at Deblin airbase but this is is very poor condition. The excellent aviation museum at Krakow has an example in very good condition.

Next to the Junak 3 at the Muzeum Techniki is a silver Bensen autogyro ( quoted as c/n 5 ) - can anyone tell me when and how this came to Poland ?

Also hanging from the ceiling is a Demoiselle replica built by Pawel Zolotov - I'm not sure if this ever flew or is only a static replica - if you know more please let me know - thanks.

Nearby is a Soviet built Mig 15 "Link trainer" type - it is a training simulator from the 1950s and is painted silver - it does have an external build plate showing a 4 digit serial number but I failed to write this down.

Many thanks go to Tony Morris ( Polish aviation historian ) and the Bob Ogden aviation museum guide books for some of this information.

Warsaw - Okecie "Fredric Chopin Airport"

Warsaw - Okecie "Fredric Chopin Airport"

I've been visiting Warsaw - Okecie airport almost every year since 1995 - my wife is Polish and the trips to visit my "in laws" always help my aircraft log book too !

The airport has undergone a lot of new construction and expansion in recent years.

For the aviation enthusiast there is a public viewing terrace ( terrace widkowy ) on top of the small domestic terminal. This is next door to Terminal 1.

The entrance for the viewing area is to the left of the domestic terminal. As you enter you will have to pass through an airport style metal detector and your bags through an x-ray machine. I've never had any problems with security taking through bins and cameras. You then have to walk up about 8 flights of steps so pace yourself !

At the top you pay your admission - last week this cost me 4 zloty ( approx 80p ). The viewing terrace is open with no glass - good. There are toilets and a small roofed area to take shelter but no views from the shelter.

The view from the spotting terrace - pretty good with EADS PZL Okecie site in background

The open air viewing area gives good opportunities for photography from sunrise to midday, but as it faces West you will have problems on a sunny afternoon. Note that there are no refreshments at all up here, so make sure you buy snacks/drinks in the Domestic terminal before climbing all those steps.

I've not encountered any hassle problems with logging or photography up here - you eill get some strange looks from the locals though ! I've never used or seen an airband up here so this may NOT be a good idea.

Directly below you are three pier gates - last week I saw the following at these gates during a Tuesday morning,

Lufthansa 737-500
CSA 737-500
Malev 737-800
Air France A319

CSA 737-500 OK-CGJ at pushback

Nothing too exciting but good for photos.

Okecie has two runways that intersect - both can be in use. One runs parallel with the viewing terrace, good views but you'll need a 400mm for photogrpahy.

With the other runway you can see 3/4 of it but not the Eastern threshold.

There is still a lot of development going on at this airport with some large areas of apron being re-worked - as such some aircraft will taxying and meander to and from gates. Much of these will go right past the viewing terrace and a 200mm will suffice.

Adria S5-AAF CRJ taxies past


Lotus A320 SU-LBJ taxies towards Terminal 2

Way down to the South ( on your left from the viewing terrace ) is the cargo area - typical daytime inmates may include DHL 757, TNT 146, UPS MD11.

N279UP MD-11F of UPS back tracks down the runway towards cargo

Also to your left is the old small Etiuda terminal - low cost carriers park here inclusing Easyjet and Wizzair. Currently low cost arriving passengers are bused airside into the spanking new Terminal 2 for arrivals - but check-in and departure are via the Etiuda terminal itself. A few LOT ERJ145 and 737 may also park to your left.

Most airliners will park to your right alongside Terminal 2 - aircraft can park both infront and behind Terminal 2, so expect stuff to taxy out that you may not have been aware of.

Warsaw-Okecie also has a military ramp, home to 36 splt and its VIP fleet of Tu-154, Yak 40, Sokol, Bell 412, Mil 8 and M28 transports. As a capital city Warsaw gets plenty of visiting VIP / Govt aircraft.

Seen last week were an Israeli AF KC-707, USAF C-32 and a Fench AF Falcon 900 - a couple of days earlier the Ukraine Govt IL-62 and support Tu-134 were in.

The new Terminal 2 - at the far end is a good view across the military ramp


Israeli AF KC-707 with boom serial 260 on the military ramp

It is possible to get a good view across the military apron by walking towards the northern end of Terminal 2 - I tend not to loiter here, although since Terminal 2 opened for departure earlier this year I note a lot more ( normal ) people admiring the vantage from this point. The LOT maintenance hangers are in this area too.

The Biz / GA area is way off to the North and difficult to see from viewing terrace and from the terminal area.

When on the viewing terrace right in front of you but way off is the old PZL Okecie factory - here was the production line for the Wilga, Kruk, and Koliber - they make components for Airbus here and EADS. I believe one Kruk was completed last year, but the glory days are over.

There is a brand new hanger over on that far side which I believe is owned by White Eagle - last week so one visiting Global Exp and a WEA ATR parked up.

Also in front of you is the large new ATC facility - over here are two old IL-14 - one red SP-LNB fuselage only , one blue SP-LNE appears complete. Out of sight but over there is a preserved An-2 SP-TWF as well - you can see all three if you sit on the correct side as you depart airborne !

What follows is a log from approx 9am to 12 Noon on Tuesday 15.4.08 - I arrived the previous Tuesday and many of the flights were same ( ie scheduled ).



MILITARY RAMP
260 KC707 Israeli DF
90004 C-32 USAF
F-GTVC B1900 French Interior Ministry
???? Falon 900 FRench AF

102 Tu-154 Pol AF
504 W-3 Sokol Pol AF white/red
02 Bell 412 Pol AF
0619 W-3 Sokol Pol AF camo

038 Yak 40 wfu
041 Yak 40 wfu



AIRLINERS - NON LOT

4X-EKA 737 El Al
5B-DBV 737 Eurocypria
D-ABIT 737 Luft
D-ACRQ CRJ Luft
D-AGPH FK100 Star / Connect
D-AVRK 146 Luft
EI-IGC 757 Air Italy Polska
EI-SLH ATR Air Contractors parked cargo
F-GRXM A319 AF
G-EZBF 737 Easy from Bristol
G-EZJW 737 Easy from Newcastle
HA-LOM 737 Malev
HB-IYW 146 Swiss
LN-KKW 737 Norwegian Air Shuttle
N279UP MD11 UPS
OE-LGC Dash8 Austrian Arrow
OH-LKH ERJ190 Finnair
OH-SAP 146 Blue1
OK-CGJ 737 CSA
OO-DJE 146 Brussels
PH-BDN 737 KLM
RA-85662 Tu154 Aeroflot
SU-BPG 737 AMC
SU-LBJ A320 Lotus
S5-AAF CRJ Adria
YL-BBF 737 Air Baltic

RA-85662 Tu-154M much more interesting than a Flot Airbus !

Taxying to Terminal 2 from Riga, Latvia

AIRLINERS - LOT / EUROLOT / Centralwings - all SP-


EDD ATR Euro

KCN ATR White Eagle

KWD Jetstream LOT titles


LDB 170 LOT
LDD 170 LOT
LDF 170 LOT
LDG 170 LOT
LDI 170 LOT

LFA ATR Euro
LFE ATR Euro
LFF ATR Euro
LFG ATR Euro




LGE 145 LOT
LGO 145 LOT

LIB 175 LOT
LIC 175 LOT
LID 175 LOT
LIE 175 LOT
LIF 175 LOT




LKA 737 LOT
LKB 737 LOT
LKC 737 LOT
LKD 737 LOT
LKF 737 LOT

LPC 767 LOT
LPF 767 LOT

LLF 737 CW
LMC 737 CW
LMD 737 CW




BIZ
N187PN Falcon 50
OY-JMC Citation
YU-BSG Citation


OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER !

Preserved inside Terminal 1 hanging from the ceiling is SP-2243 SZD 24B Foka 4 glider - there used to be a second glider ( SP-2142 ) during the 1990's but this had gone by 2000.

Bus outside Terminal 1 - glider SP-2243 lives in this terminal

Dumped way down by the Cargo area is An-24 SP-LTA - keep eyes peeled when you taxy.


Finally if you leave the airport on the main route into the city, there is a gate guard to the Pol AF 36 splt VIP area, easily visible on your left just as you leave the airport - this is Mig 21UM serial 9308 - mounted almost vertically on a pole ( maye 1/2 mile from Terminal 2 ).


If you do hire a car there is a preserved Wilga outside the PZL Okecie factory visible from the road past the factory entrance - this is marked "SP-PZL" in reality Wilga 40 SP-PHC.

Check out the two links below for some very good photos of Warsaw - Okecie


Happy Spotting !



External Link to superb photos of Warsaw - Okecie airport in the 1960s and 1970s

External Link to photos of Warsaw - Okecie airport in recent years

Dunkeswell - 18th February 2008

Dunkeswell - 18.2.08

A trip down to Wellington, Somerset gave me the chance to re-visit Dunkeswell - my first visit since 2001.

The airfield is a former WW2 US airbase, I believe they flew Liberators from here. The airfield covers a large area with miles of taxiways and hardstandings. The Clubhouse by the tower has a welcome cafe too.

Parked by the tower were 9 aircraft including a couple of flying club basic trainer Cessna and Piper types including Cessna 152 G-OFRY



- also here was G-OSLO Schweizer Hughes 269 which was up and down doing circuits,


plus a smart yellow Yak 18T reg HA -YAV. The aviation fuel pumps are here too.


Adjacent to this area are many light industrial buildings - if you follow the airfield road west along these buildings it becomes an airfield perimter track. Take care as this peri-track has plenty of pot holes, some deep. You will cross the threshold of the main runway so make sure you STOP and check for aircraft movements before crossing.

The peri-track will bring you to a large collection of hangers and lock ups, maybe 15 or more. At the time of my visit half a dozen were open. A polite request at each hanger to view the aircraft was met with approval.

The large Somerset Microlights hanger was packed full of 19 aircraft including seven Ikarus C42 ultralights- G-CDOT, CDYO, CEDC, CVAL, MGPA, OSTL, OVAL.




Others in the hanger included Thruster T600 G-BYPG with some nose damage and all red Savannah G-CSUE plus a number of weightshift microlights.



Elsewhere among the hanger area was 1967 vintage Pa-28R Cherokee Arrow G-AVWR being prepared for a flight down to Plymouth.


Parked up outside Hanger 13 were Pa-28-180 Cherokee C G-AVSC and American Pa-24 Comanche N8829P - nearby was Seneca N21381 which looks rather wfu.



Pa-24-260 Comanche N8829P was built in 1965

Henstridge - Compton Abbas - Kingston Deverill - Wed 6.2.08

Wednesday 6th February 2008 was bright and sunny so I headed out to some of my local airfields.

Henstridge

First time I've been here for almost 5 years ! Thankfuly the cafe is still there and open. From here you get a very good view of the tarmac runway. Over on the farside were several new to me blue metal hangers with a couple more still being built.

New for me here was the Christen Eagle II G-NUTA


The owner of this aircraft was very happy to chat about his Eagle. He bought it from a Germany owner although the aircraft was based at the Vendee Air Park in France. G-NUTA was registered in the UK on 15.8.06 and was previously D-ECCA being built from kit in 1991.

Two Vans RV-9 aircraft departed whislt I was having a coffee - G-CCGU and G-RUVY, both taxied out from the new hanger area.

Compton Abbas

This lovely airfield is up on top of a hill, approx 10 miles East of Henstridge. I reckon it is one of the most scenic airfields in the UK - add in a good cafe and a large viewing area too it is an excellent place to visit, not that it was busy during my quick stop ! The grass strip looks a little bumpy in comparison with the tarmac at Henstridge.

The only activity was G-WARZ a based Pa-28-161 Warrior doing circuits and bumps. This aircraft was built in 1997. The photo below shows plenty of mud by the gear and underwing.

Kingston Deverill - The Park

Next stop was the gliding airfield at Kingston Deverill home of the Bath, Wilts and North Dorset GC. This strip in on top of large hill just north of Mere. Luckily there was some mid week activity - outside was the beautiful Glasflugel Libelle 201B G-DCLP wearing competition number "948".



This Libelle was built in 1971 and is the former BGA 1630 and took up its new G registration on 1.10.07.

The local club uses Piper Pa-25-235 Pawnee G-BUXY for air tows - this has a 4 bladed propellor to give it some more towing power.



This Pawnee as built back in 1963 and was imported from Canada before becoming G-BUXY on 18.3.93 - 45 years old.

There is one large hanger here and among the gliders present was SZD 50-3 Puchacz G-CKAN.



This Polish built glider was built in 1997 as c/n B-2106. It was originally delivered to the Netherlands as PH-1104 but sufferred a major accident in the summer of 1997. After a rebuild in Poland it arrived in the UK as BGA 4938 in 2001. It became G-CKAN on 26.11.07. Another Puchacz was in the hanger too - "FUY" BGA 3546.

Yeovilton - Friday 5th October 2007

A bright sunny autumn day at VL with 5 of the based Tutors busy in the circuit.

Tutor G-BYVK of 727 sqd

About midday JEDI 1 & 2 called up declaring an emergency - one aircraft had sufferred a bird strike. A few minutes later and two Harriers could be seen approaching 09.

ZG859 lands after a bird strike

The first to land was Harrier GR9A ZG859 "91A" wearing no squadron marks - I'm told a bird hit the canopy and then the intake lip whilst over Dartmoor. Upon landing it was met by a host of fire trucks.

Harrier ZD410 in 4 sqd 95 Years c/s

It's buddy ZD410 landed a few minutes later wearing special 4sqd tail colours celebrating 95 years of 4 sqd from 1912 - 2007.


I was also lucky to see a Commando helicopter force role demo - a large number of guests assembled out the CHF hangers and watched a gun fight with flash bangs and smoke. A pair of Sea King HC 4 helicopters appeared and fast roped troops to fight back. It looked to me as if one of these troops fell very badly from a great height. An ambulance arrived and it took maybe 30 mins before the casualty was moved - let's hope he is not badly hurt.

Meanwhile the two Sea King HC4 lifted a Land Rover and trailer - the pick up point was right near me on the Southern boundary and these two fly fast and low over my head.

Sea King HC4 ZD476 "WZ" comes in to lift a Land Rover

Harrier ZD410 departs Yeovilton

Mid afternoon saw Harreir ZD410 depart leaving it's bird hit partner ZG859 "91A" at VL


After the Commando demo display Squirrel ZJ278 "78" was brought out of the CHF hanger and departed to the South.

DHFS Squirrel ZJ278

Halesland - Sat 15.9.07

Halesland is my local airfield being about 8 miles or so from my home. It is situated high up on the Mendip Hills between Priddy and Cheddar near the village of Draycott.

Busy scene with ASK 13 "EPP" BGA 2845

Another ASK 13 is the all orange "FVC" BGA 3550

Halesland is primarily a glider airfield, home to the Mendip Gliding Club - in addition it is also home to two powered motorgliders.

Fournier RF4D is a single seat motor glider based at Halesland

Scheibe SF-25C Falke G-KWAK has been based since 2003 and can be used to tow gliders

Elegant Slingsby Skylark "BKA" BGA 1019 photographed from the car park area

There is a visitors car park which offers a complete view of all activity - no facilities for visitors but the clean hilltop fresh air is free and blows your cobwebs away !

If you are in the area there are two good pubs in nearby Priddy too for a refreshment break.

N500RK - Hughes 500C visits Somerton, Somerset

Spotted parked in the middle of a football pitch in the Somerset village of Somerton on 11.9.07 Hughes 500C N500RK.

This white/green helicopter is c/n 730502S, built way back in 1973 and was previously N901WJ.

The pilot states that the aircraft is based at a local farm and was being used to give visiting French delegates a quick aerial tour of the region.

Poland - Warsaw - Bemowo 19.8.07

Warsaw - Bemowo airfield

I've been lucky enough to have visited Bemow many times since my first visit back in December 1994. Back then I come away with a log of 15 An-2's, many Wilga's, several Zlins and nothing "western" at all.

Times change and "western" designs now predominate , although a handful of older more interesting machines can be found. Recent years have seen a large growth in the number of kit built and ultra light aircraft. Time has almost stood still though among the glider fleet, so if you like classic SZD designs then visit Poland.

The general aviation side of the airfield has three large hangers, an air ambulance apron and a small private helicopter hanger 500m to the West.

Over the far side ( ie the South side ) are a number of other aviation areas, including the Pol AF WAT Tech School ( they have half a dozen GIA airframes ), the Police helicopter area, one large general aviation hanger which I've never gained access to and a small flight line by the tower ( note the Cafe Zeppelin in by the tower too ).

Here are a few photos taken on 19.8.07 to show some of the residents

SZD 22C Mucha SP-2121 is a recent restoration have been in Denmark since 1965

SZD 39 Cobra 17 SP-2540 was built in 1970




SZD 36A Cobra 15 SP-3684 coded "N6" was registered in 2004

An-2 SP-ANV was built in 1972 and has been a regular at Bemowo since about 1990, in various colour schemes ( sharksmouth and invasion stripes at one time )




Piper J-3C Cub SP-AWP came to Poland in 2003 and was previously SE-AWP




Piper Pa-28R-201 Arrow SP-KBY looks in very good condition





3xTrim 450 Ultra is a Polish designed UL and illustrates the SP-Sxxx UL register introduced in 2005




Aeropro Eurofox SP-SPAW is based here along with Eurofox SP-SPAM





Nearing completion in the Glider hanger is this UL- this is a YALO Ultra Pup Bravo based upon a design by Preceptor Aircraft and became SP-SKAL by early 2008.


If you have any queries about Warsaw-Bemowo then feel free to email me and I'll try and help