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Thread: Visit to Polish Aviation Museum. Fasten your seat belts:)

  1. #1

    Default Visit to Polish Aviation Museum. Fasten your seat belts:)

    Yesterday I took my family and my gaming neighbors for a one day trip to Cracow, where our Aviation Museum is situated.
    I have not been there for a while, like 7 years...
    There were two reasons I insisted on my group to go there.
    The first one, was a great investment that took place there recently. Over 10.000.000 Euro spent to build new hangars and exhibition sites.
    The second one was the Bristol Fighter. The beauty was sent by
    the New Zealand company: The Vintage Aviator Ltd. The plane is a real one. They say 60% of it is original, the rest is a rebuilt part. Moreover, it was sent in Polish colours, like those Brisfits that (105 in numbers) were in use by Polish Air Force, even during the Polish-Soviet War of 1920.
    So off we went on a cloudy Saturday morning.


    Right after the impressive reception hall we found the famous PZL P 11c, "number 2", the original plane flown in September 1939 by Wacław Król, later an ace of 302nd Polish Sq. during the Battle of Britain. In a perfect shape





    ...and a closer look...



    Right there stands the real beauty! The Bristol Fighter is here!



    It is like a new one, right from a factory production line...



    Humbly posing against her...



    The cockpit...



    and the gunner position right behind it...
    According to the guide accompanying us, dr. Jan Hofman, only the white ropes are the replacements.
    Most impressive!


    Take a look at the tail...



    Then we inspected the real and original Albatros B.IIa bearing Polish markings (1920).





    But before we left the first building just to enter the next new one: "The Wings of the Great War" - just to get even more excited I was tested as a fighter pilot...



    Well... meet our girls in the living room arranged in the style of the era Kamilla (Darek's wife) and my Edyta ("The Black Baroness") on the right.
    You must have seen them before during our "Friday Gaming Nights" with wives



    The real Grigoirovich M-5 on the display is there



    And the famous Camel is already there...



    The original Halberstadt CL.II (the fuselage and undergcarriage) is there as well...







    Look, the Snoopy is there as well Could you find him?



    Right near the medals, memoirs and the uniform of Lt. von Adam, from Jasta 6th are preserved and displayed.





    Roland LFG D.VI in hangar...(the original parts).





    Between the exhibits there is a time to share a drink with the girls in the Canteen...



    Aviatik C.III - or what was left of it...



    Albatros C.I is there as well...



    Zeppelin-Staaken nacelle...





    A nice photo wallpaper? Why not a plane over the mountains?



    The time had come to leave the buildings and see the planes outside. Tante Ju.



    And Donald Kutyna's, a Vietnam Veteran pilot, F-105. "The Polish Glider" with original markings.


    Just check this
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_J._Kutyna

    He also presented his blue Buick to the Museum! Amazing



    Next we visited the main hangar to examine the Spitfire Mk. XVI.



    ...And the famous Curtis Hawk from the 30-ies...(Me and Darek).



    We were happy to see younglings visiting the Museum on a guided tour. Perfect!



    Leaving the Cold War section I noticed a familiar squadron marking on the Italian F-104...


    It was a wonderful time for all of us. Thanks for watching!

    I hope you could see the place one day, my friends!
    Last edited by Nightbomber; 10-19-2014 at 14:24.
    <img src=http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/image.php?type=sigpic&userid=2554&dateline=1409073309 border=0 alt= />
    "We do not stop playing when we get old, but we get old when we stop playing."

  2. #2

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    Andrzej,

    Thanks for sharing the photos! You've had a good time there, I can see.

    Visit in the museum is high on my 'To Do' list as well. And now with your apetizer I almost can't resist

  3. #3

    Thumbs up

    What a great museum & place to share with WoG mates, wives & children.
    The revamp looks amazing & there are some great displays especially the remains of many original WW1 items plus the Spit etc.

  4. #4

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    awesome pics andy!!!! i must say you all look stylish. had to share the pic of the buick riviera with my brother as its his favorite car.

  5. #5

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    Thank you for taking us along on your trip, Andrzej.

    Now to share something with you, my Friend.


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    “You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” ― Plato

  6. #6

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    Great tour to through Polish Aviation Museum, Andrzej.

    Amazing, how much details they care for at the exhibition.


    We need this "pilot test construction" for the next Summer Con.
    Voilŕ le soleil d'Austerlitz!

  7. #7

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    Great photos Andrzej - thanks for posting them. A friend of mine was in Cracow over the weekend - hope he made it to the museum to see these beauties in person

  8. #8

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    Thanks for the pics Andy. They really have gone to town on that museum. Two tickets to Cracow please.
    Run for your life - there are stupid people everywhere!

  9. #9

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    That is another job to do on my list then Andy.
    What a superb museum.
    Mrs. K. loved the cutout figures and background photographs.
    It brings an extra dimension to the whole display.
    Thanks for sharing these with us.
    Rob.
    "Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."

  10. #10

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    What a superb museum and great pics Andrzej

  11. #11

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    Super pictures - thanks for sharing!

  12. #12

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    Great photos. Thanks for posting them. Now I have a better idea how to paint my planes for the Polish/Russian war.

  13. #13

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    Great pics, Andrzej. Looks like a place I'd love to see, sometime.
    Thanks much for sharing.
    Karl
    It is impossible for a man to begin to learn what he thinks he knows. -- Epictetus

  14. #14

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    Thanks chaps. It was a great time indeed.
    My father used to go to this Museum by himself every now and then, for a specific reason. In the sixties he served in the army as an armament technician of Lim-6 (MiG 17), side code 1414. "His" aircraft is on the exibition there He knows every inch of it...

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    <img src=http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/image.php?type=sigpic&userid=2554&dateline=1409073309 border=0 alt= />
    "We do not stop playing when we get old, but we get old when we stop playing."

  15. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by Nightbomber View Post
    Thanks chaps. It was a great time indeed.
    My father used to go to this Museum by himself every now and then, for a specific reason. In the sixties he served in the army as an armament technician of Lim-6 (MiG 17), side code 1414. "His" aircraft is on the exibition there He knows every inch of it...

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Dang; How often does someone have that to boast about?

    Karl
    It is impossible for a man to begin to learn what he thinks he knows. -- Epictetus

  16. #16

  17. #17

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    Awesome place! It's a shame my local aviation museum doesn't have WW1 aircraft.
    RAF Cosford is good for WW2 & Cold War exhibits mostly.

    They do however, have some nicely painted 1/72 scale WW1 stuff in cabinets and a 4D Red Baron cinema.

    Looks like you had a great time, and some great exhibits

  18. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by Nightbomber View Post
    Thanks chaps. It was a great time indeed.
    My father used to go to this Museum by himself every now and then, for a specific reason. In the sixties he served in the army as an armament technician of Lim-6 (MiG 17), side code 1414. "His" aircraft is on the exibition there He knows every inch of it...

    Click image for larger version. 

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    I'm really pleased that your family has this connection with its past Andy.
    Unfortunately any connection that my dad had with his aircraft is long gone.
    They were scrapped after the end of WW2.
    Rob.
    "Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."

  19. #19

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    Quote Originally Posted by 7eat51 View Post
    Thank you for taking us along on your trip, Andrzej.

    Now to share something with you, my Friend.


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    This is most impressive how that very individual plane on the pictures was restored. Thanks for finding and posting these photos Eric.
    <img src=http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/image.php?type=sigpic&userid=2554&dateline=1409073309 border=0 alt= />
    "We do not stop playing when we get old, but we get old when we stop playing."

  20. #20

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    Thanks for the tour! I, too, liked the backgrounds and figures. They add to the atmosphere and help you visualize the history.

    And you didn't tell us how you fared on the pilot test!

  21. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by steel_ratt View Post
    Thanks for the tour! I, too, liked the backgrounds and figures. They add to the atmosphere and help you visualize the history.

    And you didn't tell us how you fared on the pilot test!
    I passed it but the impression of fast blood circulation up and down your body is very unusual!
    <img src=http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/image.php?type=sigpic&userid=2554&dateline=1409073309 border=0 alt= />
    "We do not stop playing when we get old, but we get old when we stop playing."

  22. #22

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    Great pics, and great story about your Dad

  23. #23

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    Great photographs, Andrzej!

  24. #24

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    Nice photos Andy. Love the Bristol and Albatross BIIa. I wouldn't let your wife at the controls of the pilot tester when you are in it!



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