On Saturday May 23rd, 2009 I had a brief opportunity to visit the 'Flieger Flab museum', which is located near Zurich, in Switzerland. Inside two large halls, an interesting collection is on display. The aircraft collection is considerable but care has been taken to make the museum not too crowded. A number of aircraft have been hung on the ceiling, while others have been placed in periodic setting or with mannequins bringing the aircraft more 'alive'. Ju-Air has three Junkers Ju.52s and one was doing brisk business, performing 3 flights while I was there in the morning. I hope my photos of the aircraft I found on display will encourage others to visit this air museum. |
The Häfeli DH-1 was an 1910s Swiss two-seat reconnaissance aircraft, built by the aircraft department of the Federal Construction Works (Eidgenössische Konstruktions-Werkstätte, K+W) at Thun, Switzerland. The DH-1 was a three-bay biplane of wood and fabric construction, it had a fuselage pod with tandem seating for the two-man crew and twin booms mounting the tail. Six DH-1s were built during 1916 but within a year three had been destroyed in accidents. The survivors were withdrawn from service in 1919 and scrapped. [Wikipedia] |
Following the poor performance of the DH-2, August Häfeli designed an improved version the Häfeli DH-3. It was basically the same airframe as the DH-2, the upper wing had a cut-out to give a greater field-of-fire for the pivoted machine-gun. It was a two-bay of wood and fabric construction, powered by a 120 hp (89 kW) Argus As II water-cooled inline engine. On 8 January 1919 a DH-3 inaugurated the firsts Swiss air mail service between Zurich and Berne. A DH-3 aircraft failed a structural test in 1923 which caused the DH-3 to be withdrawn from service. The DH-3a following modification remained in service until 1939. [Wikipedia] |
![]() Häfeli DH-5 (replica), 459 |
The Häfeli DH-5 was a 1910s Swiss two-seat reconnaissance aircraft, built by the aircraft department of the Federal Construction Works (Eidgenössische Konstruktions-Werkstätte, K + W) at Thun, Switzerland. The DH-5 was a single-bay biplane of wood and fabric construction. The aircraft was powered by a 180 hp (134 kW) LFW I engine produced by the Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works. Test flying of the prototype commenced in March 1919 and 39 were ordered. A second batch of 20 aircraft were powered by a 200 hp (149 kW) LFW II engine. A further batch of 20 aircraft designated the DH-5A used the LFW III engine. The DH-5 entered service in 1922 and were not withdrawn from service until 1940. [Wikipedia] |
![]() The workshop, with obviously a propellor in its final stages of restoration (or a full replica). |
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Constructions Aéronautiques Émile Dewoitine was a French aircraft manufacturer established by Émile Dewoitine at Toulouse in October 1920. |
Hanriot HD-1, 653 The Hanriot HD.1 was a French World War I single seat fighter. Rejected for service with French squadrons in favour of the SPAD S.7,[1] the type was supplied to the Belgians and the Italians with whom it proved highly successful. 831 of a total production of about 1200 were in fact produced by Italian companies under licence. |
Aéroplanes Morane-Saulnier is a French aircraft manufacturer formed by Raymond Saulnier(1881-1964) and the Morane Brothers Leon(1885-1918) & Robert(1886-1968) in October 1911. The company was taken over and diversified in the 1960s. [Wikipedia] |
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Bücker-Flugzeugbau GmbH was a German aircraft manufacturer founded in 1932. It was most notable for Its highly regarded sports planes which went on to be used as trainers by the Luftwaffe during World War II. The company was founded by Carl Bücker, who had served as an officer in the German Navy during World War I and then spent some years in Sweden establishing the Svenska Aero factory. With the sale of this business at the end of 1932, Bücker returned to his native Germany where he opened his new factory in Johannisthal, Berlin in 1934. Bücker's three great successes were the Bücker Bü 131 Jungmann (1934), the Bü 133 Jungmeister (1936) and the Bü 181 Bestmann (1939). As well as these, the company built designs from several other manufacturers under licence, including the Focke-Wulf Fw 44, the DFS 230, and components for the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, Junkers Ju 87, and Henschel Hs 293. At the end of World War II, the company’s premises fell into the Soviet occupation zone, and were seized. The company was then broken up. The Bü 181 continued to be built in Czechoslovakia and Egypt after the war. [Wikipedia] |
![]() SO 1221S Djinn, 23, equipped for ambulance & rescue services |
![]() Nord 1203 Norecrin, HB-HOI |
Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. is an aircraft manufacturer located in Stans, Switzerland. The company was established in 1939, but it was not until 1944 that a Pilatus-built aircraft, the SB-2 Pelican, first took to the air. Soon after, in 1945, Pilatus started producing the P-2 trainer for the Swiss Air Force, of which 54 were built. [Wikipedia] |
![]() Beech G18S "Twin Beech" HB-GAC c/n 8434. (For existing 'Twin Beeches' in Europe, see census at OldProps) Bob Parmerter, aviation historian with specialty interest in the Beech 18, has serious doubts about the identity as given above; he wrote me the following: Taigh Ramey wrote in response 21Mar2011: |
The de Havilland DH.112 Venom was a British postwar single-engined jet aircraft developed from the de Havilland Vampire.[2] It served with the Royal Air Force as a single-seat fighter-bomber and two-seat night fighter. |
![]() Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke (FFA) P.16 Mk.III (Prototype), X-HB-VAD |
Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein AG (FFA) was a Swiss aircraft and railroad car manufacturing company based at Altenrhein. It was originally part of Dornier Flugzeugwerke, but was split off in 1948. Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke means "aircraft and vehicle works" in German.
In the years following World War II, FFA manufactured fighter aircraft for the Swiss Air Force, based on Morane-Saulnier designs as the D-3803. These were eventually replaced in service by surplus P-51 Mustangs. In the 1950s, FFA developed two jet fighters, the N-20 'Aiguillon' and the P-16. The N-20 was cancelled after its first flight in 1951. The P-16 project, while promising, was cancelled after two crashes, and Hawker Hunters were bought instead. The firm licence-built many aircraft for Swiss use, including the de Havilland Vampire, de Havilland Venom, Pilatus P-3, Dassault Mirage III, and F-5 Tiger. In 1987, the company was bought back by Dornier. [Wikipedia] |
![]() EFE N-20 (Prototype, STOL capabilities) 'Aiguillon' |
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![]() Hawker Hunter F.58, J-4001 |
![]() It made 2 more flights (at least) that beautiful sunny day and I was allowed on the ramp to photograph its second arrival (all I had time for on this occasion). |
The Junkers Ju 52 (nicknamed 'Tante Ju' - 'Auntie Ju' - and 'Iron Annie') was a German transport aircraft manufactured from 1932 to 1945. It saw both civilian and military service during the 1930s and 1940s. In a civilian role, it flew with over 12 air carriers including Swissair and Lufthansa as an airliner and freight hauler. In a military role, it flew with the Luftwaffe as a troop and cargo transport and briefly as a medium bomber. The Ju 52 continued in postwar service with military and civilian air fleets well into the 1980s. [Wikipedia] |
HB-HOP taxies past while in the background sit CASA 352L HB-HOY (top right) and Junkers 52 3mg/3e HB-HOS
HB-HOY is due for retirement in 2012, so it seems they cannot be made to fly indefinitely: let us enjoy while we can!
Alas, a (temporary?) ban was put on JU-Airs'Ju-52 flying in 2019: JU-Air suspends Ju-52 ops through 2021
This has to do with the Ju-52 crash on 04Aug18, when a Junkers Ju 52 passenger aircraft operated by Ju-Air
crashed
near Piz Segnas, Switzerland,
while en route from Locarno to Dübendorf. All on board were killed.
It was the first fatal crash of a Ju-Air aircraft since the company began operations in 1982 [Wikipedia]
en.wikipedia.org:_List_of_airworthy_Ju_52
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![]() De Havilland DH.100 Vampire FB.6, J-1126 |
Useful links: Air Force Center, Dubendorf, Switzerland www.PaulNann.com www.aviationmuseum.eu |
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