Militair Luchtvaart Museum

Militair Luchtvaart Museum, a visit in Oct.2006

During the weekend of 16th and 17th October 2006 the Militaire Luchtvaart Museum (Militairy Aviation Museum) in Soesterberg, Netherlands opened its doors a little wider than usual, to offer its visitors a look in the workshops where restoration was actively in progress.
Since a restoration of a Lockheed L.12A was mentioned as well, I decided to have a look too.

This was the plane I was after: Lockheed L-12 (c/n 1306, previously displayed at MLM as L2-38, ex/ OY-AOV ).

Sadly I got no further than this dismal publicity print! The aircraft itself was in storage elsewhere. I felt more than a little disappointed.
The restoration we were allowed to look at concerned the wing; the fuselage had been painted a month before and was locked away in the depot of the museum. Pity!

In a request to arrange a visit to the depot on a suitable date (allowing for the fact that due to work I wasn't able to visit the Open Depot days in April 2007) I was brushed of with the remark there would be Open Days in 2008 too !
Sad to find the fact proven once again that government institutions are less cooperative than commercial ones, who by far are more inclined to work towards a mutual satisfying solution...
Nils Rosengaard sent me a photo in a previous identity: Photos by Friends & Guests.

See better photos on my page NMM Dec.2014

Here are 3 close ups of the wing in question.

A visit on 29Jun11 shows this update
Anno 29 june 2011

Since it had been a few years since my last visit, before my 'digital era', I decided to overcome my disappointment and revisit the museum; a start with this DC-3 seemed appropriate.

'X-5' is a Douglas C-47A, with c/n 20118.
Its previous identites include:
43-15652 (USAF), 31562/T-AN (Royal Norwegian AF), 31562/BW-N, 31562/BW-T, 68-688 (Royal Danish AF) and K-688 (RDanAF).
Its present registration X-5 is fake.

See me 2014 report NMM, for an update

Here is some information about the Douglas DC-3/C-47 when used by the Koninklijke Luchtmacht (Royal Dutch Air Force) from the publication Dutch Military Aviation 1945 / 1978 by Paul A Jackson (published by Midland Counties Publications, 1978)
Douglas C-47 Dakota
Twenty KLu aircraft were in use at various times, from several sources, ZU/codes were used by 334 Sqdn. Four aircraft were transferred to 321 Sqdn MLD in 1960-61.
Final 6 aircraft (X-2, -4 -5 -10 -18 and -19 of 336 Sqdn) were retired in Dec 1962. X-1 believed obtained in dubious manner, coded ZU-1. It crashed on 06Feb53. X-2 (cn20122) was ex PH-TBW of KLM, obtained on loan, written off on 14Nov49 (this serial was reallotted).
Serials X-2 to X-5 were obtained from the Belgian AF in Aug52 and coded ZU-2 to ZU-5. Serilas X-6 to X-17 were former RAF, received Jul/Aug52 and coded ZU-6 to ZU-17; X-8 and X-9 were VIP aircraft.

Early-2010 saw this C-47 Dakota being prepared for removal from the museum grounds, as it will be restored after spending years out in the open. X-5 is expected to be back on display in 2014, after the museum has moved to (former) Soesterberg Air Base.

Lockheed SP-2H Neptune, 201.
Info on the Lockheed Neptune on Wikipedia.org

Fokker F.27 Troopship, C-10.
It is displayed in the colours in which it demonstrated at many air shows.
Info on the Fokker Friendship on Wikipedia.org

UPDATE: see it preserved and displayed in camouflage, NMM 2014.

Outside there is a neat display of 'Cold War'-jets...

deHavilland D.H.89B Dominie 'Gelderland'.
Information on deHavilland Dragon Rapide on Wikipedia.org

Fokker G-1A. More on this type of aircraft on Wikipedia.org

B-25J Mitchell, more on Wikipedia.org

There is a lot of information here, unfortunately visitors from abroad will have to learn Dutch to understand any of it!

The Dutch Naval Air Service (Marine Luchtvaart Dienst -MLD) operated 37 of these giant Dornier Do.24 flying boats. The X-24 was nicknamed "de ouwe lobbes" (sorry, but I find that hard to translate!).
These flying boast were operated in the Dutch East Indies. This Do.24K is a modified (by the museum) Do.24T3. It is on loan from the RAF Hendon museum.
Dornier 24 on Wikipedia.org

Grumman S-2N Tracker, 160 - below: the cockpit of the S-2N

More photos of mine, made during this visit, on my Flickr.com account

External links:
www.militaireluchtvaartmuseum.nl (Dutch)
Paul Nann's Military Aviation website, has a detailed list of the inventory

UPDATE!!! In May 2013 the museum is to close and the exhibits will be moved to a new museum at the former Soesterberg AB, which is to opened in Dec.2014 !!!

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