Aircorps at national museum.

[P.Doff]

I know its been mentioned in another post but the Vampire and Miles Magister for the national museum are being put in place over the next few days. It'll be a shame to see them go but at the same time will be great that everyone from locals to tourists will be able to see a part of our aviation past. A lot of people probably dont know we had such aircraft in past service.

[Irish251]

Will they be in the courtyard at Collins Barracks or under cover?  I hope they will be well cared for there.

[Silver]

It's about time our aviation history was acknowledged in a museum........though a dedicated aviation museum would be best.

Every country I have visited in recent times has at least one aviation museum (many have several) .......Australia, NZ, U.S. U.K.......even the tiny Isle Of Man has a dedicated aviation museum (albeit without any aircraft on display, to date) !

Bertie is looking for a way to celebrate the 1916 rising 100th anniversary for 2016 ?
What better way to acknowledege our military than by setting up a dedicated museum in Baldonnel, an Army museum in the Curragh and a Naval Service museum in Cobh .

Indeed perhaps even the next NS vessel to be decommissioned could be retained as a floating museum and put on display on the Liffey in Dublin's docklands - like the HMS Belfast on the Thames near London's Tower Bridge?!

[Tony Kearns]

Vampire 198 and Magister 34 left Baldonnel just before nine o'clock this morning for the new location at the National Museum Collins BKS.

[sealion]

Quote (Silver @ 30 April 2006,20:55)

Indeed perhaps even the next NS vessel to be decommissioned could be retained as a floating museum and put on display on the Liffey in Dublin's docklands - like the HMS Belfast on the Thames near London's Tower Bridge?!

Why should it go to Dublin? Keep it in Cork, its place of Birth, as the Quaysides in the City gradually move away from commercial shipping.

[P.Doff]

I believe the Vampire is now in place(at floor level) albeit still minus its tail booms which will be put on before/when its hoisted to the ceiling!

[FiSe]

So I was lucky enough to get some detail pics when she was still in "eye level" at Baldonnel.
I don't know how I'd be able to get these now  '>

And for all dreamers, hope I am wrong, but I am affraid this means the end of dedicated air, or "technical", museum in Republic for next 100years.

But, well, it's just me... It's good to see some swallows nesting...

[Irish251]

I hope that there will be a suitably informative and accurate text to accompany the aircraft displayed, given the effort being made to place them there.

[John K]

I won't be able to show anyone where Billy and I put our initials when we were restoring it for display outside the Hostel all those years ago!
It does make far more sense to have a proper Air Corps museum at Baldonnel, as there was for the last two years or so. Mind you having some stuff at the Army museum might wet the appetite of visitors who otherwise don't even realise that there is a military flying unit in their own country, they might want to see more at a dedicated Air Corps museum.
Just a thought.

[papa 242]

John K...you were always a vandal!!!!

[warthog]

the gazelle that was written off would make a lovely static display in the national museum if they gutted all the important bits straightened it out and use some polly filla to hide the dints and holes!

considering it's worthless to just about anyone else and seen as though were selling all our other heli heritage it'd be nice to keep one for display even if it's only a mock up of it in it's airworthy heyday

would be alot of work though...

edit to spell "hayday" properly!  

[John K]

Hey Papa 242, do you remember those halcyon days? Rasher McCann got us involved to restore the old lumps of RAF Vampire in our spare time (and while we were supposed to be at class!), I got to see the museuma while ago and our initials had faded a bit but were still visible if you knew where to look! It was a good bit of experience for us. So was digging trenches up the 'drome!
How did you feel when they told you that you were going to do some recruit training-as an SAR Crewman!

[GoneToTheCanner]

hi all
At least, they'll be in the hands of professional museum personnel, well used to the long-term preservation of even more delicate items than aluminium and wooden airframes. With the best will in the world, Mick Whelan can't keep everything in good order without resources.Time to put the arm on them Upstairs to find some funds for the Museum.
regards  
GttC

[papa 242]

Hi.John
Sure was'nt it a pleasure chasing you all around the don and various parts of beautiful wicklow!!! you were all so enthusiastic and loving it!!!! and was'nt the work on the vampire stuff good practice for working on our vintage AlIIIs which just happen to have outlived everything that was supposed to have supplemented/superceded them.(Thanks to the dedication of the guys who cared for them over the years!!!)
When I think of all the Percival Provosts left to rot behind the hanger and were then taken away by a uk based restoration group,who eventually got some of them flying again.Shame there was'nt even one left at home!
As Keith said if there are major components of the Gazelle still around why not cobble together a display model.The more the public see of our military aviation history the better.
cheers all.!

[papa 242]

Me again!
Speaking of the Provost,was there one still capable of being ground run in the don and is it still there? Or was that the Chippy!!?