Baldonnel 'gate guardian'

[P.Doff]

Fouga 215 is being resprayed to its former glory at the moment to be put as a "Ramp" guardian for the up coming euro presidentcy!! Maybe it'll make its way down to the gate after that, but more than likely it'll be put into the Museum when/if that thats goin, altough theres already two Fouga in that hanger!!

[Silver]

Interesting, P.Doff   '>

Thanks for the update.

[Silver]

Jeez, wouldn't you think the DoD would supply a few bob to tidy up the museum aircraft    '>

[Silver]

Is there a particular hangar that is dedicated to storing museum aircraft ?

(P.Doff mentioned "that hangar")

If so, is this hangar earmarked to become the 'Air Corps Museum' ?

[clan]

Do not shoot me just because I suggest this. But could the museum not be actually moved to somewhere it could easily be visited and combined with a museum for the Army and NS. Like Collins Barracks are even outside Dublin like Salthill!!!. If you have ever been to RAF Hendon in London you will know what I mean it is a fantastic place to get lost in for hours on end. Plus some local city councils like Dublin, Galway or Cork might even pay for it. A tourist attraction! Plus it would free up a hanger for the 8/5 new heli's

[Taj]

There is Silver.I was in it a couple of years ago and back then it contained a complete fouga,a wingless fouga,an Avro Anson,a Miles Magister,DH Vampire and a Provost cant remember if there was a chipmunk there.The hanger contained a few other oddities as well including a civvie cessna.On a related matter has anyone ever considered organising a guided tour of the 'don for members of this board?

[John K]

That's not a bad idea at all, Clan. like you say the RAF Museum at Hendon is very impressive, so is the Imperial War museum at Duxford. Those aircraft in the 'museum' in Baldonnel have just as much history and should be on display, but it speaks volumes for the senior staff there that they don't give a damn about that history, just as long as they can get on with bluffing themselves that they are in a flying club for the landed gentry.                                      Incidentally, Guinness, after 204 was dredged out of the Shannon from where it crashed (and the Pilot got the nickname of 'The Duck') it was left in Tech Wing Hangar for the crash investigation and after a few days it stank of fish!

Silver,

I was in "the museum" on sept. 5th.
There are a lot of planes ( and parts of them ) including: 2 Vampire's ( 1 is in bits&pieces) , 3 Fouga's ( + one body only), a few chipmunks, the Avro Anson, an instr. airframe Alu 3, etc etc.

Quite interesting to see indeed.
It was no problem to visit.
The people on base call it "the Museum". That's probarly why a lot of people think that the IAC has a "real "museum.

Guinness

[John K]

Oh yeah, thanks for that wisdom, Claudel, of course Fire Picquet was about the best duty to get (before going on to flying crew!) I used to enjoy calling all units onto the square for 09.00 Parade over the tannoy, only I used to say "Attention all you nits!" Ahhh those were the days!.         How's it going? Hope you have a great Christmas and best wishes for the new year,
JK

[Fouga]

That cessna thing is actually a old Civvy cessna that crashed and the ac have it now!

[Silver]

Not a bad idea at all, clan.
I would not mind where the museum was located once it was up-and-running, adequately funded AND properly set up and run (i.e. had plently of room for additional exhibits, under cover storage/restorations workshops, exhibits changed around regularly, etc. etc).

I believe part of the thinking about having in it in Casement is to also allow visitors view current AC aircraft in action/on th ramp (i.e. a viewing area beside or above the museum).

I also recall reading the if the AC had their museum in Casement, the Army a museum in The Curragh and the NS a museum in Cork - a 'museum trail' for tourist's was envisaged.

[P.Doff]

The "Museum" is in No4 Hanger (South), formally LSS(+Defender),and was Helis alouette hanger before that(then they booted LSS out of their new hanger across to it)!!
Maybe FTS should be given hanger 3 now that Helis is Bo#@ixed, so that they can hanger their new PC-9'S in comfort and with proper lights!!
Anyhoo, its gonna take a lot of work to bring Hanger 4(sth) up to scratch before its a museum!! Besides having to clean up and restore the A/c (especially the Anson, what a EFFIN waste of time doin that up. Months of hard labour to get it right and now its in an EFFIN state again with the tail snapped off thanks to some cak handed towing!!!) the hanger itself needs a lot of work still to make it presentable let alone safe!! Thay started to do it up when LSS were there but seemed to leave it after they left!!

[pilatus]

of all the vintage air corps aircraft are any actually air worthy?also the chipmunk up in gormo could be brought to the don by a dauphin if it was lightened by removing the engine and also if the sar equipment was removed from the dauphin?!?the chipmunk isnt exactly a fat lady!it would be nice to c this aircraft which is supposedly in airworthy condition become a proper flying piece for the museam.

[Silver]

What "Cessna thing" is that, Turkey ?

Fouga,
sorry to correct you but the "cessna-thing" as you call it is ex IAC.
It used to have the 204 code and crashed near SNN in '78.

Nowadays they use it for fundraising.

This is been told to me by Cpl. Burke who showed me around on sept. 5th.

Guinness