The Central Air Force Museum, housed at Monino Airfield, 40Â km east of Moscow, Russia, is one of the world's largest aviation museums, and the largest for Russian aircraft. 173 aircraft and 127 aircraft engines are on display, and the museum also features collections of weapons, instruments, uniforms (including captured U2 pilot Gary Powers' uniform), other Cold War-era US spy equipment, artwork, and other air-related items. A library containing books, films, and photos is also accessible to visitors.
The museum is located next to the Military Academy named after Yu. A. Gagarin.
History
The origins of the museum go back to 1940 when the village of Monino was selected to be the location of the Russian Air Force Academy. The museum itself was founded in 1958, two years after the airfield was closed, and had 6 aircraft and 20 aircraft guns at the time. When it opened to the public another two years later in 1960, it had 14 aircraft. By early 1970, the museum's collection had expanded to about 40 aircraft. In 1990, the aircraft on display were rearranged according to design bureau and chronological order. The museum's main hall was mostly destroyed by fire in 2005.
Prior to 1999, the museum was closed to the public, because of the display of classified prototypes from the era of the former Soviet Union. In July 2016, the museum is scheduled to close for an unspecified time. It has been reported that the closure of the adjoining military academy means that the funding and security will stop with the result of most of the exhibits being relocated to a new site, although many of the larger aircraft (over 70 tons weight) may be scrapped.
Visiting
Since the museum is situated on the territory of a military unit (Gagarin Air Force Academy), all visitors must pass the entrance gate to the military complex. As of summer 2006, special permission to visit is no longer required. As of March 2012 there are apparently only five full-time employees at the museum, which opens on an occasional basis. Visitors are advised to confirm in advance when the museum is open.
The Museum guide offers this advice for visiting the museum:
- by minibus or bus no. 362 from Schelkovskay metro station/bus station to Monino.
- by bus no 322 (Moscow - Noginsk route) from the bus station near Partizanskaya station to "Academy VVS" stop (38Â km).
- by train from Yaroslavsky railway station (Komsomolskaya metro station) to Monino.
Facilities
There are lavatory facilities, a small shop and vending machine for food and drinks (May 2014). There are two large hangars with well-displayed items and much material about the items, but all in Russian, although some have a brief translation into English. Another hangar, as of March 2012 is under construction to house more exhibits that are to be moved from the field into the new hangar. A museum booklet is available, published in 2008, from the museum officials. 36 A4 pages long, the booklet includes an introduction, along with photographs and descriptions of each individual aeroplane.
Aircraft on display
Transport and Passenger Aircraft
Fighter Airplanes
Bomber Airplanes
Helicopter
Other Aircraft
See also
- List of aerospace museums
References
- Citations
- Bibliography
- (in Russian) Ðа авиамузей в Монино наплевали Ñ Ð±Ð¾Ð»ÑŒÑˆÐ¾Ð¹ выÑоты
- (in Russian) Центральный музей Ð'Ð'С в Монино
External links
- (in Russian) Homepage of the Monino museum
- (in English) Guide for foreign visitors and virtual tour
- (in English) Information and photos of the museum
