Polish Aviation Museum, Kraków - Part 6

Today we continue our tour at the Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków. In the last part we have seen the „Mig Alley”, this time we get back under the roof and visit one of the smallest exhibitions in the Museum.

This hall is located close to the old entrance to the museum complex. Today we have to say that we have to go behind the „Big hangar”. When you look around you can search for radar caravans and AA-rocket systems displayed in front of the entrance to this hall. The AA systems are S-75 Dvina (NATO SA-2 Guideline), S-75M Volkhow (NATO SA-2C Guideline) and S-125 Neva (NATO SA-3 Goa).

Inside the hall we have to accustom our eyes to the specific and weak light which is inside. On this exhibition we can see only the unrestored planes, preserved in their original condition. Somehow I think we may say these are „preserved ruins”, similar to ruined castles or fortresses. From the historical point of view these exhibits are simply witnesses of unmodified history, just as were created. It is also a great opportunity to examine the original paints colours, fonts of stencils, colour of aged plywood or spruce. Unfortunately the sight of these machines may be, especially for enthusiast like probably most of Aeroscales, may be somehow gloomy and depressing. When you watch at teared up linen, broken ribs or hanging bracings somewhere inside you must feel the pain that such beautiful and priceless exhibits are not restored and displayed in their full glory.

On the exhibition we can see very rare planes which are many times one and only preserved machines in the world. Right by the entrance we can see the engine gondola from Zeppelin Staaken R.VI with two preserved engines still inside and a lot of original plates. In the same row we see the Heinkel He 5with the cowling for in-line engine, on the floats and with some parts of the wings. Next to Heinkel, in the corner of the hall, we have the Messerschmitt Me 209V1, or actually its fuselage, without wings and engine. On the opposite side of the walkway we see the airframe of the Geest Moewe IV, a pioneer airplane designed in 1914. Above Moewe, standing at the kind of platform, is Ettrich Taube, in quite good shape beside the linen skin. It's a great opportunity to study the ribs and stringers structure as well as impressive rigging of the plane. What else? For example the AEG Wagner "Eule", also a pioneer German construction with the fuselage airframe made of steel tubes. As the first of two prototypes had burned together with the hangar where it was stored this is the only one still remaining. From the early years of aviation we can also see here a fuselage of Levavasseur Antionette, yet without engine although the engine can be seen on the neighbor exhibition in the “Engine Hall”. In a separate row we have few Polish constructions. One of them is fuselage of SZD-27 Kormoran (eng. Cormorant), a glider with metal skin. Only two prototypes were built. One of them is exhibited in Kraków, second remained in private hands. Next to Kormoran we have LWD Szpak, one of the best preserved exhibits in the hall, with exposed wing construction but with dismantled engine. Another Polish plane is a motoglider HWL Pegaz. In the corner of the hall stands another construction of well know Polish constructor – Tadeusz Sołtyk. It is LWD Żuraw (eng.Crane), a prototype of liason and utility aircraft. Only one was produced as the plane did not enter serial production. Another interesting machine is the only helicopter in the hall – BŻ-4 Żuk (eng. Beettle), also a prototype of the Polish made helicopter designed in the early 1950's. It had a lot of innovative patents and solutions but also represented an absolute lack of any care to the design which resulted in the box and framework look. There is also a one more exhibit, displayed next to Żuk, but it was not signed and I do not recognize it. It is a two-seater fuselage with inverted in-line engine and upper center section of the wing covered with grooved metal. For me it looks like a German construction but I have no idea what's this.

I hope you enjoyed this part of our tour. As you see there are many interesting rare objects displayed here so everybody should enjoy visit in the museum, especially those interested in aviation history. There are few more displays left to visit so this is not the last part yet of our virtual tour.