Aviodrome
Encyclopedia
The Nationaal Luchtvaart-Themapark Aviodrome (short also Aviodrome) is a large aerospace museum in The Netherlands that has been located on Lelystad Airport
since 2003.
In 1955 several organisations, such as the airline KLM and aircraft manufacturer Fokker
, initiated a foundation called "Stichting voor het Nationaal Luchtvaartmuseum" with the single goal of creating a national aviation museum.
The first installment of this aviation museum opened its doors in 1960 on Schiphol airport under the name Aeroplanorama and had only seven aircraft
on display. It closed its doors in 1967 and a new museum called Aviodome was opened in 1971 on Schiphol. The main building was a large aluminium geodesic dome
designed by Buckminster Fuller
, the largest in the world at the time, which housed most of the aircraft on display. Hence the 'dome' in the name Aviodome.
Over time, the location became too small for the growing aircraft collection and in 2003 the museum was moved to a new location on Lelystad Airport. The building at Schiphol was demolished and the name was changed to Aviodrome. On the current location, it has three buildings: the main building where most of the aircraft on display are located and where there's a restaurant and a cinema, a replica of the old Schiphol terminal building from 1928 and a hangar for aircraft storage with limited access for visitors. Added to the aviation theme were several artifacts from several Dutch space programs, such as the backup flight-article of ANS (Astronomical Netherlands Satellite
), a mockup of IRAS
and the high-speed windtunnel model of the Huygens probe
. In doing so the aviation museum became an aerospace museum..
In 2004 the last of KLM's classic Boeing 747-200's named Louis Blériot
was sold to the Aviodrome for the symbol
ic amount of 1 euro. Though the aircraft could still fly, Lelystad Airport was too small to handle such a large aircraft so the aircraft was partially disassembled and moved over water on a barge
. After the journey over water that attracted a lot of attention the aircraft was lifted from the barge at Harderwijk
and the last bit of the trip took place over land. At its final location the aircraft was re-assembled and opened to the public. The tail was fitted with a top beacon since, technically, the Boeing now is a building.
where it had been in storage. More work, including a new paintjob, was done to the aircraft in the Netherlands but sadly the aircraft suffered from engine problems in 2004. To resolve this, two replacement engines coming from the Korean Air
museum were fitted. However, it hasn't flown since 2004, performances by the aircraft being limited to engine runs only.
De Uiver was the name of a Douglas DC-2 that placed second in the 1934 MacRobertson Air Race
, only being beaten by a purpose built de Havilland DH.88
racer Grosvenor House. The real Uiver, which is an old Dutch word for Stork
, no longer exists. The Aviodrome owns one of the last still airworthy DC-2s in the world. This DC-2 is a former US Navy aircraft painted in the Uiver's original KLM colors. After an unexpected gear collapse the aircraft suffered some minor damage, but after the needed funds were raised the aircraft was repaired.
Lelystad Airport
Lelystad Airport is an airport south southeast of Lelystad, Netherlands.It is the biggest general aviation airport in the Netherlands and is also home to a large aviation museum, the Aviodrome. The museum's former KLM Boeing 747-200 which they have on display is a prominent feature on the...
since 2003.
History
Fokker
Fokker was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer named after its founder, Anthony Fokker. The company operated under several different names, starting out in 1912 in Schwerin, Germany, moving to the Netherlands in 1919....
, initiated a foundation called "Stichting voor het Nationaal Luchtvaartmuseum" with the single goal of creating a national aviation museum.
The first installment of this aviation museum opened its doors in 1960 on Schiphol airport under the name Aeroplanorama and had only seven aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
on display. It closed its doors in 1967 and a new museum called Aviodome was opened in 1971 on Schiphol. The main building was a large aluminium geodesic dome
Geodesic dome
A geodesic dome is a spherical or partial-spherical shell structure or lattice shell based on a network of great circles on the surface of a sphere. The geodesics intersect to form triangular elements that have local triangular rigidity and also distribute the stress across the structure. When...
designed by Buckminster Fuller
Buckminster Fuller
Richard Buckminster “Bucky” Fuller was an American systems theorist, author, designer, inventor, futurist and second president of Mensa International, the high IQ society....
, the largest in the world at the time, which housed most of the aircraft on display. Hence the 'dome' in the name Aviodome.
Over time, the location became too small for the growing aircraft collection and in 2003 the museum was moved to a new location on Lelystad Airport. The building at Schiphol was demolished and the name was changed to Aviodrome. On the current location, it has three buildings: the main building where most of the aircraft on display are located and where there's a restaurant and a cinema, a replica of the old Schiphol terminal building from 1928 and a hangar for aircraft storage with limited access for visitors. Added to the aviation theme were several artifacts from several Dutch space programs, such as the backup flight-article of ANS (Astronomical Netherlands Satellite
Astronomical Netherlands Satellite
The Astronomical Netherlands Satellite was a space-based X-ray and ultraviolet telescope. It was launched into Earth orbit on 30 August 1974 at 14:07:39 UTC in a Scout rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, United States...
), a mockup of IRAS
IRAS
The Infrared Astronomical Satellite was the first-ever space-based observatory to perform a survey of the entire sky at infrared wavelengths....
and the high-speed windtunnel model of the Huygens probe
Huygens probe
The Huygens probe was an atmospheric entry probe carried to Saturn's moon Titan as part of the Cassini–Huygens mission. The probe was supplied by the European Space Agency and named after the Dutch 17th century astronomer Christiaan Huygens....
. In doing so the aviation museum became an aerospace museum..
Aircraft collection
Note that not all aircraft listed are currently on display or even present at the museum. The museum also frequently houses or is visited by aircraft that aren't owned by the museum.- Aérospatiale Dauphin 2Eurocopter DauphinThe Eurocopter SA 365/AS365 Dauphin 2 is a medium-weight multipurpose twin-engine helicopter manufactured by Eurocopter .-Design and development:...
- Agusta - Bell 204B UH-1
- Alsema Sagitta
- ANR-1 airshipAirshipAn airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...
gondola - Antonov An-2Antonov An-2The Antonov An-2 is a single-engine biplane utility/agricultural aircraft designed in the USSR in 1946...
- Auster J.1 AutocratAuster Autocrat-External links:*...
- BAC Jet ProvostBAC Jet ProvostThe BAC Jet Provost was a British jet-powered trainer aircraft used by the Royal Air Force from 1955 to 1993. The Jet Provost was also successfully exported, serving in many air forces worldwide....
(cockpit only) - B.A.T. F.K.23 BantamBAT Bantam-External links:** Contemporary technical description of F.K.23 Bantam with photographs and drawings.-See also:...
- 4x balloon basket
- Ballooncapsule Dutch Viking
- Beechcraft D-18Beechcraft Model 18The Beechcraft Model 18, or "Twin Beech", as it is better known, is a 6-11 seat, twin-engine, low-wing, conventional-gear aircraft that was manufactured by the Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas...
- Birdman Cherokee
- Blackburn BuccaneerBlackburn BuccaneerThe Blackburn Buccaneer was a British low-level subsonic strike aircraft with nuclear weapon delivery capability serving with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force between 1962 and 1994, including service in the 1991 Gulf War...
(cockpit only) - Blériot XIBlériot XIThe Blériot XI is the aircraft in which, on 25 July 1909, Louis Blériot made the first flight across the English Channel made in a heavier-than-air aircraft . This achievement is one of the most famous accomplishments of the early years of aviation, and not only won Blériot a lasting place in...
- Boeing 747Boeing 747The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
- Bölkow Bo 105Bölkow Bo 105The MBB Bo 105 is a light, twin-engine, multi-purpose utility helicopter developed by Bölkow of Stuttgart, Germany. Production began under Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm , which became a part of Eurocopter in 1991...
- Cierva C.30A AutogiroCierva C.30A AutogiroThe Cierva C.30 was an autogiro designed by Juan de la Cierva and built under licence from the Cierva Autogiro Company by A V Roe & Co Ltd , Lioré-et-Olivier and Focke-Wulf.-Design and development:...
- Consolidated PBY5A CatalinaPBY CatalinaThe Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. PBYs served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other...
- Cessna 172Cessna 172The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is a four-seat, single-engine, high-wing fixed-wing aircraft. First flown in 1955 and still in production, more Cessna 172s have been built than any other aircraft.-Design and development:...
(still active for aerial photography) - De Havilland Canada Beaver (cockpit only)
- De Havilland DH.82A Tiger MothTiger mothTiger moths are moths of the family Arctiidae.Tiger moth may also refer to:*de Havilland Tiger Moth, an aircraft; an aerobatic and trainer tailwheel biplane*de Havilland DH.71 Tiger Moth, an earlier monoplane produced by de Havilland...
- 2x De Havilland DH.104 DoveDe Havilland DoveThe de Havilland DH.104 Dove was a British monoplane short-haul airliner from de Havilland, the successor to the biplane de Havilland Dragon Rapide and was one of Britain's most successful post-war civil designs...
(one complete and one cockpit) - DFS Olympia
- 2x Douglas C-47 Skytrain
- 2x Douglas DC-2Douglas DC-2The Douglas DC-2 was a 14-seat, twin-engine airliner produced by the American company Douglas Aircraft Corporation starting in 1934. It competed with the Boeing 247...
(one flying, the other in bad state and incomplete) - Douglas DC-3Douglas DC-3The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...
- Douglas DC-4 SkymasterDouglas DC-4The Douglas DC-4 is a four-engined propeller-driven airliner developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It served during World War II, in the Berlin Airlift and into the 1960s in a military role...
- Evans VP-1 VolksplaneEvans VP-1 Volksplane-See also:...
- V-1 "Flying bomb" (model)
- Firebird ultralight
- 2x Fokker SpinFokker SpinThe Fokker Spin was the first airplane built by Anthony Fokker. The many bracing wires made the plane resemble a giant spider, hence its name Spin ....
- Fokker Dr.IFokker Dr.IThe Fokker Dr.I Dreidecker was a World War I fighter aircraft built by Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. The Dr.I saw widespread service in the spring of 1918...
- Fokker F.2
- Fokker B-4A (incomplete)
- Fokker C-5DFokker C.VFokker C.V was a Dutch light reconnaissance and bomber biplane aircraft manufactured by Fokker. It was designed by Anthony Fokker and the series manufacture began in 1924 at Fokker in Amsterdam.-Development:...
- Fokker F-7aFokker F.VIIThe Fokker F.VII, also known as the Fokker Trimotor, was an airliner produced in the 1920s by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker, Fokker's American subsidiary Atlantic Aircraft Corporation, and other companies under licence....
- Fokker F-8 "Duif"
- Fokker S-4 (incomplete)
- 2x Fokker S-11Fokker S-11|-See also:-References:* Bridgeman, Leonard. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1953–54. London: Jane's All The World's Aircraft Publishing Company, 1953.* Smith, Maurice A. . Flight, 24 February 1949. pp. 218–221.-External links:*...
instructor (one flying, one incomplete) - Fokker S-12Fokker S-12The Fokker S-12 Instructor is a single engine two seater propeller aircraft designed and manufactured by the former Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker. The S-12 was produced in Brazil by a Fokker subsidiary. The S-12 is manufactured as a tricycle-undercarriage variant of the S-11....
- Fokker S-13 (tailpiece only)
- Fokker S-14Fokker S-14|-See also:-References:NotesCitationsBibliography* Donald, David. The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. Leicester, UK: Blitz Editions, 1997. ISBN 1-85605-375-X.* Flight, 24 November 1949, pp. 687–688....
machtrainer - 2x Fokker F-27 FriendshipFokker F27The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner designed and built by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker.-Design and development:Design of the Fokker F27 started in the 1950s as a replacement to the successful Douglas DC-3 airliner...
(one still flying) - Fokker F-27-050 (F-50 prototype based on F-27)
- Fokker 100
- Mock-up cockpit Fokker 100
- Fouga MagisterFouga MagisterThe Fouga Magister is a 1950s French two-seat jet trainer. The related CM.175 Zéphyr was a carrier-capable version for the French Navy....
- 2x Grumman S2N Tracker
- Grunau Baby
- Hawker Sea FuryHawker Sea FuryThe Hawker Sea Fury was a British fighter aircraft developed for the Royal Navy by Hawker during the Second World War. The last propeller-driven fighter to serve with the Royal Navy, it was also one of the fastest production single piston-engined aircraft ever built.-Origins:The Hawker Fury was an...
- Hawker Hunter Mk.4Hawker HunterThe Hawker Hunter is a subsonic British jet aircraft developed in the 1950s. The single-seat Hunter entered service as a manoeuvrable fighter aircraft, and later operated in fighter-bomber and reconnaissance roles in numerous conflicts. Two-seat variants remained in use for training and secondary...
- Hawker Sea HawkHawker Sea HawkThe Hawker Sea Hawk was a British single-seat jet fighter of the Fleet Air Arm , the air branch of the Royal Navy , built by Hawker Aircraft and its sister company, Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft. Although its origins stemmed from earlier Hawker piston-engined fighters, the Sea Hawk became the...
- Junkers Ju-52 (license built by CASA)
- LilienthalOtto LilienthalOtto Lilienthal was a German pioneer of human aviation who became known as the Glider King. He was the first person to make well-documented, repeated, successful gliding flights. He followed an experimental approach established earlier by Sir George Cayley...
Gleitflugzeug (German for glider) replica - Lockheed L-749 ConstellationLockheed ConstellationThe Lockheed Constellation was a propeller-driven airliner powered by four 18-cylinder radial Wright R-3350 engines. It was built by Lockheed between 1943 and 1958 at its Burbank, California, USA, facility. A total of 856 aircraft were produced in numerous models, all distinguished by a...
- 2x Lockheed F-104 Starfighter
- Lockheed SP2H Neptune
- MiG-21 PFM Fishbed-F
- 2x Mignet HM.14 Pou du Ciel
- N.H.I. H.2 Kolibri
- N.H.I. H.3 Kolibri
- Noorduyn C-64 NorsemanNoorduyn NorsemanThe Noorduyn Norseman is a Canadian single-engine bush plane designed to operate from unimproved surfaces. Norseman aircraft are known to have been registered and/or operated in 68 countries throughout the world and also have been based and flown in the Arctic and Antarctic regions.-Design and...
- Noorduyn Harvard
- North American B.25 Mitchell (incomplete)
- Pander Zögling
- Piper J-3 Cub
- Raytheon Hawk missile
- Rienks R-1B giroglider
- Rogallo sailplane "Engel" prototype
- Rogallo sailplane Penguin
- Rogallo sailplane La Mouette Cobra
- Saab 91D Safir
- Saab Viggen
- 3x Schleicher Ka-4 Rhönlerche (only one in good condition)
- Schleicher Ka-8B
- Sikorski S-55H-19 ChickasawFor other uses of "H19" see H19 .The Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw, was a multi-purpose helicopter used by the United States Army and United States Air Force. It was also license-built by Westland Aircraft as the Westland Whirlwind in the United Kingdom...
- 3x Stearman Hammond Y-1S
- Sud Aviation SE.210 CaravelleSud Aviation CaravelleThe Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle was the first short/medium-range jet airliner produced by the French Sud Aviation firm starting in 1955 . The Caravelle was one of the more successful European first generation jetliners, selling throughout Europe and even penetrating the United States market, with...
(cockpit only) - Supermarine SpitfireSupermarine SpitfireThe Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
(replica) - Van Ommeren VO-3
- Westland WS-51 DragonflyWestland Dragonfly|-See also:-External links:* Westland entry in the helis.com database*...
- Wright FlyerWright FlyerThe Wright Flyer was the first powered aircraft, designed and built by the Wright brothers. They flew it four times on December 17, 1903 near the Kill Devil Hills, about four miles south of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, U.S.The U.S...
replica
Space collection
- Astronomical Netherlands SatelliteAstronomical Netherlands SatelliteThe Astronomical Netherlands Satellite was a space-based X-ray and ultraviolet telescope. It was launched into Earth orbit on 30 August 1974 at 14:07:39 UTC in a Scout rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, United States...
(backup flight-article) - Infrared Astronomy Satellite - IRASIRASThe Infrared Astronomical Satellite was the first-ever space-based observatory to perform a survey of the entire sky at infrared wavelengths....
(mockup partially built from structural spares) - Huygens probeHuygens probeThe Huygens probe was an atmospheric entry probe carried to Saturn's moon Titan as part of the Cassini–Huygens mission. The probe was supplied by the European Space Agency and named after the Dutch 17th century astronomer Christiaan Huygens....
(windtunnel model)
Jumbo's touchdown
Louis Blériot
Louis Charles Joseph Blériot was a French aviator, inventor and engineer. In 1909 he completed the first flight across a large body of water in a heavier-than-air craft, when he crossed the English Channel. For this achievement, he received a prize of £1,000...
was sold to the Aviodrome for the symbol
Symbol
A symbol is something which represents an idea, a physical entity or a process but is distinct from it. The purpose of a symbol is to communicate meaning. For example, a red octagon may be a symbol for "STOP". On a map, a picture of a tent might represent a campsite. Numerals are symbols for...
ic amount of 1 euro. Though the aircraft could still fly, Lelystad Airport was too small to handle such a large aircraft so the aircraft was partially disassembled and moved over water on a barge
Barge
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
. After the journey over water that attracted a lot of attention the aircraft was lifted from the barge at Harderwijk
Harderwijk
' is a municipality and a small city in the eastern Netherlands.- The history of Harderwijk :Harderwijk received city rights from Count Otto II of Guelders in 1231. A defensive wall surrounding the city was completed by the end of that century. The oldest part of the city is near where the...
and the last bit of the trip took place over land. At its final location the aircraft was re-assembled and opened to the public. The tail was fitted with a top beacon since, technically, the Boeing now is a building.
Connie's comeback
Perhaps one of the most spectacular pieces in the collection of the Aviodrome is the Lockheed L-749 Constellation, often just called Connie. After several years of restoration work it was flown over to the Netherlands in 2002 from the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where it had been in storage. More work, including a new paintjob, was done to the aircraft in the Netherlands but sadly the aircraft suffered from engine problems in 2004. To resolve this, two replacement engines coming from the Korean Air
Korean Air
Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd. , operating as Korean Air, is both the flag carrier and the largest airline of South Korea, with global headquarters located in Seoul, South Korea. Korean Air's international passenger division and related subsidiary cargo division together serve 130 cities in 45...
museum were fitted. However, it hasn't flown since 2004, performances by the aircraft being limited to engine runs only.
De Uiver
MacRobertson Air Race
The MacRobertson Trophy Air Race took place October, 1934 as part of the Melbourne Centenary celebrations. The idea of the race was devised by the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, and a prize fund of $75,000 was put up by Sir Macpherson Robertson, a wealthy Australian confectionery manufacturer, on the...
, only being beaten by a purpose built de Havilland DH.88
De Havilland DH.88
The de Havilland DH.88 Comet was a twin-engined British aircraft that won the 1934 MacRobertson Air Race, a challenge for which it was specifically designed...
racer Grosvenor House. The real Uiver, which is an old Dutch word for Stork
Stork
Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family Ciconiidae. They are the only family in the biological order Ciconiiformes, which was once much larger and held a number of families....
, no longer exists. The Aviodrome owns one of the last still airworthy DC-2s in the world. This DC-2 is a former US Navy aircraft painted in the Uiver's original KLM colors. After an unexpected gear collapse the aircraft suffered some minor damage, but after the needed funds were raised the aircraft was repaired.
Fokker Friendship
The Fokker F-27 Friendship was Fokker's best selling aircraft model of all time. Production of this first post-war Fokker airliner started in 1955 and many of them are still in service today. The Aviodrome purchased the oldest still flying series produced F-27 from its Australian owner in 2004 and painted it in the colors of the no longer existing Nederlandse Luchtvaart Maatschappij (NLM). Exactly fifty years after the first flight of the first F-27 on 24 November 1955 this aircraft made a memorial flight as a tribute to fifty years Fokker Friendship.External links
- Aviodrome website
- Aviation top pics - has a large amount of Aviodrome photos
- Constellation fan website
- Flightlevel350.net - movie of the Constellation landing for the first time at Lelystad
- Australian site with many details and reminiscences from witnesses of De Uiver's landing at Albury