The WW I warbirds in Brussels Air Museum

Regulus · 25 June 2005, 10:19 AM

Hi,

If you want to see some of the early birds in our own Belgian museum, have a visit at :

http://www.benevoles-aviation-bruxel...nt/view/22/91/

and there's also a page 2 !

Best from Johan

TomVrille · 25 June 2005, 12:28 PM

Quite a fine aircraft display,
And some practice en français.

What more could anyone want?

John Masters · 25 June 2005, 07:50 PM

That's a great page, Johan. I have a question...If I were to stay in Brussels fro 1 week, in October, how many different air museums could I see, using Brussels as a "base" of operations?

Thanks,
John Masters

Regulus · 26 June 2005, 04:53 AM

Hi John,

Brussels Air Museum is one of course, the Stampe Vertongen collection at Antwerp is two, a daytrip to Le Bourget, Paris is also within reach.

The Memorial de Verdun has also two replica's a Nieuport if I'm not mistaken and a Fokker E type, but also lot's of vehicles etc. In the Ypres area nothing on the matter...

The Aviodome in the north of the Netherlands can also be done in one day, on WW I they have replica's of a Bleriot XI, , Fokker Dr I and earlier the Wright Flyer 1909, Fokker Spin 1913. They also have the complete photo archive of Fokker company, and a total of 500.000 aviation photo's (other then Fokker mostly post WW I).

The fleet air arm museum in southern England (on RNAS with replica's of the Albatros DV, Short 184, Sopwith Pup, Camel, Baby and Triplane, and a smaller scale Fokker Dr I and lot's of other warbirds).
See : http://www.fleetairarm.com/index2.htm

The Imperial War Museum at Duxford has a splendid collection but very little on WW I. See : http://duxford.iwm.org.uk/server/show/nav.00d009

For both England visits count two days. Transport is possible by plane or train - or car if you like the experience of driving on the left side of the street

Anyway if you're coming to Belgium let me know, maybe we can meet. There's also a lot to see on various other war themes, some great WW I museum's, bunkers and trenches in the Ypres area, the US cemetary at Waregem In Flanders Fields, the positions of the WW I and II gun emplacements of the Marinekorps Flanderns and the Atlantikwall at the coast , there's the Bastogne area with some exceptional museums on the Battle of the Bulge, there's a fine museum on the Battle of Waterloo near Brussels. Travelling from Brussels to the other side of Belgium (east or west) takes no more than one and a half hours max. In other directions even less !

Best from Johan

Regulus · 26 June 2005, 04:57 AM

BTW, I think Mike Westrop can tell us a lot more on the RNAS museum, as this is the region where he lives !

Best from Johan

John Masters · 26 June 2005, 06:52 AM

Thanks Johan. I'm seriously considering making the trip. Sounds like a huge wealth of museums and sites. This is obvious, of course, to anyone who knows anything about WW1, but not knowing Belgium itself, a good resource. Hmmm...grammar...

Thanks,
From the Factory on the hill,
John

Regulus · 26 June 2005, 08:22 AM

John,

This may be a surprise but most Belgians do speak rather well english...

And if one is Flemish, normally also French, German and possibly Spanish or Italian...

Best from Johan

John Masters · 26 June 2005, 08:59 AM

Sorry Johan, I meant the country, terrain, etc...not the language. I'm not anticipating any problems communicating. Even the Bosnians speak better English than most Americans.

How's the coffee in Belgium?

John

Regulus · 26 June 2005, 09:08 AM

John,

Coffee's fine and survivable !

During October you can already experience what the Flanders mud must have been for the men in the trenches... And you have quite a few trenches to walk around in to get the experience !

Otherwise the Flemish part of the country is as flat as softball field ! Small and with way to much roads !

Best from Johan

mossie · 26 June 2005, 11:48 AM

The Fleet Air Arm Museum is only 1.5 hours from my home, and I've visited it a number of times over the last few years. The WWI collect in very good, a correction for you, the Short 184 is an original, the one that was used at Jutland, but it was heavily damaged during WWII and only the foreward fuselage with engine and cockpits remains. It is very impressinve just the same. Another great aircraft is the Sopwith Baby, a composite aircraft.

WWII and later is also well covered, one of the largest collections in the UK.

They also have an impressive archive, I've got some research planned in the winter. For instance they have every copy of the Flight Magazine, the one that contains all those great images and three views of WWI.

In Bovington there is the Tank Museum, again one of the world's best, WWI to present period.

In Weston-Super-Meare is the Helicopter Museum, another fine collection.

Lots to see if you choose to do some time in the UK.