Aviation Museum at Dublin Airport?

Hoagy

Back in the 80's there was an aviation museum at Dublin Airport, which included at least one aircraft suspended from the ceiling, also a lump of moon rock.
Anyone know what happened to the collection? I seem to remember there was a plan to move it to that large house across the road from the Coachman's Inn.

highlydebased

Contact/Keep an eye on the Historical Aviation Society of Ireland (www.historicalaviationireland.com). They had some progress not so long ago

Hoagy

Thanks for that, interesting website, I'll watch it for developments.

*Kol*

The Iolar used to hang from the ceiling in DUB. Remember seeing it many times. Am not sure but there may have been a cockpit of ab aircraft there too?

nhlrules

The Iolar replica used to hang from the ceiling(the real one being shot down during ww2 while flying for another airline)
This aircraft was restored back to flying condition by Aerlingus and currrently resides in the hanger close to the new control tower at Dublin Airport(Im not sure when it was last in the air -last time i saw it fly was a few years ago)

The cokpit section that was in the mueseum was a mock up of an AerLingus Viscount-though it had full cock pit instruments it was made of plastic and was never part of any real aircraft-dont know what happened that

As for the collection at castlemoat house there was a few aircraft in there all i can remember seeing are a complete IAC Vampire and Chipmunk,also there was the remains of the IAC Anson and a Dove
Dont know what happened here either
They were being stored in a big red barn at the back of Castlemoat house when I gained access in the early 80's

DublinWriter

I started the exact same thread as this about two years ago!

One guy replied back and said his father has most of the stuff from it in his garden shed.

I was also very interested to find out about what happened to the piece of moon rock. Apparently the most expensive substance on the face of the earth 'went missing'! I remember it was housed in a convex plastic enclosure to make it look bigger than it was.

Happy memories of that museum. It was a bit of a wonderland for me as a kid in the 70's.

I think it would be great if we had a consolidated museum of transport in Ireland, incorporating the collection from the airport, the current Howth museum and I'm sure there could be lots more. It's a 'blind-spot' currently missing from our National Museums. I'm sure such a collection could be housed in Collins Barracks without much fuss.

I've been to the RAF/USAAF museum in Duxford, Cambridge and the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden and they are really mind-blowing, even for the casual visitor.

pbirney

nhlrules wrote: »

...

The cokpit section that was in the mueseum was a mock up of an AerLingus Viscount-though it had full cock pit instruments it was made of plastic and was never part of any real aircraft-dont know what happened that ...

Actually, the Viscount cockpit was the genuine article. It was from EI-AOH which was scrapped in the early seventies (see http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?regsearch=EI-AOH&distinct_entry=true)

~ Paul.

diverdriver

The Air Corps aircraft are back in their museum. But possibly the Vampire in Collins barracks is the same one as in Dublin Airport. The Iolar is quietly deteriorating in the Aer Lingus commuter hangar with Aer Lingus apparently unwilling to repair the minor damage it suffered.

A certain individual has ambition to set up a museum at Weston. The Buccaneer out there is to be part of it and the disassembled Catalina (actually Super Canso). Weston would be a good place for an aviation museum. They have the space.

DublinWriter

diverdriver wrote: »

A certain individual has ambition to set up a museum at Weston.

Who? I think it's a great idea.

AlekSmart

I've been to the RAF/USAAF museum in Duxford, Cambridge and the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden and they are really mind-blowing, even for the casual visitor.

Mention of the USAAF Duxford facility and the Iolar brings to mind the fact that there are apparently a couple of DH Dragons based there.

I know that at last years UK Bus Rally there were two Dragons doing a roaring trade with short pleasure flights around the area.
In addition there were several Tiger Moths also to be seen bumping and wobbling aloft into UK airspace !

Worth a trip even if only to listen to the engine notes !!

diverdriver

Sorry to be a pedant or even a SmartAlek , but they were probably Dragon Rapides, a later and more common development of the Dragon. I think there were only two Dragons flying in this part of the world. One in the UK and the EI-ABI. There was quite a bit of excitement when they flew together at one stage. Aer Lingus should really sell theirs on if they're not going to look after it. There will be plenty of takers. Maybe Christy Keane would be interested. He is the one who wants to set up a museum in Weston.

The museum idea is a great idea but with the bloody minded of attitude of the petty officals in the local councils against Weston. It might never get off the ground. Has anyone ever noticed that there are no roadside signs directing people to Weston Airport? Not one! Yet every B&B and penny ha'penny attraction all over the country has a brown sign pointing towards it. That's because the local council refused permission for any roadsigns. The word 'vendetta' springs to mind. They are liable to try something similar with a museum.

jaymack

It's Weston Aerodrome at best;
http://www.irishexaminer.com/breaking/index.aspx?c=ireland&jp=cwsnidsncwmh

diverdriver

That's been sorted out now. It was in fact a technicality. In any case people fly in an out of many airfields all over Ireland without bothering to trouble the authorities.

http://archives.tcm.ie/businesspost/2006/10/29/story18444.asp

Having a go at Weston seem to be popular in some circles.

AlekSmart

Having a go at Weston seem to be popular in some circles.

True,and I would even delete everything after "go".

I Remember attending an open meeting hosted by Tony Ryan some years ago in what was then a new City West hotel.

It was to discuss Ryans proposal to take over Baldonnell Aerodrome and use it as a hub/base for Ryanair.
Included in his plans were full proposals to realign the N7 and for extra Road and Public Transport access to the new Airport.

I still believe Ryans plans were well thought out and certainly the ancilliary elements far better catered for than anything which the multiplicity of local and national authorities have since come up with.

However the mood of the meeting was,to put it mildly,black !

Speaker after speaker droned on ad nauseum about the noise,the hours of operation,the dangers of blocks of ice falling through the roof of the solarium and even complete aircraft falling from the skies on a daily basis.

Needless to say Ryan did`nt get anywhere with his plan although did I see it resurrected over the past few days ?

Davidth88

Hi,

There is certainly a ' anti ' feeling locally towards Weston.

This wasn't helped by Jim Mansfield developing things without getting the permission beforehand , the same way he developed his convention centre/arena and was stopped half way. He does ( did ) seem to have a cavalier attitude to planning . ( BTW I am not anti , but I see this in the local papers, and I know a couple of active political type people locally )

As far as the idea of a museum , that would be a great idea ! The restaurant in Weston is already popular .

It's a shame if the old Dragon is indeed sitting moldering away in the hanger at Dublin.

Run_to_da_hills

Back at the time of that museum Aer lingus had a JU 52 stored out the back which was never displayed, it was subsequently sold off for buttons. :mad:

diverdriver

That Ju52 was abandoned in Dublin Airport after being brought here to make a film. I remember seeing flying out of Baldonnel at the time in full Luftwaffe markings. It didn't belong to Aer Lingus. I'm not sure what happened to it. It owed a few quid in parking fees. Similar thing happened to a B25. That's now in Duxford. The Lockheed Constellation now in the Science museum in Wroughton also sat in Dublin for years.

As you can see, Dublin had one or two interesting aircraft dumped there over the years. A couple of 707s suffered the same fate. A Nigerian Airways 707 sat there for years in the 90's because they hadn't paid their bill to Team Aer Lingus.

Davidth88

JU52 , or one of the Spanish built things ?

diverdriver

Probably but it could have been French too.

Board Walker

there's a cockpit of a KLM DC-9 in Schiphol and a landing gear off a wide body aircraft and an engine. im not sure what the engine is off, its rather big for a dc-9. my guess is that its off a 757 or 767.

can anyone confirm?

sdanseo

Neon-Circles wrote: »

Contact/Keep an eye on the Historical Aviation Society of Ireland (www.historicalaviationireland.com). They had some progress not so long ago

Massive heap of salt with that. Most of what comes out of his mouth is as reliable as the daily Star.