Strana 22
transporting members of the Helenic royal
family. Later, when Greece became a republic,
the machine was converted for use by the Air
Force Command, where it was used to transport
VIP passengers. It has been housed in the
museum since 1995.
There are also helicopters, including
a civilian Agusta-Bell 47J, a military Agusta-Bell
OH-13 and another civilian AB-206A Jet Ranger.
Outside on the tarmac is a recently restored
Sikorsky UH-19B in a search and rescue version.
School and training machines are represented
by DH.82 Tiger Moth, Cessna T-41D Mescalero
(which is similar to the well-known civilian
C-172) or also Cessna T-37, for a change with jet
propulsion. The Lockheed T-33A, TF-104G or the
unusually shaped Convair TF-102A with side-
by-side seats cannot be missed either.
The museum also commemorates the
memory of Lieutenant Dimitrios Kamberos,
the Greek pilot who made the first military
flight on 13 May 1912 in a Farman aircraft. Little
known is the involvement of Greek pilots in the
Korean War, where they provided transport,
supply or reconnaissance missions with seven
Dakotas on the side of the UN Command. This
too is commemorated here and the collection
includes two examples of this legendary
transport aircraft. Also highlighted is the role
of the air force in protecting the airspace over
the Greek islands from infiltration by aircraft
from neighbouring Turkey.
A great attraction of the air museum is the
underground headquarters of the Nazi Luftwaffe,
from the time of the occupation, which is located
under the current base. Although it is almost
80 years since the end of the war, many of the
underground areas are still inaccessible due to
the need to carry out extensive pyrotechnical
research. One of the entrances to the complex
is located directly inside the hangar. According
to the museum staff, only two rooms of the vast
space are safe for the time being.
In addition to the aircraft and their equipment,
the collections include air and anti-aircraft
missiles, bombs, target missiles, service
equipment such as Mercedes Unimog or
Dodge trucks, power sources and anti-aircraft
searchlights. There are also smaller artefacts,
such as the BMW 801 engine from the German
Dornier Do 217.
It is also a little known fact that Greece
developed its own unmanned aerial vehicles.
These were propeller-driven machines named
Pegasus I and Pegasus II, but their development
was discontinued in the early 1990s. Both
versions are represented in the collections.
The museum includes restoration workshops
that do a very good job. Examples include the
North American T-6G Texan or the Canadair
CL-13 Mk.2 Sabre, as well as the aforementioned
Helldiver. The work of the workshops is closely
Brightly colored Northrop F-5A Freedom Fighter
Larger machines in the outdoor display - a naval Grumman HU-16B Albatross and a Douglas C-47 transport
Camouflaged Convair TF-102A Delta Dagger trainer
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April 2025