Collections

The most significant objects in the museum collection are a total of 82 aircraft or their notable fuselages, including the Consolidated-Vultee Convair 340/440 Metropolitan airliner from 1953 and the I.V.L A22 Hansa maritime reconnaissance aircraft from 1922. The aircraft collection includes several fuselage and cockpit parts; the Messerschmitt Bf 109G-2 wreck find, the Mignet HM-14 Pou du Ciel replica, and four hang gliders. Additionally, the aircraft collection closely includes 29 engines and 14 cockpit training devices.

The museum collection of the Aviation Museum includes approximately 10,000 objects, around 20,000 photographs, and about 1,500 shelf meters of archival materials. Photographs are the largest quantity of material in the museum, with an estimated 285,000 by the end of 2024. The Aviation Museum has made an impressive 9,785 photographs available to the public and researchers through the Finna material search service. You can explore the museum’s diverse collection on Finna.

Support the museum's crowd favorite, the Convair Metropolitan

The Aviation Museum’s Convair 440 Metropolitan OH-LRB “Old Lady” is the aircraft with the longest service history in Finnair’s history. Aero Oy’s Convair CV-440 Metropolitan OH-LRB transported passengers and cargo for a total of 27 years. Finnish airlines Finnair and Kar-Air had a total of 9 Convair aircraft in use from the 1950s to the 1980s. Even today, Convairs are still flying as cargo planes around the world. The Convair is a favorite among all museum visitors, where the narrow aisle still evokes the atmosphere of leisurely travel from the past.

You can support the preservation and transfer of the Old Lady to the New Aviation Museum premises by donating to the museum’s collection fundraising. The collection fundraising is directed towards, among other things, the transfer costs of the Convair CV-440 Metropolitan and the acquisition of modern air cushion devices.

Support the true workhorse of aviation

The Lockheed 18-07 Lodestar OH-VKU is a passenger aircraft equipped with two piston engines. The Aviation Museum’s Lockheed Lodestar flew passenger flights for the Finnish Kar-Air Oy in the 1950s. Known as the “Gold Digger,” the aircraft served in mineral exploration tasks at the Geological Survey of Finland until the 1970s. The museum collection has preserved antennas and communication devices related to the Lodestar’s mineral exploration.

You can support the preservation and transfer of the Gold Digger to the New Aviation Museum premises by donating to the museum’s collection fundraising. The collection fundraising is directed towards, among other things, the transfer costs of the Lockheed Lodestar and the acquisition of transfer equipment.

Support the conservation of the iconic Messerschmitt

The Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-2 on display in the basic exhibition of the Finnish Aviation Museum is a single-seat German fighter aircraft, manufactured in Austria, and was one of the main fighter aircraft of the German Air Force, Luftwaffe, during World War II.

Over 150 Messerschmitt aircraft were acquired by Finland during the war, and for example, the museum’s Bf 109 G-2 received the designation MT 208 according to the Finnish Air Force. MT-208 made an emergency landing in the sea off the coast of Pori in the 1940s and was only raised for museum purposes in 1999. After being in the sea for 53 years, the Messerschmitt had broken into pieces, and for example, the aircraft’s engine, propeller, rudder, cockpit, and wings had to be raised separately.

A GLIMPSE BEHIND THE STORIES OF THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTIONS

Commercial pilot Matti Nurminen in the cockpit of our Convair

“We flew in the summer of 1967 with the Convair from Ivalo to Kirkenes. The water-glycol mixture was on, and we were already at cruising altitude with the fuel mixture leaned out, when the mechanic said, ‘Matti, turn off that water.’ I did, and both engines stopped. The captain closed the throttles, and I set the mixtures to rich. Both engines started immediately.”

Matti Nurminen, Commercial Pilot. Entire career with Finnair, with 22,000 flight hours. Currently a praised simulator pilot volunteering at the Aviation Museum.

Lentäjä hymyilee kameralle lentokoneen ohjaamossa

Liikennelentäjä Matti Nurminen Aero Oy:n Convair CV-440 Metropolitanin ohjaamossa perämiehen paikalla. Suomen Ilmailumuseon kokoelmat, CC BY 4.0.

Flight beacons and cabin crew uniforms

Parts of the cabin and cockpits, interior parts, propellers, and communication devices also form a significant part of the museum collection. Communication devices include large air traffic control equipment and interior parts, runway lights, radars, and flight beacons. The collection of airline uniforms and early aviation equipment is also extensive and significant.

Moving and preserving all 10,000 objects and other substantial materials of the Aviation Museum in appropriate conditions is a massive task. Join us in supporting the transfer of the collection’s gems and your favorite items towards the New Aviation Museum! Photo: DC-3 aircraft “Lokki” (OH-LCD) in the capable hands of volunteers during the move, on its way to becoming a landmark in the Aviation Museum’s yard.

Support the transfer of collections towards the New Aviation Museum!

Let’s ensure the transfer and preservation of 10,000 collection items and all materials in the New Aviation Museum.