The Icelandic Aviation Museum Explained

The Icelandic Aviation Museum
Image Upright:	1.2
Pushpin Map:	Iceland
Map Type:	Iceland
Map Size:	250
Established:	1999
Founder:	Air Atlanta Flugfélag Íslands Flugleiðir Íslandsflug Flugmódelfélag Akureyrar Íslenska flugsögufélagið Svifflugfélag Akureyrar Vélflugfélag Akureyrar
Website:	flugsafn.is

The Icelandic Aviation Museum (Icelandic: '''Flugsafn Íslands''' in Icelandic pronounced as /ˈflʏɣˌsapn ˈistlan(t)s/) covers the history of aviation in Iceland. It is housed at Akureyri Airport and was formally opened on 24 June 2000.

History

The museum was founded on 1 May 1999 and formally opened on 24 June 2000^[1] by Halldór Blöndal, the Speaker of the Althing.^[2] It was initially known as the Aviation Museum at Akureyri;^[3] another aviation collection existed at Hnjótur in Örlygshöfn.^[2] It was renamed in 2005 to reflect its national role.^{[4] [5]} Svanbjörn Sigurðsson, a principal figure in the foundation of the museum, was its first director.^{[3] [6] [7] [8]}

Initially in temporary quarters in a hangar rented by Íslandsbanki, the museum moved in 2007 to a purpose-built building with 2200sqm of space, approximately five times what it previously had;^{[7] [9]} the building was officially opened by Sigrún Björk Jakobsdóttir, the mayor of Akureyri.^{[10] [11]} It celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2009.^[3]

The aircraft collection has been used for training by the .^[12]

Collection

The museum has many photographs of Icelandic aviation through the years and also a number of historic aircraft,^[13] many of which it maintains in airworthy condition^[14] and flies at least once a year on an annual fly day.^{[3] [15]} These include:

• Klemm L.25e TF-SUX, built in 1934 and brought to Iceland by Germans in 1938;^[3] the first plane to land in the Vestmannaeyjar^[6]
• Waco YKS-7 identical to TF-ÖRN, the first aircraft operated by Flugfélag Akureyrar, later Flugfélag Íslands, when it began service in 1938^{[6] [16]}
• a twin-engine Beechcraft identical to that first brought to Iceland in 1942^[6]
• Björn Pálsson's Auster V, with which he flew the first air ambulance service in Iceland^{[3] [17]}
• a 1943 Douglas DC-3 that saw duty at Keflavík Air Base before transfer to civilian use by Flugfélag Íslands in 1946^[12]
• the cockpit of Gullfaxi, Boeing 727 TF-FIE, the country's first jet aircraft, recovered from the Mojave Desert^{[3] [6] [14] [18] [19]}
• TF-SIF, a Aérospatiale SA-365N-1 Dauphin 2 former Icelandic Coast Guard rescue helicopter that was in service for 22 years and is credited to have been involved in the rescue of around 250 lives^{[3] [6] [14] [19]}
• Coast Guard Fokker F-27 TF-SYN^[19]

See also

• List of aviation museums

External links

• • Official website

65.6514°N -18.0757°W

Notes and References

1. Web site: The Aviation Museum . Visit Akureyri . 23 August 2018 . 24 August 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180824034233/http://www.visitakureyri.is/en/things-to-do/museums/the-aviation-museum . dead .
2. News: Flugsafnið á Akureyri opnað um síðastliðna helgi . . 29 June 2000 . Icelandic .
3. News: Flugsafn Íslands: Fagnar Tíu Ára Afmæli Með Opnu Húsi Og Kökuboði: Hefja sig til flugs einu sinni á ári . . 1 May 2009 . Icelandic .
4. News: Safnið fái viðurkenningu sem Flugsafn Íslands . Morgunblaðið . 29 January 2005 . 23 . Icelandic .
5. News: Flugsafn Íslands: Á aðalfundi Flugsafnsins á Akureyri í síðasta mánuði var samþykkt að breyta nafni safnsins í Flugsafn Íslands . Morgunblaðið . 16 March 2005 . Icelandic .
6. News: Malín Brand . Flugsagan kristallast á Akureyri . Morgunblaðið . 22 November 2014 . Icelandic .
7. News: HS . Nýtt flugsafn kostar 150 milljónir . Fréttablaðið . 15 November 2006 . 10 . Icelandic .
8. News: Svanbjörn Sigurðsson . Morgunblaðið . 29 August 2013 . 36 . memorials . Icelandic .
9. News: JÓA . Flugsafn Íslands fær nýtt hús . Fréttablaðið . 25 September 2006 . 40 . Icelandic .
10. News: Flugsafnið á Akureyri opnað . . 4 November 2007 . Icelandic .
11. News: Flugsafn Akureyrar opnað í 2.200 m² húsnæði við Akureyrarflugvöll . . 20 November 2007 . 27 . Icelandic .
12. News: Skapti Hallgrímsson . Flugvirkjar læra loks á heimavelli . Morgunblaðið . 21 February 2013 . Icelandic .
13. Web site: Flugvélar til sýnis í Safninu . Aircraft on view at the museum . Flugsafn Íslands . Icelandic . 26 August 2018 .
14. News: TF-SIF fer á Flugsafnið . . 4 June 2008 . 32 . Icelandic .
15. Web site: Hannah Hethmon . Museums in Strange Places Podcast #12: The Icelandic Aviation Museum . . 10 March 2018 . with link to podcast .
16. News: Samskonar vél og TF-ÖRN í Flugsafnið . Morgunblaðið . 30 April 2010 . Icelandic .
17. News: Viðar Guðjónsson . Sögufræg flugvél á Flugsafn Íslands . Morgunblaðið . 17 January 2014 . Icelandic .
18. News: Skapti Hallgrímsson . Stjórnklefi CL-44 líklega á Flugsafnið . Morgunblaðið . 16 September 2008 . 6 . Icelandic .
19. News: Malín Brand . Tveir leikarar á Flugsafni Íslands. 3 July 2014 . Icelandic .