Vyskov
The small town of Vyskov in southern Moravia is the home of the second largest Czech aircraft museum. To reach Vyskov, we traveled about twenty miles northeast of Brno. On our way to the museum we passed by several landmarks that commemorate the Battle of Austerlitz (1805), which was, up to that time, the bloodiest fight in history.
The museum's collection is maintained by the local Association of Aviation History and the members of the association run the museum on a volunteer basis. The income from entrance fees funds the conservation of aircraft on display and the refurbishment, wreckage recovery and purchase and shipping costs of new aircraft added to the collection. The mission of the museum is to present the history of the Czech and Czechoslovak military. The collection started out with only four aircraft: a Mi-4, two MiG-21s and an Il-14. Since then the inventory has expanded considerably.
A MiG-23BN without its wings greeted us at the entrance and as we passed through the gate we saw a lineup of jets: variants of MiG-19s, -21s, -23s, Szu-7s. The aircraft are behind low cordons, a perfect condition for the photo enthusiast. Helicopters are represented by the Mi-1, -2, -4, -8 types. In addition to these, we saw a Su-25 (this example became part of the collection recently; the museum's web page did not have information about it), an L-39, an Il-28, a MiG-15, a Cmelak, and two Il-14s. The collection also contains dozens of vehicles for air defense, military transport, and artillery. Most of the items were obtained from the Czech Army with which the museum has an excellent relationship.
Though the museum's collection is well kept in general, we found some worn aircraft, a MiG-21, a MiG-19 and a Mi-4 waiting for restoration in a restricted area behind the museum. During our visit they were refurbishing a MiG-15 and in the final stages of the reconditioning procedure of a WWII 105 mm cannon with "Das Reich" division mark on its shield. A unique piece in the collection is the VR-3 Rejs unmanned reconnaissance air vehicle with its BAZ-135MTZ transportation and BAZ-135SPU launch trucks.
The remains of WWII aircraft found on Czech territory are displayed in a building to the left of the entrance. Next to the collection of jet engines are various parts of Fw-190s, Me-109s, B-17s, B-26s, Jak-9s and Il-2s. Access to the museum is rather limited and may create an obstacle for prospective visitors. The museum is open from April to October on weekends. The museum closes for lunch which means that its hours are only from 9 am to noon and from 2 pm to 6 pm.
2003. September
