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Michael E. Fader |
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Michael E. Fader |
National
Aviation Museum of the
Royal Thai Air Force
171 Phahonyothin Road
Bangkok
Daily 8.00 - 16.00 h except public holidays
Admission free
www.museum.rtaf.mi.th
Tel. +66 0 2534 1853
The National Aviation Museum of the Royal Thai Air Force is located in the Don Mueang district on Phahonyothin Road. Since 16 December 2020, it has been served by the BTS (Royal Thai Air Force Museum Station) and is therefore easy to reach. The museum was founded in 1952 to collect, preserve and restore various aircraft and other aviation equipment used by the Royal Thai Air Force. Today, around 110 aircraft are on display at the museum. Since 2012, the RTAF Museum has undergone a major renovation and was considerably enlarged in 2020.
The museum is divided into five halls. Hall 1 is divided into two sides. The left side displays various types of military aircraft that were used in the RTAF in the past and provides information about the history of Thai aviation. The museum details Thailand's role in the Second World War. On the right side of Hall 1, modern fighters, some of which are still in service with the RTAF, are on display.
Hall 2 displays important aircraft in Thailand's aviation history, such as the Paribatra, the first aircraft designed and built by Thais. Hall 2 also houses a library on aviation history.
Hall 3 is a maintenance building, while Hall 4 displays the tools and equipment used in aviation, Thai Air Force uniforms from past to present, and a hypobaric chamber that simulates low ambient pressure.
Various types of helicopters are on display in Hall 5.
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
The RTAF museum is one of the liveliest aircraft museums I have ever seen. School classes learn about aviation and history here, wedding couples use the museum as a backdrop, prospective officers are informed here and in some parts renovation work on the aeroplanes is in progress.
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Hall 1
Hall
1 shows the history of the RTAF (Royal Thai Air Force) from the founding
fathers and first pilots to the modern day. The first aircraft such as
the Nieuport IIN and Breguet II are exhibited as "models". You can't
call them replicas because they are not entirely accurate. With a little
imagination, you can also recognise an RTAF Prajadhipok, which was
developed by the Thais. The Curtiss Hawk II and the Vought Corsair are
unique and cannot be found anywhere else in the world in a museum. The
conflicts of the Second World War, in which Thailand tried to forge its
own path between the warring parties, take up a lot of space.
In the second part of Hall 1, modern fighters are on display, such as
the Northrop F-5A and F-5B Freedom Fighter, General Dynamics F-16A
Falcon and a prototype of the Saab JAS 39 Gripen, which is in service
with the RTAF today.
look-a-like of a Nieuport IIN (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
look-a-like of a Breguet III (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
look-a-like of a Prajadhipok(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Curtiss Hawk III (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Curtiss Hawk III (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Vought V-93S Corsair (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Remains of a Nakajime from the Japanese Air Force (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Grumman Bearcat (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
North American F-86F Sabre (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Northrop F-5B Feedom Fighter (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Northrop F-5B Feedom Fighter (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
General Dynamics F-16A Falcon (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Saab JAS 39 Gripen (Prototype)(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Northrop F-5A Feedom Fighter (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Hall 2
Other historic aircraft are on display in Hall 2. Here is also the only Japanese aircraft of the RTAF that has survived, the Tachikawa Ki-36. Also worth seeing is a Curtiss Hawk 75N with fixed landing gear. The Breguet 14 3C30 is a replica that was built in France by the Amicale Jean Batiste Salis in 1980 and was airworthy (F-AZBP). The aircraft was handed over to the museum in 2012. The RTAF Boripatra is also a replica but only in a 3/4 size and was never airworthy.
Tachikawa Ki-36 (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Tachikawa Ki-36 (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
RTAF Boripatra replica (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Breguet 14 3C30 (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
De Havialland Tiger Moth (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Boeing E.100 (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Curtiss Hawk 75N (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Curtiss Hawk 75N (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Curtiss Hawk 75N (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Stinson L-5B Sentinel (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Hall 5
Hall 5 houses the helicopters. From the very first types such as the Westland WS-51 and the Sikorsky R-4 to the modern Bell UH-1H and UH-1N turboprops. There are some rarities such as the Kaman HH-43B Huskie, which was used during the Vietnam War.
Westland WS-51 Dragonfly (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Kawasaki KH-4 (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Sikorsky UH-19A Chickasaw (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Sikorsky UH-34D Seahorse (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Sikorsky UH-34D Seahorse (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Bell UH-1H Iroquois (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Bell UH-1H Iroquois (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Bell UH-1N (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Kaman HH-43B Huskie (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Sikorsky S-58T Twin Pack (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Outside (in Front of the Museum)
In the unprotected outdoor area, some machines are parked that are exposed to the elements and therefore subject to rapid corrosion. The museum tries to keep the machines in good condition, but the sheer number of machines makes this almost impossible, as not all of them can be parked in the halls. It is also striking that the museum has several aircraft of the same type. There are a total of three Bell UH-1H Iroquois, three Aero Albatros, three Lockheed T-33s and nine aircraft from the Northrop F-5 family are on display.
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Northrop F-5F Tiger (Sikgapore AIr Force) (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
North American F-86F Sabre (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
North American F-86D Sabre (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Helio U-10 Courier (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Cessna T-37A Tweety (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Fairchild AU-23A Peacemaker (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Cessna O-1G Birddog (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Outside (on the Side and back of the Hangars)
In the area next to Hall 2, some of the Royal Thai Air Force's own developments can be seen alongside training aircraft. The RTAF-4 was a further development of the De Havilland Canada Chipmunk T.20, while the RTAF-5 was a complete in-house development of a training and observation aircraft that cannot deny its relationship to the North American V-10 Bronco. The latest developments are several RTAF-6s derived from the SIAI SF-260B/MT with completely different engines, prototypes No. 1 and 3 are on display.
De Havilland Canada Chipmunk T.20 (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
RTAF-2 (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
RTAF-5 (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
RTAF-5 (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
RTAF-6 (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Cessna A-37A Dragonfy (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Patzmany PL-2 (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
RFB Fantrainer (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
RTAF-2 Chandra (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Beech 35 Bonanza (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
A number of transport aircraft are parked at the rear of Hall 2. The largest is a Boeing 737-2Z6 which was formerly used for the King. Next to it is another foreign aircraft a Douglas A-1J Skyraider which was used by the USAF at RTAFB Nakhon Phanom (602 SOS 56th SOW). The third foreign aircraft in the museum is a MiG-21bis of the Vietnamese Air Force.
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Bell UH-1N Iroquois (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Douglas A-1J Skyraider Ex USN / USAF (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Fairchild C-123B Provider (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
RTAF Boripatra replica (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
IAI 201 Arava (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Beech C-45F Expeditor (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
GAF N-22B Nomad (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Swearingen
SA226AT
Merlin 4A (Picture courtesy
Michael E. Fader)
Boeing 737-2Z6 (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Outside (Between the Hangars)
The third area is protected by a roof. The roof is modelled on the wing of an aircraft and protects the aircraft from the weather. New aircraft were parked here in 2024. Two Northrop F-5T Tigris and one General Dynamics F-16B Falcon. Both types are still in service with the RTAF, as is a Dassault Alpha Jet A that has been in the museum for some time. The Aero L-39ZA Albatros with various squadron markings and the two Pilatus PC-9s have been taken out of service. Two Royal Thai Navy aircraft are also parked in this area: the Vought A-7E Corsair II and McDonnell Douglas AV-8S Harrier
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Aero L-39ZA Albatros (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Aero L-39ZA Albatros (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Aero L-39ZA Albatros (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Cessna A-37A Dragonfy (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Percival P.54
Survey Prince
Series 3A (Picture courtesy
Michael E. Fader)
Dassault Alpha Jet A (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Northrop F-5T Tigris (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
General Dynamics F-16B Falcon (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
North American OV-10C Bronco(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
NZAI CT/4A Airtrainer (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Supermarine Spitfire FR.14E (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Fairey Firefly FR.1 (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
McDonnell Douglas AV-8S Harrier (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Vought A-7E Corsair II (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Southern Part
The museum was extended by a larger area to the south, which today (2025) comprises only a few aircraft and is used more as a storage area. Here is an Alenia G-222 of which the RTAF had 6 machines. The aircraft was overhauled and repainted in 2024 as my pictures from 2015 and 2025 show. On the other hand, the Fairchild 2025 is parked in this area and is in an extremely poor condition. Here too are the pictures from 2015 and 2025. In the next few years, this area will be used for other machines.
Aeritalia G-222 (2015) (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Aeritalia G-222 (2025) (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Aeritalia G-222 (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Grumman G-44A Widgeon (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldiver (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
Fairchild F-24J (2015) (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Fairchild F-24J (2025) (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Pilatus PC-9 (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
