Aeropark

About

Aeropark is an open-air aviation museum next to Ferenc Liszt International Airport, Budapest, Hungary. It is dedicated to the history of Hungarian civil aviation, featuring several types used by the now-defunct national airline Malév. Aeropark also has a flight simulator for visitors and a gift shop with plane models and various Malév-memorabilia. Most of the planes of Aeropark are accessible for visitors with wheelchairs. Aeropark is a regular participant in the annual event Long Night of Museums.

The history of Aeropark (originally Ferihegy Aircraft Park; Ferenc Liszt Airport was named Ferihegy International Airport then) goes back to February 23, 1988 when Hungary received an Ilyushin Il-14T aircraft from the Soviet army, to be exhibited. István Veress, director general of the Hungarian Technical and Transportation Museum and Tamás Erdei, head of Aviation and Airport Directorate (LRI), announced the foundation of an aircraft museum. The three planes of the museum, the Il-14, an Ilyushin Il-18 and a Tupolev Tu-134 were originally placed in the airport proper, next to Malév's hangar. Ferihegy Aircraft Park opened in 1991 in a new place, between runway 31L and the 2B terminal building; the three planes were towed to their new places in October, and a Tesla landing radar was added to the collection. The planes and other equipment became property of the Transportation Museum, while preserving and exhibiting them was done by LRI. The latter was divided into two companies (Budapest Airport and HungaroControl) in 2002. Neither LRI nor its successor Budapest Airport was able to expand the collection. In 2003 Budapest Airport got rid of all its divisions which were not essential to running the airport itself, including the museum. It supported the creation of a foundation which took over the management of the museum. The Cultural Foundation for Ferihegy Aircraft Park managed the museum between 2004 and 2014, when it was taken over by a nonprofit organization named Aviation Cultural Center. The organization, founded in 2010, aims to preserve and exhibit aircraft and other mementoes of Hungarian aviation. The museum uses its current name, Aeropark since June 19, 2014. In early 2017 the museum temporarily closed down while it was relocated to a nearby site. The move was necessitated by the expansion of the parking lot. Relocation started on March 23, the museum opened again in the beginning of June.

Lisunov Li-2 played an important role in Hungarian aviation, as it was the first type of passenger aircraft operated by Maszovlet and then its successor Malév. HA-LIQ arrived in Hungary on March 27, 1952 where it was first owned by the Hungarian Air Force (1954-1957) then by Malév where it received a civilian registration mark but continued to use its green military livery. After 1958 Malév used it as a cargo aircraft. In 1964 Malév returned it to the army where it got its military registration number (206) back, and was used until 1974. Its total flight time is 3829 hours. After being written off, it was donated to the Transport Museum. It was restored in 1980 and stood in storage at Farkashegy Airport. It was moved to the aircraft museum in 1993. Its interior is completely restored, and can be visited during events.

This Il-14 originally belonged to the 226th Independent Mixed Aviation Regiment, of the Southern Army Group of the Soviet Red Army. In 1981 it was withdrawn from service and stored for six years in Mirhorod (today in Ukraine), then in Tököl Airport, Hungary. In late 1987 it was flown to Ferihegy where it became the first plane of the newly founded aviation museum. Since then it was moved twice, in 1991 and in 2017, when the museum moved to a new place. Its total flight time is 5928 hours. In 2009-2010 it has been restored. Originally it was only planned to be repainted in period Malév livery (while this specific plane has never been owned by Malév, the airline had Il-14 planes in its fleet), but since the plane was in a very good condition even after 25 years of disuse, repairs were done on both engines and visitors can watch them being started once a month.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.