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South African Air Force Museum

{{Infobox museum

|name = South African Air Force Museum

|image = SAAF Museum Crest.png

|imagesize = 100

|map_type =

|map_caption =

|latitude =

|longitude =

|established = 26 October 1973{{cite web |url=http://www.saafmuseum.co.za/history.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030212173433/http://www.saafmuseum.co.za/history.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=2003-02-12 |title=The history of the SAAF Museum |access-date=2008-08-03 |publisher=South African Air Force Museum }}

|dissolved =

|location = AFB Swartkop, Pretoria
AFB Ysterplaat, Cape Town
Port Elizabeth Airport {{RSA}}

|type = Aviation museum

|visitors =

|director =

|curator =

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|website = [http://www.saafmuseum.co.za/ http://www.saafmuseum.co.za/]

}}

{{Location map+|South Africa|float=right|width=270|caption=SAAF Museum locations|places=

{{Location map~|South Africa |label=Port Elizabeth Airport|lat=-33.9896|long=25.6179|position=top}}

{{Location map~|South Africa|label=AFB Swartkop |lat=-25.8058|long=28.1619 |position=top}}

{{Location map~|South Africa|label=AFB Ysterplaat |lat=-33.9057|long=18.4954 |position=top}}

}}

The South African Air Force Museum houses exhibits and restores material related to the history of the South African Air Force. The museum is divided into three locations, AFB Swartkop outside Pretoria, AFB Ysterplaat in Cape Town and at the Port Elizabeth airport.

Exhibits

=AFB Swartkop=

AFB Swartkop is home to the headquarters and largest of the three museum locations, occupying at least five hangars.

It contains a number of Dassault Mirage IIIs, Dassault Mirage F1s, Atlas Cheetahs and various other historical aircraft as well as aviation-related items on display such as ejection seats, uniforms, aircraft engines, aircraft weaponry and a Cheetah C flight simulator.

Image:SAAF-RSA3-001.jpg|LEO deployment rocket at Swartkop

Image:Patterson No2 Biplane-Replica-001.jpg|Replica Patterson Number 2 Biplane at Swartkop

Image:SAAF-Avro Shackleton-002.jpg|Avro Shackleton at Swartkop

Image:SAAF-Cheetah-001.jpg|Cheetah C at Swartkop

Image:South_African_Air_Force_Mustang_in_AFB_Swartkop.jpg|SAAF North American P-51 Mustang at Swartkop

Image:SAAF_Buccaneer_on_static_display_with_munitions_and_radar.jpg|SAAF Blackburn Buccaneer on static display at Swartkop with munition loadout and its Blue Parrot radar system

Image:SAAF_Mirage_III's,_Impala_and_Cheetah_aircraft_on_AFB_Swartkop_as_part_of_the_South_African_Air_Force_Museum.jpg|SAAF fighter aircraft on static display at Swartkop

Aircraft on display

  • Aerospatiale Alouette III[https://web.archive.org/web/20131212102623/http://www.saaffriends.co.za/gallery/aeroplanes/museum_planes/list_of_museum_planes.htm AIRCRAFT OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN AIR FORCE MUSEUM], www.saaffriends.co.za, Retrieved 2013-10-08. Archived from the [http://www.saaffriends.co.za/gallery/aeroplanes/museum_planes/list_of_museum_planes.htm original] on 12 December 2013
  • Aerospatiale Puma[https://web.archive.org/web/20131224162615/http://www.saafmuseum.org/helicopters Helicopters], www.saafmuseum.org, Retrieved 2013-10-08. Archived from the [http://www.saafmuseum.org/helicopters original] by The Wayback Machine on 24 December 2013.
  • Aerospatiale Super Frelon
  • Atlas Cheetah E[http://www.saafmuseum.org/fighters Fighters] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170724033442/http://www.saafmuseum.org/fighters |date=2017-07-24 }}, www.saafmuseum.org, Retrieved 2013-10-08
  • Atlas Cheetah C
  • Atlas Impala Mk.I
  • Atlas Impala Mk.II
  • Atlas XH-1 Alpha
  • Avro Shackleton[http://www.saafmuseum.org/exhib/aircraft-on-display/maritime-patrol Maritime Patrol] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170624051316/http://www.saafmuseum.org/exhib/aircraft-on-display/maritime-patrol |date=2017-06-24 }}, www.saafmuseum.org, Retrieved 2013-10-08
  • Blackburn Buccaneer
  • Boeing 707
  • Canadair CL-13
  • Douglas DC-4[http://www.saafmuseum.org/transport Transport] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170723192141/http://www.saafmuseum.org/transport |date=2017-07-23 }}, Transport, Retrieved 2013-10-08
  • Dassault Mirage III BZ
  • Dassault Mirage III CZ
  • Dassault Mirage III RZ
  • English Electric Canberra T Mk.4
  • Fieseler Storch[http://www.saafmuseum.org/recon-a-observation Recon & Observation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170723001848/http://www.saafmuseum.org/recon-a-observation |date=2017-07-23 }}, www.saafmuseum.org, Retrieved 2013-10-08
  • Lockheed Ventura[http://www.saafmuseum.org/bombers Bombers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170710060038/http://www.saafmuseum.org/bombers |date=2017-07-10 }}, www.saafmuseum.org, Retrieved 2013-10-08
  • Mirage F1 AZ
  • North American Harvard
  • North American Mustang
  • Patchen Explorer
  • Paterson Biplane
  • Pilatus PC-7 Mk.II[http://www.saafmuseum.org/trainers Trainers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170723001902/http://www.saafmuseum.org/trainers |date=2017-07-23 }}, www.saafmuseum.org, Retrieved 2013-10-08
  • Westland Wasp[http://www.saafmuseum.org/helicopters Helicopters] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224162615/http://www.saafmuseum.org/helicopters |date=2013-12-24 }}, www.saafmuseum.org, Retrieved 2013-10-08

=AFB Ysterplaat=

AFB Ysterplaat is home to the last airworthy Avro Shackleton. The Shackleton has been grounded for several years already though, as there is no qualified aircrew and the remaining airframe hours are insufficient to train new crew, apart from the obvious concern of preservation of this historic aircraft.{{Cite web |last=Explorer |first=Museum |date=2023-02-22 |title=South African Air Force Museum (Ysterplaat) |url=https://museumexplorer.co.za/south-african-air-force-museum-ysterplaat/ |access-date=2024-05-13 |website=Museum Explorer SA |language=en-US}}

The Douglas C-47 Dakota here, is the aircraft used in 1952 by the SAAF to help Professor J. L. B. Smith acquire a coelacanth fish specimen from the Comoros Islands.Cotter, Jarrod Flying Fishcart article Fly Past magazine February 2006 pp78-9

File:Avro Shackleton Mk.3 SAAF.jpg| Shackleton 1722 at Ysterplaat

File:Inside hangar at Ysterplaat AFB.jpg| Mirage F1 at Ysterplaat

File:Display at SAAF Museum, Ysterplaat.jpg|Display at Ysterplaat

Aircraft on display

=Port Elizabeth=

There are few exhibits at the Port Elizabeth Airport branch of the museum because of the limited hangar space available.

Static exhibits are housed in the original 42-Air School Air Gunnery Training Centre used during the Joint Air Training Scheme in World War II.{{cite web|url=http://www.sa-transport.co.za/aircraft/saaf/museum_history.html|title=SAAF Museum - Port Elizabeth|publisher=SA-Transport|access-date=2008-11-23}}

Aircraft on display

Active restoration is being performed on a number of North American Harvards and there is a project to restore an Airspeed Oxford.{{citation needed|date=May 2014}}

One of the more unusual exhibits is a Jorg IV Skimmerfoil ground-effect craft.

Image:South Africa-Friends of the Airforce-T6-Texan(Hardward)01.jpg|North American Harvard undergoing restoration

Image:Skimmerfoil Jorg IV-001.jpg|Skimmerfoil Jorg IV

Image:Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah(Oxford)01.jpg| Airspeed Oxford restoration project

See also

{{Portal|South Africa}}

References

{{reflist}}

External links

{{Commons category|South African Air Force museum}}

  • [http://www.saafmuseum.org.za/ Official website]
  • [http://www.saafmuseum.org/ Swartkops Museum website]
  • [http://www.saaffriends.co.za Friends of the SAAF Museum Society]

{{SAAF navbox|state=expanded}}

{{Cape Town}}

{{Pretoria}}

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Category:Air force museums

Category:South African Air Force

Category:Military and war museums in South Africa

Category:Museums in Cape Town

Category:Museums in Pretoria

Category:Aerospace museums in South Africa

Category:Gqeberha