Finnish virtual pilots from Warbirds / Aces High / WW2O - Virtuaalilentäjät ry / Virtual Pilots Finland registered society - organized yesterday the big autumm trip.
The trip headed into Central Finland Aviation Museum at Jyväskylä / Tikkakoski.
The special attraction of the trip was permission to enter the guarded, non-public storage area of the museum, where they keep the planes and materials that they don't have room in the museum's public areas, and planes that are waiting for restoration.
And there was something most special that we saw - and we had also invited special guests:
We got to see the other surviving Blenheim in the world. (count: 2). The other one is shown in a British aviation museum - the other is hidden from public in Finland.
And our guests were three veterans of the World War II, who had served on the Blenheim bombers.
From left:
Tapani Lampimäki, radio operator / machine gunner. Served most of the war in Fokker C.X. (Flying Squadron 14, LeLv14) and trasferred into Bomber Squadron 48 (PLeLv 48) in 1944.
Eino Estama, piloted Blenheim and Junkers 88 bombers.
Kauko Aho, Blenheim pilot from Bomber Squadron 42 (PLeLv 42)
A long day saw the group of somewhat over 20 persons, including all guests and participants, strolling around in the Museum, talking about aircraft, conducting veteran interviews, visiting the army shop and buying all kind of old left over army junk, visiting nearby Finnish Air Force base and getting a look in the planes and activities of the recon squadrons' Hawk-pilots and so on.
And of course - a long tour in the Museum storage area, peeking in and out of the Blenheim, photographing it from all angles outside and inside, taking fascinating looks in the different aircraft stored there and so on. It was like a dreamland. Man, they got a 109 F there - as well at least wings from a 109 E. And the whole DC-3 "Hanssin Jukka", donated by the Swedish count Von Rosen, who also donated the first airplane of Finnish Air Force in 1917, and whose family good luck emblem was adopted as the insignia of Finnish Air Force.
Photos and better after action reports will follow.
More Virtual Pilots Finland history articles at
http://www.compart.fi/icebreakers/WW2History.html
