(Rīgas Aviācijas Ttehnikas Muzejs) Riga, Latvia July 2011 |
Victor Talpa is the driving force behind this large collection of aircraft. As a an aviation engineer he had worked for Aeroflot and the Latvian Civil Aviation administration which sponsored the Young Pilot’s Club (YPC). The YPC were tasked with providing professional training for students starting at age 14 on airport procedures, flight theory and military training including parachuting. As the YPC needed training aids they were allotted retired aircraft which the students could study and rebuild as necessary. The collection of airframes grew and included examples of aircraft which are now very rare. When the Soviet Union disintegrated the funding ended the Riga Airport administration stepped in and offered a plot adjacent to Riga – Skulte airport and between 1998 and 1999 the collection was moved to this location. Victor Talpa is the founder and permanent director of the museum which is now privately owned receiving no state funding. |
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Antonov An-24B (YL-LCD) the Tupolev Tu-22M1 'Backfire' ('53 red') can be seen behind the hedge. |
Left to right: Antonov An-24B (YL-LCD), Antonov An-2 (110547307 '22 yellow') the long construction number has the following explanation; (first digit no significance, 10 – is the batch number, 473 – is the Kiev Aviation Plant (now 'Aviant') number and 07 – aircraft number in the batch). Yakolev Yak-18T (CCCP-38342). |
Left to right: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15U (022611 '58 yellow' and 022638 '14 red') and Antonov An-14 Pchelka (thought to be 902614 '01 red'). |
Left to right: Aero L-29 Delphin (294966 '38 blue', 291109 '92 red', 691847 '26 red' and 290421 '22 blue'). |
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Mil Mi-6A 'Hook' (10680704V '09 red') |
Left to right: Mil Mi-6A 'Hook' (10680704V '09 red'), Mil Mi-4 (CCCP-31449) and Mil Mi-1 ('17 yellow'). |
Left to right: Mil Mi-2's (513832104 '22 red' and 513219103 '21 red') and Mil Mi-24A 'Hind A' (2201407 '20 red'). |
Left to right: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29UB ('52 blue'), Sukhoi Su-7BKL 'Fitter' (5710 '27 white') with Blanik L-13 ('72 red') glider. |
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Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25RBS 'Foxbat' (0200004 '34 red') |
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Left to right: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25RBS 'Foxbat' (0200004 '34 red') and Yakolev Yak-28R (7960808 '22 red'). |
Left to right: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23BM (3910601), MiG-23M (07525 '74 white') and MiG-23MF (06502 '16 red'). |
Left to right: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21SMT (50023100 '10 yellow'), MiG-21ST (50029804 '40 yellow') and MiG-21bis (50027021 '76 yellow'). |
Left to right: Sukhoi Su-7U (2318 '43 red'), MiG-21US 'Mongol B' (02685133 '06 red') and MiG-21UM ('94 yellow'). |