The IAF will construct an aerospace museum close to the Indira Gandhi International Airport to highlight India’s rich aviation history. The Defence Ministry recently cleared the proposal and a final financial sanction is awaited. The museum will be ready in three to five years once the approval comes through.
Giving details of the proposed museum, IAF officials said here on Monday the centre is not only meant to preserve the glorious tradition of the force but also to create awareness amongst masses about India’s rich aerospace heritage. They also believed the museum will be a popular tourist attraction and a landmark in the national capital.
Spread over 43 acres, the new museum will have extensive indoor and outdoor displays including huge aircraft parked and hanging in flying attitude with mural depicting the golden era.
A dedicated children's area will be part of the museum where children can enter cockpits of displayed aircraft and get the feel of flying controls. A video arcade would also be created. As per the plan, the internal displays would have a history section in which all IAF squadrons’ history would be displayed along with aviation legends, major campaigns and wars fought by the IAF. Along with this history, major humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations undertaken by the IAF would also be highlighted.
At present, the IAF has a museum near the technical area of Air Force Station Palam, which was established in 1967. The museum has an average footfall of 500 tourists daily and exhibits details about combat operations undertaken by the IAF depicting IAF’s rich history since its formation in 1932 to present date, along with the display of various aircraft and equipment on the IAF’s inventory, since its inception. The vintage aircraft on display include Spitfires and some other aircraft used during World War II.