Buran Space Shuttle, Antonov An-22, 747 Museum
 

JUst went to an awesome museum in Germany with a lot of unique and exclusive displays. The Technik Museum Speyer is a technology museum in Speyer, Germany. It houses the only Buran (Soviet Space Shuttle) prototype in the world. The Buran on display is outfitted with 4 exterior turbine engines giving it the look of a space shuttle mixed with an MD80. The Turbine engines were unique to this specific model for 25 controlled atmospheric test flights. During the Buran space program, a single space mission occurred with an unmanned launch with two orbits prior to a runway landing. With the collapse of the USSR, the program lost funding and the Burans never flew again.

The museum also has many unique aircraft and displays. A large Antonov An-22 Russian transporter is on site with full access to visitors. The most visual display is a Boeing 747-200 Lufthansa mounted at a unique angle high up in the air. The 747 also allows visitors full access including to the lower cargo hold and the ability to walk out on the wings several stores up in the air.

The museum is a one of kind experience and highly recommend for aviation fans. The Buran display offers something that can't be viewed anywhere else in the world and the aircraft mounted in the air provides visitors unique views and perspectives.


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Soviet Buran Space Shuttle
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Lufthansa 747-200

It's an amazing collection at Speyer, also not too distant is Sinsheim which has a great collection including a Concorde and TU-144 and loads of cars/rail and even clothing if I remember.

Taking off with no slats again?

The display of the 747 so high up in the air presents some interesting engineering challenges. How does one calculate the design strength of the supports of the landing gear, especially if a storm of Bft 9 or 10 blows directly at the leading edge of the wing?

Beaufort Force 10 is 48-55 knots so I doubt any lift force would be that great.

You're a baaaaad boy, Less Hair!!!
But indeed, both museums are well worth to visit and you can even fly into Speyer, park your a/c on the museum side and enter the museum from the airport,
great mix of articles from cars to ships, aircraft, space etc.

This is how the AN-22 got to Speyer. Stripped out of all non-essential weight at Baden-Baden airport and then deposited with panache by it's crew on the short runway at Speyer, apparently only using 800metres of the 1670metre long runway!


Turn the sound up ;-)

They're great museums, but I still have mixed feelings about them. The thing that bugged me were the doors that were taken off using a hacksaw, the protective covers inside that were screwed to any bit of panelling they could find, the fact that some of the older types up on poles were not accessible due to technical issues (I read that as 'too far gone from corrosion'). I suspect that they will get to a point where corrosion will kill off all of the mounted aircraft, as maintaining them up on those poles will be a nightmare.

Sorry, just had to get that off my chest. I can still recommend a visit to both Speyer and Sinsheim!

At Speyer, if memory serves, there is a grand house (?) filled with period clothing of the finest quality going back many hundreds of years, so there is something for most visitors. My visit was with two fashion designers, who had almost zero interest in the mechanical offerings, but were entranced by the clothing.