Anyone been to Cuba?

[Coochycool]

I'm flying out to Cuba next week and am hoping to catch the 2 museums around Havana which have preserved aircraft.

Also the Sea Fury preserved at the Bay of Pigs.

Does anyone know of any other airfields or sites in Cuba which have similar relics?

These things can turn up in the most unlikely of places!

[papazulu]

The one in central Habana (where the Grandma is displayed) is almost a walkaround garden, a lot can be seen from outside but do not expect anything like the IWM or the Smithsonian.

I haven't been at the Bay of Pigs but I came across a disused airfield driving from Baracoa to Ciego de Avila. I literally crossed a concrete pavement and looking left I could see some Frisia's horses blocking what once was a runuaway, so it is a safe bet that there would be something rusting away there. If I can come up with coordinates I'll post again.

Then one day while sunbathing in a cozy beach just off Baracoa, the ever-green AN-2 came up from behind, at tree-top height...

Enjoy the trip, I LOVE that country!

[603DX]

You will find information on museums with aircraft, in the Aviation History and Nostalgia forum, Coochycool. In the archived thread titled "The nine pilots that saved Castro's Cuba" there are posts referring to the Museum of the Revolution, in Central Habana (which I have visited), and the Museo Playa Giron (which I haven't). Simply enter "Cuba aircraft museum" in the "Search this forum" box. Each of these museums has a Sea Fury and a B-26. In the Central Habana museum the B-26 is a wreck, and there is also the Pratt & Whitney turbine engine of the U-2 aircraft shot down over Cuba by a Russian missile, with a display example of the type of missile used.

[Coochycool]

Thanks for posting Papazulu

Any idea if theyre still operating the An-2s, and if so, by who and to where? Not something that readily appears on the Cubana website!

I'll also be trying to catch a trip in an An-24 if I can establish which routes they fly too.

Any more info would be much appreciated

Edited to add thanks to 603DX!

[tupungato]

Not to start new threads, I'm going to share my takeoff vid from Havana onboard Aeroflot A330 here:

[H.Finn]

A couple of years ago I spent a night in a fancy hotel in Varadero. Staying in the top floor, early in the morning I was waken up by an unmistakenly sound of a radial engine. Went to the balcony, and saw a yellow An-2 flying at the level of my room, spraying something, probably anti-mosquito stuff. Really a beautiful sight - and sound. Unfortunately I did not have a chance to grab my camera...

[mixture]

spraying something, probably anti-mosquito stuff. Really a beautiful sight - and sound. Unfortunately I did not have a chance to grab my camera...

Rather than gawping at it, you should have probably retreated inside and closed the doors.