Museum of Aviation in Košice

The Golden Era of Czechoslovak Aviation exhibition is historically linked to the successes of our common Czechoslovak aviation industry. This period is mainly associated with the development and production of training aircraft of the Aero L-29 Dolphin and Aero L-39 Albatros types, when we became the world's leading manufacturer of training aircraft. This very fruitful period is connected with Košice city as a place with a long tradition of flight training, personified in both of the aforementioned types of aircraft. The beginning of the exhibition was an international conference dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of the chief designer of the L-39, Ing. Ján Vlček. The L-39 aircraft fuselage number 0001 was presented on the area. Together with the AI-25W power unit and several artifacts, they became the first exhibits of the new exhibition. After three years of restoration, repairs and replacements, another type of Albatros L-39V no. 0745 together with the KT-04 air target. Both types represent the successes of our military aviation in the field of training our and foreign pilot trainees

An exterior panel exhibition "Aviation Meteorology" offers a professionally prepared and understandable view of important topics of this scientific discipline.

The introduction is dedicated to Milan Rastislav Štefánik, who, in addition to his military and political activities, also made a name for himself as an astronomer and meteorologist. His atmospheric research and measurements significantly contributed to the development of modern aviation meteorology.

The next part of the exhibition presents the development of aviation meteorology in the Czech Republic and Slovakia - from the first organized measurements at the beginning of the 20th century, through the building of a network of meteorological stations, to today's professional meteorological service.

The panels dedicated to general meteorology explain the basic principles of the functioning of the atmosphere, which form the basis for specialized aviation meteorology. The visitor will become familiar with the measurement of temperature, pressure, humidity, and the observation of clouds, the types and development of which are important indicators of the weather. The exhibition also focuses on atmospheric precipitation, snow showers and wind, which fundamentally affect flight operations. A separate section presents the importance of sunlight and visibility for visual navigation.

Special attention is paid to dangerous weather phenomena such as storms, turbulence and icing. Their occurrence, risks to flight operations and forecasting methods are explained.

The final part of the exhibition presents the system of aviation meteorological information (e.g. METAR, SPECI, TAF). The visitor will learn what data it contains, how it is obtained using modern instruments and how it is distributed to pilots and air traffic control.

The exhibition also includes an original Stevenson weather booth, which contains basic instruments for measuring temperature and humidity. Visitors can see what this classic booth looks like, why it is placed on legs and how it protects the instruments from weather influences so that the measurement results are as accurate as possible.

The exhibition thus offers a comprehensive and at the same time illustrative view of the history, principles and practical importance of aviation meteorology for the safety of both civil and military aviation.