Reconnaissance squadron F 11 museum

This Saturday I went to the F 11 museum right outside the town of Nyköping, Sweden. F 11 stands for Flygflottilj no 11, the former recce squadron of the Swedish Air force. A number of propeller and jet aircraft have been based here through the years. One of the most popular must have been the Supermarine Spitfire PR. XIX, we once had 50 of them keeping an eye on Soviet air bases, missile ramps and fleet manouvres. None of the Spitfires was saved, the one hanging in the ceiling at the Air force museum in Linköping is a restored example from Thailand. As Supermarine Spitfire celebrated 80 years since its first flight the museum had a few related events for the visitors. First out was an instrumentation board, meticulously restored piece by piece. Some former Swedish Spitfire pilots told some stories from the past, what it was like to master an aircraft like the Spitfire at the young age of 19. As a final Spitfire treat, Mikael Forslund released his latest book, "Spitfire in Sweden".

Now, I guess you´re eager to see what could be seen in the museum. Its quite a small place, planes stacked and lots of small equipment everywhere. Very tricky to photograph but if you want close ups there is nothing to stop you.

First we have a SAAB S 29C Tunnan. How they managed to cram all those fine and bulky cameras into that little airframe is beyond my understanding. A black hatch on either side of the forward nose section could be flipped up to reveal a camera each. Then there were four vertical cameras. The S 29 was used by the Swedish (UN) F 22 Squadron in the Congo conflict in the early 1960s. Including a few detail shots of the exhaust, ejection seat, fibre glass scoop and a complete cock pit on wheels. If you´re building Pilot Replicas J 29 in 1/48 this might be of value to you.

Next are a few photos of the SAAB S 35E Draken. Just realized I didn´t get any photos of the camera installation in the wing... Overview from the rear and brake chute.

Moving on to the SAAB SF 37 Viggen, now we´re talking brute force!

The SAAB S 32 Lansen is also represented in the collection. Unfortuneately it´s very busy around it and a bit tricky to get any good photos. A crowded museum didn´t help much. One thought I had while taking a few shots of the S 32 is the total lack of panel lines on the vertical fin. However, the rudder balances this by having row after row of beautiful rivets. Not sure how models of this aircraft are representing this feature...

Besides the recce aircraft there are a number of other aircraft reprsented in the collection. In the ceiling one may find a Piper Super Cub and a Scottish Aviation Bulldog, both used as spotter planes in the army. A blue and white Bergefalke and a home built racing machine from 1936, possibly built by using drawings in a magazine! Some simulators, recce paraphernalia, photo lab equipment, VW lab bus and a café/shop sums up the rest of the main building. In a second building there is a collection of smaller items, engines, parts and bits. This little museum is much recommended if you are in the area or want to make a trip from Stockholm.

38 additional images. Click to enlarge.