Italy's National Museum of Science and Technology in Milan houses a small but eclectic airplane collection. I visited there in 1999 while vacationing in Italy. It was sort of a consolation prize because Italy's wonderful Air Force Museum near Rome, which I had intended to visit, was closed that summer for pre-millennium renovations. I don't think that pics from the Milan museum have been posted here before, and I happened to be scanning some old negs, so here are my 1999 pics.
The airplane collection starts in the outdoor courtyard where a few military jets are displayed (although some may since have been moved inside). Here is the Fiat G-91R.
F-84.
Fiat-built F-86K.
In an annex building with other artifacts such as the locomotive you can see in the background is this T-6.
In the main indoor gallery, again arrayed with other transportation artifacts, is the bulk of the airplane collection. This is a Macchi-built Nieuport 10.
This would appear to be some significant German WWI artifact, part of a large aircraft but I was not able to figure out what type.
The Piero Magni PM3/4 "Vale" was a beautiful 1930s sport monoplane.
The rather less beautiful but interesting Breda Ba.15.
I-CIER is a preserved Cierva C-30 autogiro.
From the WWII era, the Macchi MC.205V Veltro. This is a gorgeous aircraft, and having seen the MC.200 at Dayton and the MC.202 in DC, it really completes the picture of WWII Macchi evolution. Two 205s exist, this one and another in Italy's AF Museum. The museum asserts that this is the machine that was briefly airworthy in the 1980s until a prang while taxiing prompted its retirement, although I have seen some sources claiming that this is the other machine.
I'll indulge in a second photo of the Veltro.
Aw, okay, and a third.
Also on display is part of an infamous Caproni-Campini CC2, a type that with some legitimacy can claim to be the second jet aircraft ever flown after the Heinkel 178. Actually it was a piston-[under]powered ducted fan inspired, I am tempted to think, by a piece of penne pasta, but with an afterburner that provided some reaction thrust. This is actually a static test fuselage, not part of a complete airplane. A complete CC2 is nicely preserved at the Italian AF Museum.
The SAI Ambrosini S-7 was a highly regarded postwar trainer.
Finally, bringing us almost up to the jets displayed outside, this ex-Italian AF Vampire FB.52 is mounted in a very low flying position.
Hope you enjoyed these. The museum is well worth a visit when you're in Milan, and it also has some outstanding Leonardo da Vinci displays.
August