Türk Hava Kurumu Müzesi

About Türk Hava Kurumu Müzesi

The Türk Hava Kurumu Müzesi (THK Museum) is the museum of the Turkish Aeronautical Association, set beside the association's historic parachute tower on Hipodrom Caddesi in Ulus, close to the old railway station area and next to the Ankara Spor Salonu. It tells the story of civil aviation in Turkey and of the association itself, which was founded in 1925 as the Türk Tayyare Cemiyeti and took its present name in 1935. The association's board decided to create the museum in November 2000, permission came from the Ministry of Culture in December 2000, and the museum opened on 19 May 2002. According to Kültür Portalı, the site covers 287 square metres indoors and 5,294 square metres outdoors. The grounds hold the parachute tower, a registered monument opened on 28 October 1937 by Prime Minister Celâl Bayar, together with a garden where original aircraft are displayed, including THK-series planes. Inside, display cases trace the development of aviation in Turkey and the world through documents and photographs, with images of TOMTAŞ, Turkey's first aircraft factory in Kayseri, along with uniforms, medals and badges used by the association and models of its training centres such as Türkkuşu and İnönü. Kültür Portalı notes models recalling the flights attributed to the 17th-century Ottoman aviators Hezarfen Ahmet Çelebi and Lagari Hasan Çelebi. Visitors can look inside a helicopter cockpit in the garden, and parachute jumps from the tower take place under instructor supervision. There is also a cafeteria and a children's play area. Practical notes: the museum's own website lists it as closed on Mondays and open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00, with free entry. Public transport to Ulus serves the site.