Military Jets Photography: 2008 04 13 Brussels Air Museum

The Brussels Air Museum is located within the 'Musée Royal de l'Armée et d'Histoire Militaire', which looks more like a palace than a series of exhibition halls. This very impressive collection of aircraft is made even more pleasing to the eye of the aviation photographer by the grandiose surroundings in which they are displayed.
The exhibition halls were designed in 1880 to celebrate the Belgium's 50th anniversary. Construction continued until 1905. By 1923 the buildings moved over to its current role, as Belgium's main military museum. In 1972 a dedicated Air and Space department was formed, followed by an Armoured Vehicles section in 1980 and a Naval section in 1996. The impressive Great Hall, which is built of stone, iron glass and part tin roof, is 170m long, 70m wide and 40m high. Around the entire hall is a balcony accessed by four sets of stairs located at each corner. Every inch of available space is used to display the aircraft, including the entire balcony area. Some aircraft hang from the roof whilst the biggest exhibit, a former SABENA Caravelle airliner is on three metal stilts. Similar metal supports are used to lift aircraft above those at floor level, thereby enabling considerably more aircraft to be exhibited.