Goemkarponn desk
VASCO: The fully refurbished Naval Aviation Museum at Dabolim, Goa, was dedicated to aviation enthusiasts on 04 April 2022 by Rear Admiral Philipose G Pynumootil, Flag Officer Commanding Goa Area.
In its new avatar, the museum leads visitors through a magnificent journey of naval aviation with much-enhanced features and newly-upgraded facilities.
The museum is one-of-a-kind in Asia and has been suggested to be among Goa’s top five places to visit.
It has won the ‘Travellers Choice Award’ by Trip Advisor in 2020. Starting with a humble collection of eight aircraft in 1998, it has grown over the years, adding a wide variety of aircraft and other exhibits and portraying the historic feats of naval aviation through slick audio-visual aids.
Reflecting the impressive transformation of naval aviation over the years, the museum’s carefully curated facilities include ‘Adhvan’- a timeline history of naval aviation, ‘Adwitiya’- a glimpse of air stations and squadrons of the Indian Navy, ‘Sashakt’ – a peek into aviation support units and ‘Vimaan’ – an elegant collection of contemporary and vintage aircraft models.
While the wall named ‘The First, The Legends’ celebrates trendsetters, ‘Drishti’ is a pictorial representation of air operations in the 1971 Indo-Pak war. There is a wall dedicated to ‘Goa Liberation’ as well.
The museum has ramps to assist the movement of differently-abled guests. Other amenities include Glass Cockpit Café, a souvenir shop and a dedicated parking space. Visitors can record their memories at ‘Vyuha’, the selfie corner and enjoy a panoramic view of the parked aircraft from ‘Kshitij’, the viewing gallery. The Virtual Reality Corner provides a never-before thrill of a flying experience for the aviation enthusiast.