ROYAL SAUDI AIR FORCE MUSEUM
Erwan de Cherisey profiles the little-known Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) Saqr Al-Jazeera Aviation Museum
Saudi Arabia has limited options for the aviation enthusiast. Spotting is certainly off-limits in the capital city of Riyadh despite the presence of the very busy King Faisal Air Academy (KFAA), from which Pilatus PC-21 and Cirrus SR22 training aircraft operate.
The aircraft are frequently in the air and I even had the pleasure of seeing them buzz my hotel on their final approach to land during my stay in the city.
While Saudi Arabia is not yet ready to welcome photographers on the edge of its airports and air bases, it already caters to aviation historians and is home to the well-furnished Saqr Al-Jazeera Aviation Museum, which houses a collection of more than 30 aircraft.
The attraction, run by the Royal Saudi Air Force, was inaugurated on January 25, 1999. It is located near King Salman Air Base, the home of the KFAA, and next to the Saudi Land Forces Command.
It comprises a main building housing a number of aircraft and exhibits, along with an enclosed park where several more flying machines are displayed. All the information is presented both in Arabic and English, wi…
