I had some free time today, so I decided to do something new.
I had been wanting to see the Royal Thai Air Force Museum ever since the BTS Skytrain line built its extension to the northern part of Bangkok, and today, I finally decided to visit.
The museum is located at the RTAF Headquarters near Don Mueang International Airport. Don Mueang is the smaller and older of Bangkok's two airports (the other being the huge and flashy
Suvarnabhumi).
Don Mueang is actually the oldest airport in Asia and the eighth oldest in the world! It was established in 1914 as a RTAF base, and opened for commercial flights in 1924.
The museum is located across the road from the Royal Air Force Park, so I stopped by the park first to see the flight monument, which featured four Thai jets soaring into the sky.
The park itself was really beautiful as well. It was a quiet morning, and I took a walk around the pond before crossing the road and heading to the museum itself.
A young cadet welcomed me as I entered the museum. She handed me a map and told me that the museum was totally free and that I was welcome to walk around outside as well to explore the old planes on display.
Established in 1952, the museum was created to gather, safeguard, and restore aircraft and aviation artifacts connected to the Royal Thai Air Force. Among its notable displays are several rare planes, including one of only two remaining Japanese Tachikawa Ki-36s, the world’s last surviving Vought O2U Corsair, and one of just three Curtiss BF2C Goshawks still in existence.
The Kingdom of Siam was an early adopter of aviation technology. The Wright Brothers made the first flight in 1903, and in 1910, just seven years later, the very first air show was performed for Thai audiences at the Royal Bangkok Sports Club where Field Marshal Chakrabongse Buvanth, Prince of Phistonulak, became the first Thai person to ever fly in an aircraft. Today, he is revered as the Father of the Thai Air Force.
The prince established the Royal Army Aeronautical Service, a forerunner to the Royal Thai Air Force, in 1913 making it the first air force in all of Asia.
Siam entered the First World War on the side of the Allies (Entente) in 1917, sending an air group of 1200 pilots and ground crew to fight in France. After the war, Siam, as a stipulation of the Treaty of Versailles, occupied the Rhineland from 1918-1919, the first and only Asian country ever to occupy territory in Europe.
In late 1940, the RTAF saw success against a Vichy French invasion in the Franco-Thai War, where Siamese forces ended up pushing back French encroachment with the help of their British allies. Thailand remains the only nation in Southeast Asia never to have been colonized by a foreign nation, and in fact the name "Thailand" literally means "Free Land".
The air force also fought against the Japanese when the Empire invaded in 1941. After a brutal 36-hour period of resistance, the king ordered the armed forces to stand down and capitulated, giving the Japanese freedom of movement through the country and officially joining the Axis to prevent further bloodshed and the annexation of Thailand. The kingdom made a half-hearted declaration of war against the United States, who completely ignored it. The Thai government would continue to secretly collaborate with the allies until the end of the war.
It was interesting to see that the vast majority of the aircraft on display were American planes. It makes sense though. Thailand has historically been the United States' closest and most staunch ally in Southeast Asia.
Thailand fought alongside the US in the Korean War and in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, and more recently in the War in Iraq.
I really enjoyed my time at the museum, especially the part where I got to walk around and admire lots of planes and air force equipment from several different periods of modern history. It was a nice way to spend a quiet morning in Bangkok.
A few years back I had a great time at the
Royal Thai Navy Museum. I guess now I'll need to plan a day to check out the Army Museum to complete the whole set.
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