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Fantastic photos! Thanks for sharing them.

 

You are lucky to get in. About ten years ago I was kicked out by the director of the museum, even before entering. They could not make heads or tails of it that I had an official Press card from the Russian Ministry and still was a foreigner. They wanted clearance from the FSB (ex KGB) to allow me it. It was so stupid and a day was wasted completely for nothing.

 

It is good to see optimism but the fact is that exactly this week decision was made at the highest level in Moscow on Moninos future. In past weeks high ranking military and ministry bureaucrats have been visiting the museum regularly with long lists of aircraft “What we want to move”.  

 

Corrupt military and greedy Kubinka politicians will have the final say. They want to take out from Monino what is possible by what ever means which includes cutting up bigger aircraft and taking them over to Patriot. They want to have a centralized museum in Kubinka and don’t like to see any competitors with better exhibits. Local Kubinka officials stress the “Patriotic importance” of the new park. They have already managed to kill more or less completely the MAKS shows and want to have everything (including Monino exhibits).

 

The Monino volunteers are doing a great job at “communist weekends” but have very limited resources and will not be able to stop the move on their own.

 

The big Mil was painted because on 18 th September they were filming for a full length movie and wanted to reproduce the Le Bourget setting way back in 1968 (I think, or 65). Some nicely restored period cars were taken to Monino for the filming.

 

No one knows what is coming for Monino, so it was good to see your photos!

 

Best regards

Gabor

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14 hours ago, ya-gabor said:

Fantastic photos! Thanks for sharing them.

 

You are lucky to get in. About ten years ago I was kicked out by the director of the museum, even before entering. They could not make heads or tails of it that I had an official Press card from the Russian Ministry and still was a foreigner. They wanted clearance from the FSB (ex KGB) to allow me it. It was so stupid and a day was wasted completely for nothing.

 

I'm sorry about that Gabor, sounds like you really missed out. It is surprising for me, however, since I visited roughly the same time as you. I was told it was a good idea to inform them beforehand if you're a foreigner, so I called them and forwarded them a copy of my passport and visa. Upon arrival they were very welcoming and friendly and there were no problems at all - a very memorable day indeed. In fact, besides the actual exhibits, I had some fascinating discussions with some of the older staff there - a few of them were extremely knowledgeable and interesting to chat to. Knowing Russian helps a lot though.

 

Based on what you said, I suspect (while it still survives) it would probably be a good idea to still contact them prior to visits. Which reminds me, I really need to go visit again as time seems to be running out. I go to Russia at least once a year and have been doing so since around 1999, but somehow only went to Monino once...

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Thank you for the insight Ya-gabor,

 

I visited Park Patriot yesterday and I have mixed feelings now. I love Monino and have a lot of respect for the volunteers, but Park Patriot is modern with all the required amenities, the place is huge and more suitable for large displays. And you can touch the frames!

Edited by dawestsides
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1 hour ago, Mfezi said:

 

Based on what you said, I suspect (while it still survives) it would probably be a good idea to still contact them prior to visits. Which reminds me, I really need to go visit again as time seems to be running out. I go to Russia at least once a year and have been doing so since around 1999, but somehow only went to Monino once...

As a foreigner living in Moscow I can assure you that this is not the case anymore, last week I met French and Spanish visitors who came on their own like myself.

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1 hour ago, dawestsides said:

As a foreigner living in Moscow I can assure you that this is not the case anymore, last week I met French and Spanish visitors who came on their own like myself.

 

Just to confirm - you mean it is not necessary anymore to inform them of the visit? If so, excellent. Not that it was much of an issue to me previously, to be honest, but it is good to know that you can just turn up.

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Thanks! And I agree about the public transport. Last time I went there by bus and returned by train. Being married to a Russian and having studied the language for a long time (a rather necessary requirement if you want to hang out with your in-laws and their friends😉 ), I've never really required the services of organized tours. In fact, and I probably shouldn't say this in public, I've often been able to enter various tourist attractions by paying the rates for locals rather than for foreigners...

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Knowing a language is not always a good thing! Speaking Russian fluently on native level with a strong Moscow accent is a real pain in the a _ _ !!!  I grew up in that city. Few years ago I was refused Visa by the local FSB official in the Russian Embassy here in Budapest for “providing fake identity”. They did not believe my Hungarian passport and my name! So don’t speak good the given language even if you can! They did not believe me even though the extensive files of KGB (or FSB, it is the same) have full record of my past and probably know a bit more about myself then I do. 

 

I am sure the Patriot park is well presented and looks nice but questions are raised when I see this kind of “authentic restoration” by the local aircraft factory (ARZ 121) doing all the work for the park.

 

 

m415C8C.jpg

 

 

Best regards

Gabor

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