Frequently asked questions - FAQ
We have collected some questions into this section and by answering them we hope to correct some misunderstandings.
Is there something about the project you would like to know? Feel free to ask!
Can the SE-DAF be transported to Finland around the Bay of Bothnia or by ferry via Vaasa?
How many Caravelles are there in Sweden?
Is the collection policy limiting SE-DAF’s possibilities to go into a museum?
The collection policy is a long-term guidance for each museum, and it is updated every now and then. Its content is not defined in the law or “carved in stone” and it can be changed according to the museum management’s consideration.
In Finland we have generally been very precise that the aircraft must be what it appears to be. The aviation museums abroad are not so particular about this, especially the WWII fighters have often been restored to the appearance of some more distinguished aircraft. However, there is a domestic example of this: the glider LET L-13N-10 Blanink, suspended from the ceiling of the Finnish Aviation Museum, bears the registration OH-VLK although it has never been registered in Finland. The glider was imported from Estonia in 1992.
Where will the Caravelle be placed?
This is a good thing for us, a pity for the neighbours
Why go across the sea to get a former Finnair aircraft to a Finnish museum?
The question includes the thought that the alternative for saving SE-DAF would have been to save some aircraft which had a background in Finland. No – the alternative for saving SE-DAF would have been the scrapping of SE-DAF. Furthermore, this was in practice the last opportunity to get to Finland a 1960s passenger jet, which represents the type used by Finnair.
We think that if in the future we want to save an aircraft which has been used by Finnair, into a museum or otherwise, it is advisable to get it from Finland and not from abroad afterwards.
What did the SE-DAF cost?
What is the cost of the Caravelle-project?
So a genuine Finland-jet couldn’t be found and saved?
The latest attempts for saving a Caravelle with a background in Finland were made in late 2005. The attempts were not successful, and the aircraft was scrapped. There are only three remaining Caravelles with a background in Finland: one in the aviation museum at Montelimar in France, one in a Mexican aquapark and one on the edge of a Libyan airfield, where it has been standing since 1975. In the 2-2013 issue of the Aviator-magazine a thorough survey of the fate of the Caravelles was published on pages 58-67, the article is written by Perttu Karivalo. https://www.lehtiluukku.fi/lue/aviator/2-2013/2828
Out of Finnair’s and Spear Air’s Douglas DC-8 aircraft only the OH-LFT still exists, as far as we know it still flies relief flights in the colours of Samaritan's Purse International Disaster Relief.
Out of the Douglas DC-9-50 aircraft which have a background in Finland none are flying any more, but four may be stored in Venezuela (OH-LYN, OH-LYO, OH-LYT and OH-LYO) and two in Ukraine (OH-LYV and OH-LYX) and one in Beirut (OH-LYW). At least two of them have been stored after an accident. All the other DC-9-50 aircraft have been scrapped.
Out of the newer 1980s McDonnell Douglas DC-9-80 series aircraft (MD-8X) none are flying any more. The aircraft are mainly stored in the United States, but the OH-LMP has been last seen at Norrköping in Sweden and the OH-LMA at Billund Denmark. All the others have been scrapped.
Out of McDonnell Douglas DC-10 aircraft the OH-LHB flies as a fire-bomber in North America, the OH-LHE is stored in Miami and the rest have been scrapped.
Out of the McDonnell Douglas DC-11 aircraft the OH-LGC, OH-LGD and OH-LGG are flying as cargo versions, the rest have been scrapped.
This report is based on the book Ohjaamot – Suomen liikennelentokoneet (Cockpits – The Finnish Commercial Aircraft), written by Reino Myllymäki and Benjamin Helander. The book can be purchased in the webshop section of this website.