Central Museum of the Air Forces (Monino, Russia)

The museum opened its doors in 1958. Prior to 1999, the museum was closed to the public, because of the display of classified prototypes from the period of the former Soviet Union.

The Central Air Force Museum, housed at Monino Airfield, 40 km east of Moscow, Russia, along the Gorky Highway in a lovely wooded area. It is of the world's largest aviation museums, and the largest for Russian aircraft. The museum is located next to the Military Academy named after Yu. A. Gagarin.
It was formerly known as The Russian Federation Air Force Museum and, prior to that, The USSR Air Force Museum. 173 aircraft and 127 aircraft engines are on display, and the museum also features collections of weapons, instruments, uniforms (including captured U2 pilot Gary Powers' uniform), other Chilled War-era US spy equipment, artwork, and other air-related items. A library containing books, films, and images is also available to visitors. Tours are given by ex-pilots.

The museum is open from 09:30 until 15:00 on weekdays (closed lunchtime 13:00-14:00) except Wednesday, and from 09:30 until 14:00 on Saturday (no lunchbreak). The Museum is closed on Sunday and Wednesday. Since the museum is situated on the territory of a military unit (Gagarin Air Force Academy), all visitors must pass the way in gate to the military complex. As of summer 2006 special permission to visit is no longer necessary. As of March 2012 there's apparently only five full-time employees at the museum, and they open on what might be termed as an occasional basis. It is best to check that it is open before you go, although they are not great at answering the phone.

 The Museum guide offers this advice for visiting the museum:

• by minibus or bus no. 362 from Schelkovskay metro station/bus station to Monino.
• by bus no 322 (Moscow - Noginsk route) from the bus station near Partizanskaya station to "Academy VVS" cease (38 km).
• by train from Yaroslavsky railway station (Komsomolskaya metro station) to Monino.

There's toilet facilities, but no shop nor other conveniences for food or drinks. There's large hangars with well-displayed items and far material about the items, but all in Russian. Another hangar, as of March 2012 is under construction to house more exhibits that are to be moved from the field in to the new hangar. A museum booklet is available, published in 2008, from the museum officials. Some 36 A4 pages long, about the first half are a description of the pics of the aeroplanes in the latter half with an introduction.