It is time to visit the Silicon Valley of India and set out on a riveting journey that takes you through the history of aviation! Amidst the technological developments and swiftly growing aerospace trends, it is hard to hold on to our roots and revisit the good old days. HAL Aerospace Museum Bangalore makes it possible to know the history of planes. It shows us the commendable growth in the aviation sector, the aeronautical wonders that served our nation, and the eye-boggling infrastructure of the aerial beasts!
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Here are all the deets about the history, major attractions, entry timings, ticket costs, and architecture of the HAL Aerospace Museum in Bangalore
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History: How Did HAL Aerospace Museum Bangalore Come To Be?
If you are even remotely aware of the Indian aviation industry, you must have heard about Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. HAL is the pioneer in the field of Indian aeronautics and has made several appreciable contributions to the country. Bangalore HAL Museum was built by this company and was made available to the public in the year 2001. The main objective behind the museum’s construction is to educate the crowd about Indian aviation, its history and the achievements of HAL in their different projects.
The company HAL was established on 23rd December 1940 by the founding father, Walchand Hirachand. So, when you visit the HAL Aerospace Museum Bangalore, you can expect to see exhibits from the 1940’s and beyond. The company got great traction both from the ruling kingdom of Mysore and the British officials. After independence, the company started to help the government with aerial defence equipment, spare parts and planes.
Architecture of HAL Museum
The HAL Museum is designed in such a way that a large amount of information, demographics, photographs, plane displays, prototypes and more can fit into one place. It is spread across 4 acres of land and the pleasing greenery in the surroundings will surely keep you relaxed while you move around.
Hall of Fame
Photographs are a great way of treasuring important moments in history. In the Hall of Fame, you will find photographs tracing the history of aviation and Indian airspace from the 1940s to the 21st century. From black and white images to distinct colour images, you will be amazed to look at the timeline of successful ventures in Indian aviation and aerial defence sectors.
Exhibition Hall
The tiny planes that you see in the sky are humongous beasts capable of doing great things! In the Exhibition Hall, you can get a glimpse of life-size aircrafts, helicopters and engine parts from the past and present.
HAL Museum Simulator and Games
The HAL museum simulator is a fun zone where you can experience flying! Here, you will find true-motion rides that will simulate a real flying atmosphere. The visitors can know what it feels like to be in the air without actually being there. You can choose to ride a commercial flight, a fighter jet that the IAF uses, helicopters and smaller jets. It is your chance to get into the pilot’s shoes!
Outdoor Display
The outdoor display at the HAL Aerospace Museum Bangalore has more aircraft and engines that you can see. Prominently, you will find fighter jets and planes used by the Indian Air Force here. These are the models from the past and the company HAL uses their base prototype to design more such wonderful aircraft. Do not miss out on seeing Lakshya, Marut, Ajeet, and the HT-2.
ATC Tower
HAL Aerospace Museum Bangalore has a replica of the Air Traffic Control Towers that you often see at the airports. Professionals who work at the ATC guide the planes for their take-off, and landing, during the cruise time for diversions, and detours in case of bad weather. An ATC job requires that the personnel are alert at all times and keenly follow the routes that different aircraft are taking high up in the sky. The ATC tower in the museum shows you how things are done at a real Air Traffic Control tower and how the entire aviation sector depends on this crucial part of the industry.
Library
Learning about aviation is always fun! HAL Aerospace Museum Bangalore has a big library that houses books related to aircraft, engineering the various parts of a plane, aerodynamics, flying a plane, and also several audio and video documents that trace the journey of Indian aviation.
Green Canopies
This aircraft museum in Bangalore also has well-manicured lawns and gardens that will help you relax after you walk around to see the displays. You can rest here, enjoy the smell of exotic herbal plants, devour the rose garden with your eyes and explore a small piece of land with fresh orchids!
Sustainability Park
The name says it all! The sustainability park shows you all the desirable ways in which natural resources can be used to generate sustainable energy. There are displays of solar-powered panels, equipment, windmills, models that use biogas to run and more. This is a good place to bring your kids so that they know how sustainable energy can transform our world for good.
Play Area
Once your kids are done exploring the sustainable park, they can head toward the play zone. There are slides, swings and other interesting games that your little ones will love. Also, the play area has a small fish pond with several live fish.
Cafeteria
Well, after roaming around 4 acres of land and seeing so many real-size aircrafts, it is normal to crave food! No worries. The HAL Aerospace Museum Bangalore has a cafeteria that serves hot food and beverages. You can take a coffee/tea break and munch on snacks before heading back to discover more about Indian aviation.
Souvenir Shop
While heading out of the splendid place, you can collect some mementoes from the souvenir shop to remember your time at the museum. You can grab some HAL Aerospace Museum photos, small replicas of real planes, and other small items for your home display.
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Major Attractions in HAL Museum Bangalore
HAL Aerospace Museum Bangalore is considered to be one of the best museums in the country to study the history of aviation. This is where you can see the planes that made us proud in the past, the ones that are still serving our nation, and also the prototypes of ones that might take shape in the future.
Keep your eyes open for –
- The ATC tower replicas show you how things are done behind the scenes – beyond flying.
- Canberra – No, we are not talking about the Australian capital! This bomber jet proved to be an asset for our country’s defence warriors.
- Hansa – The lightest aircraft that is completely made from composite materials that maintain the strength of the plane but reduce its weight.
- Dhruv – Another light aircraft that was imagined, completely designed, and manufactured in India.
- Ajeet – A fighter jet with a single seat. This plane was manufactured by HAL and was used by the Indian Air Force from 1977 to 1991.
- Hindustan Jet Trainer is the perfect simulator to learn the manoeuvring of actual fighter jets and planes. This was developed by HAL for the Indian Air Force trainees.
- Basant – HA 31 Basant was an agricultural low-wing plane that had a single elevated pilot seat. It was used for spraying fertilizers and manure on agricultural fields.
- Lakshya – DRDO Lakshya is a drone system that is used for remotely assessing the enemy battlefield.
- Marut – A bomber aircraft that has twin seats for pilots.
- Parachutes and ejection seats that disconnect from the fighter jets.
Timings of HAL Aerospace Museum Bangalore
The HAL Museum entry fee and timings are convenient for everyone to visit the place if they are in Bangalore. The museum opens at 9:00 AM and closes at 5:00 PM. It remains open on all days including the weekends. You will see special events on days of national significance.
Ticket Prices at HAL Museum
HAL Aerospace Museum ticket prices include an array of different things – INR 50 for adults, INR 30 for children below 18 years and any student who shows his/her identity card. Entry is free for specially-abled people and kids below the age of 3 years.
If you are travelling with a mobile and intend to click pictures inside the museum, you will need to pay INR 20. INR 50 for still cameras and INR 75 for videographing devices.
In the aircraft simulator zone, the ticket costs INR 100 for motion-simulating games and INR 50 for basic simulating games.
How to Reach HAL Museum in Bangalore?
To reach Bangalore, you can either catch a flight or board a train or bus. It is one of the major metropolitan cities in South India and is well-connected with other cities in the country.
By Air
Kempagowda International Airport is the main airport on the outskirts of Bangalore City. You can take a flight from Hyderabad, Chennai, Kochi, Kozhikode, Goa, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and other leading cities. From the airport, HAL Aerospace Museum Bangalore is about 45 km away. You will find cabs and taxis from the airport to the museum
By Rail
Bangalore City Railway Station and Yeswantpur Junction connect Bangalore City with other major metropolitans like Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, and Chandigarh among others. Bangalore City Railway Station and Yeswantpur Junction are about 33 km away from HAL Museum.
By Road
The highways that lead to Bangalore are well-built with four lanes. They are easy to navigate through and several bus transport services and cab services are available for intercity transport. If you are planning to take a road trip, you will have to get on NH44, NH48, and NH75 from your respective cities.
The HAL Aerospace Museum Bangalore was built to show the world the magnificence of Indian aviation. HAL is a company that has been around for a long time and made significant contributions to our aviation sector. It stood as a pillar of support for the aerial defence team. Visiting the HAL Aerospace Museum Bangalore will prove to be an enlightening trip for people of all age groups.
