Danmarks Flymuseum at Stauning Airport

Updated: October 2026 – If you are looking in Denmark for a place where the country’s entire aviation history stands under one roof, you end up in Stauning. At the small airfield in West Jutland, a few kilometers from Ringkøbing Fjord, Danmarks Flymuseum shows more than 60 aircraft: from the replica of Jacob Ellehammer’s pioneer aircraft through the Flyvevåbnet’s (the Royal Danish Air Force’s) fighter jets to the F-16.

For spotters, Stauning is a special spot. You won’t see airliners here, but you will see a Saab Draken, a Hawker Hunter, a Starfighter and a Catalina – and on some summer evenings vintage aircraft in the air. This page shows you what to expect, when a visit is most worthwhile and how best to reach this remote corner of Denmark.

From veteran flying club to national museum

The museum’s history begins with a group of enthusiasts. In 1969 the Veteranfly Klubben (Veteran Aircraft Club) was founded in Denmark. On a trip to England in 1971, the members visited the Shuttleworth Collection in Old Warden, where historic aircraft are not only displayed but also fly. The idea of building something like it in Denmark was born.

On April 19, 1975, the Dansk Veteranflysamling was founded at a meeting at Stauning airfield. In 1977 construction began on the first exhibition hall, and in the 1980s a workshop, office and a storage building were added. In 1990/91 the KZ hall was built, growing the floor space to over 3,500 square meters.

The big leap came in 2006: Prince Joachim opened the new hall for the collection of the Flyvevåbnet, the Danish air force. Today the exhibition covers about 7,600 square meters. A year later the collection renamed itself Danmarks Flymuseum. Today the museum describes itself as the Danish aviation and air force museum.

The Flyvevåbnet hall: Danish military aviation from 1911 to today

For most spotters, the military hall is the reason for the trip to Stauning. It tells the story of Danish military flying from its beginnings to the present. Right at the start stands the B & S Monoplan III by Berg & Storm from 1911, when Danish military flying took its first steps. It is followed by the Avro 504N and the Hawker Dankok from the interwar period.

After the Second World War, Denmark rebuilt its air forces, at first with British types. The Supermarine Spitfire with serial MA298 stands for this period, as do a North American Harvard and a Fairey Firefly. The entry into the jet age came with the Gloster Meteor, of which an F. Mk. 8 with serial B-499 is on display.

The jets of the NATO years

With Denmark’s accession to NATO, American types flowed in. In the hall stand the Republic F-84G Thunderjet, the RF-84F Thunderflash for photo reconnaissance, a Lockheed T-33A trainer and the North American F-86D Sabre, which served as an all-weather fighter. The F-100 Super Sabre with serial G-183 represents the fighter-bomber that Danish squadrons flew from 1959 to 1982.

The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter with serial R-888 recalls the period from 1964 to 1986 in which the Starfighters carried air defense. The line is rounded off by the General Dynamics F-16 with serial E-174 – the type that has been the backbone of the Flyvevåbnet since 1980.

Draken and Hunter: the two icons of the Cold War

Two aircraft draw particularly many eyes at Stauning, because they stand for Denmark’s independent paths.

The Hawker Hunter was the Danish air force’s day fighter from 1956 to 1974. According to the museum, 30 single-seat Hunter F.Mk.51s and four two-seaters flew, all with squadron ESK 724. The museum has an F.Mk.51 with serial 401 from 1956. With its clean lines and the large air intake at the wing root, the Hunter is a rewarding subject – stand slightly off the nose, and you get the intake and swept wing in one picture.

The Saab 35 Draken was the only combat aircraft from the Swedish manufacturer Saab that Denmark procured. From 1970 to 1993 it flew in three versions: as the F-35 fighter-bomber, the RF-35 reconnaissance aircraft and the TF-35 two-seater. The museum has a Draken with serial A-009. Its distinctive double-delta wing shows best from slightly above, so try different angles and, where possible, crouch a little or step back.

Important for your expectations: Stauning shows one example of each type, not a whole row. If you want to see the Draken in several variants and liveries, the Flygvapenmuseum in Linköping is the obvious addition. How to tell the Draken, Hunter and their successors apart in the sky is covered in the guide Identifying fighter jets in Europe.

Large exhibits: Catalina, Dakota and helicopters

Besides the jets, the military hall also holds the large transport and rescue aircraft. The Consolidated PBY-6A Catalina with serial L-861 recalls the sea rescue and reconnaissance for which Denmark used Catalinas from 1947 to 1968. The Douglas C-47 Dakota K-687 stands for the transport aircraft the air force used from 1953 to 1982.

Among the helicopters, the line runs from the Sikorsky S-55C through the S-61A Sea King with serial U-240 to the Hughes 500M Cayuse, which flew with the army aviation. From 1965, the Sea King was for decades the Danish rescue helicopter par excellence.

The KZ hall: all eleven types by Kramme & Zeuthen

What makes Stauning internationally unique is the KZ collection. Kramme & Zeuthen was Denmark’s most important aircraft manufacturer, and the museum shows all eleven of the company’s types. They include:

• the KZ I, the company’s first type, here in a 1988 build,
• the KZ II in the Coupé, Sport and Træner variants,
• the ambulance aircraft KZ III and KZ IV,
• the KZ VII, of which three examples are in the collection,
• the aerobatic aircraft KZ VIII,
• the KZ IX, a replica of the 1909 Ellehammer aircraft,
• the artillery spotter KZ X
• and the KZ G1.

Some of these types also flew after the war with Danish authorities and armed forces, such as the KZ VII and the spotter KZ X. Many carry OY registrations, and some are flyable. For spotters who like collecting registrations, the KZ hall is a goldmine.

Early aviation, gliding and general aviation

In the first hall, the history begins even earlier. The museum shows a replica of the aircraft in which Jacob Ellehammer made one of the first powered hops in Europe in 1906. The engine and several parts are original; the frame and covering are rebuilt. Add an Ellehammer helicopter from 1912.

Around it stand sport and training aircraft on which many Danes learned to fly: two Tiger Moths, a Hornet Moth, a Piper Cub, a DHC-1 Chipmunk and a Stampe. A gliding section with Grunau Baby, SG-38 and Bergfalke shows the path from glider to high-performance sailplane. From civil aviation come, among others, a de Havilland Dove, an Embraer Bandeirante and a Corvette.

The exhibition is rounded off by over 1,000 aircraft models, engines and propellers as well as themed exhibitions. How to reliably tell historic types apart is explained in the article Identifying vintage aircraft in the sky.

Flyveaftener: when the vintage aircraft fly

A museum with flying exhibits lives off its flying days. In Stauning they are called Flyveaftener – flying evenings. In the summer half-year, the museum, by its own account, usually holds five to six such evenings, generally from 7 to 9 p.m. In 2026 there were seven dates between early June and late August.

On these evenings, the flyable vintage aircraft take off from the runway at Stauning. You can look at cockpits, talk with pilots and volunteers and visit the halls. There is no separate admission; you pay the regular museum price. Which aircraft fly on a particular evening is not fixed in advance – weather and technical condition decide, and cancellations are possible too.

Besides the Flyveaftener, the airfield hosts the KZ Rally, an annual meet for vintage and veteran aircraft organized by the KZ & Veteranfly Klubben. Then visiting aircraft come to Stauning. The club announces the exact date every year.

Stauning airfield as a spot

The airfield itself is officially called Stauning Vestjylland Airport (IATA: STA, ICAO: EKVJ). It has an asphalt runway 09/27 about 1,450 meters long and lies only a few meters above sea level in the flat marshland east of Ringkøbing Fjord.

Traffic here is mainly general aviation: sport aircraft, training operations, the occasional business aircraft and of course the museum aircraft. A session at the fence is therefore only worthwhile in combination with the museum visit. Because the runway runs east-west, the sun is in the south at midday. In the evening, when the Flyveaftener run, the light comes from the west – think in advance about which side of the action you want to stand on.

Photography in the halls

The halls at Stauning are well filled, and that is exactly the photographic challenge. The aircraft stand close together, wings overlap, and you rarely have a clear background.

• Wide-angle for overall views: For whole jets like the Draken or the Catalina, you need a wide-angle, otherwise the aircraft doesn’t fit in the frame.
• Fast prime lens for details: Serials, squadron crests, cockpits and landing gear look best with a wide-open aperture and higher ISO.
• Watch for mixed light: Hall lighting and daylight through the doors produce different color temperatures. Shoot in RAW, then you can balance it out later.
• Use quiet times: Right after opening at 10 a.m., the halls are usually empty. That is the moment for overall shots without visitors in the frame.

What belongs in your bag when the museum and flying come together on one day is covered in the Plane spotting gear checklist.

Getting to Stauning

Stauning is in western Jutland, in the municipality of Ringkøbing-Skjern. By car, the museum is easiest to reach: the airfield lies northwest of Skjern and southeast of Ringkøbing, and the museum halls stand right on Lufthavnsvej. According to the museum, motorhomes may stay overnight in the parking lot, but after closing there are no facilities there except a trash can.

By bus and train it gets laborious. Skjern has a train station, but from there it is still several kilometers to the airfield. Check bus connections in advance in the Danish journey planner Rejseplanen or count on a taxi.

If you travel by air, it is best to land at Billund and continue by rental car. From Copenhagen it is a drive across the country. If you combine both, take time in Copenhagen for the Flyvergrillen – tips are in the Plane spotting guide to Copenhagen Kastrup.

What a good day at Stauning looks like

Who is Stauning for?

If you want more military history in the north after Stauning, Norway has the Forsvarets flysamling at Gardermoen and the Norsk Luftfartsmuseum in Bodø. To the south, the German Air Force Museum in Berlin-Gatow is the fitting addition.

Volunteering and restoration

Behind many of the flyable vintage aircraft at Stauning are volunteers who maintain and restore the aircraft. Restoration is at the core of the museum’s work, and even the first expansion in 1981 brought a workshop. If you want to pitch in yourself, the article Volunteering at aviation museums explains how to get started.

Practical information on site

The museum has a café with coffee, cake, ice cream and drinks as well as a shop with books, model kits and souvenirs. You may eat your own food at the tables at the entrance or in the café if you buy something there. According to the museum, the halls are easily accessible by wheelchair, with wide aisles and seating, and a wheelchair can be borrowed. Dogs are allowed on a leash, and there is a playground at the entrance.

Conclusion

Danmarks Flymuseum is not a spot for movement counts but for depth. Under one roof you find Danish military aviation from 1911 to the F-16, including Hunter and Draken, a unique KZ collection and a colorful mix of sport aircraft and gliders. The location in West Jutland makes the trip laborious, but the halls make the museum weatherproof in return.

You get the most out of Stauning if you choose a summer day with a Flyveaften and combine the visit with Billund or Copenhagen. Then the museum trip becomes a well-rounded Denmark tour for spotters.