Young people to participate in the restoration of Myrsky
The only Finnish fighter aircraft to go into serial production will be restored
Historically, the VL Myrsky ("Storm") is the most important indigenous Finnish fighter aircraft to go into serial production. A total of 51 such aircraft were manufactured in the 1940s, but no fully intact examples have survived. Now, the Aviation Museum Society, Finland, the Finnish Air Force Museum, the Finnish Aviation Museum and Patria have agreed on the restoration of one Myrsky aircraft, with Patria as the main sponsor of the project. This is due to the fact that the Myrsky was originally designed, developed and manufactured by Patria's predecessor, the State Aircraft Factory. Young people studying in a number of technical education institutions, as well as youth workshops from locations such as Jyväskylä and Vantaa, are also strongly involved in the restoration project.
The project will take an estimated six years and the Myrsky will be complete and ready for exhibition in the autumn of 2019. The estimated project costs are EUR 76,000.
"As the main project sponsor, Patria aims to enable the restoration of this historically important aircraft, providing both financial support and assistance in materials procurement, as well as by manufacturing aircraft parts or commissioning them from other suppliers. It is also important to us that the project involves youth workshops and, in this way, helps to prevent social exclusion, which has been one of Patria's sponsorship areas for years," says Jukka Holkeri, Chief Strategy Officer at Patria.
Myrsky – a showcase for the Finnish aircraft industry
On the eve of World War II, procuring fighter aircraft from abroad was expensive and virtually impossible due to the political situation around the world. Finland therefore decided to invest in its own fighter production. Design work on the Myrsky began in the spring of 1939. During World War II, the Finnish aircraft industry took huge leaps forward. The operations of the then State Aircraft Factory (Valtion Lentokonetehdas, VL) provided a foundation for Patria's current aviation business.
The first flight of a Myrsky prototype took place on 23 December 1941. Despite the challenges posed by the war years, the Myrsky was completed in time to see combat during the final weeks of the Continuation War, as well as in the Lapland War. A Myrsky was flown for the last time on 10 February 1948. In terms of its performance, the Myrsky was the second fastest Finnish Air Force aeroplane during the war, right after the Messerschmitt.
For further information on the project progress, please visit the project website at www.vlmyrsky.fi.
Further information:
Reino Myllymäki, Head of Project Communications, Aviation Museum Society of Finland, tel. +358 44 306 3954, email: [email protected]
Jukka Holkeri, Chief Strategy Officer, Patria, tel. +358 40 869 2008, email: [email protected]
