Riga Aviation Museum

Near Riga International Airport, spread across two fields, is an open-air Soviet aviation museum—or at least, part museum. It is also part graveyard, with incomplete airplanes and vehicles slowly deteriorating and rusting. And it’s part junkyard as well, with spare parts lying around in piles or hidden in tall grass. Whatever it is, there is certainly a lot to see.

My first impression, walking among these carefully engineered pieces of metal, was how massive these old Soviet airplanes are. They towered over me in ways my imagination didn't prepare me for.

Large jet turbines, or in some cases gaps where turbines once were, dominate the bulk of each plane—so much so that some jets appear to be little more than a cockpit, wings, and turbine wrapped in aluminium.

Then there’s the enormous Mil Mi-6, dwarfing any other helicopter I've ever seen in real life, with a capacity to carry between 60 and 90 people.

My second impression was of the striking Soviet Cold War airplane design language, almost retro-futuristic in appearance here in 2024. All the MiGs featured here were designed by the Mikoyan Design Bureau and stand out with their sharp, aggressive lines. These planes contrast sharply with American fighter jets of the same era, which typically featured sleek, rounded contours. Distinctive boxy air inlets and sharp, pointed noses are the unmistakable Soviet-era hallmarks.