(Photo : The Statue of Chairman Mao)

A display held by Chinese Civil Aviation Museum was opened recently in Beijing. Chairman Mao's special plane, a Russian Ilyushin Il-14 aircraft is on show. The famous picture of "Chairman Mao was working on a plane" was taken on the plane. Visitors can walk into the cabin to see the details of the special plane, and the exhibition is free.

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The Ilyushin Il-14 was a Soviet twin-engine commercial and military personnel and cargo transport aircraft. It entered service in 1954. The development into the Il-14 was a vast improvement over the Il-12, with a new wing and a broader tailfin, and it was intended for use in both military and civil applications. The Il-14 was powered by two 1,400 kW Shvetsov ASh-82T-7 radial piston engines. These changes greatly improved aerodynamic performance in engine-out conditions. There were More than 50 Il-14 planes that had been operated by the People's Liberation Army Air Force from 1955. Some planes have been reported in use by the People's Liberation Army Navy as well. Of course, all of them are retired now, and have been sent to museums for aviation fans to visit.

Chinese Civil Aviation Museum is a government sponsored national museum devoted to chronicling the development of civil aviation in China. It is located at the Beijing Capital International Airport Auxiliary Road, 9 km from the Beijing Airport. Situated on 284 acres, CCAM has a total construction area of 21980 square meters. Its main exhibition hall design simulates the shape of an aircraft engine. CCAM possesses a large collection of artifacts and original items, including old aircrafts such as Lear-2, C-46, Il-14, Y-7 and A310-200 representing aircraft flown throughout China's civil aviation history.