By Pierre Kosmidis

All photos © www.ww2wrecks.com, shot on Sunday 24 September 2023

One of the finest exhibits at the Hellenic Air Force Museum, the Hellenic Air Force’s Grumman Albatross HU-16B 51-7204 “Zeus”, is to be scrapped soon, according to a report filed by one of the leading aviation experts in Greece Mr. Themis Vranas.

The decision, by the relevant Hellenic Air Force authorities, is to construct an entrance to the main Museum’s hangar, using the tail section of the gentle giant of the skies.

Aviation enthusiasts across the world were shocked with the news, expressing their disbelief at such a decision.

Mr. David Sutton, an aviation enthusiast from the UK, said the following, regarding the imminent destruction of the Hellenic Air Force’s Grumman Albatross HU-16B 51-7204 “Zeus”:

“This is a ridiculous decision. The people who run museums are too often bureaucrats and not lovers of aviation. They can do enormous damage.”

It remains to be seen, whether common sense will prevail, as there are other aircraft left to rot in a dilapidated condition in various parts of Greece and it would be a sacrilege to destroy this specific Albatross, instead of using parts of the other Albatross aircraft that could be used for this project.

We all hope the appropriate decision will be made and the Hellenic Air Force’s Grumman Albatross HU-16B 51-7204 “Zeus” will remain intact, for generations to come.

www.ww2wrecks.com visited the Hellenic Air Force Museum on Sunday 24 September 2023, to document with a series of detailed photos, the Hellenic Air Force’s Grumman Albatross HU-16B 51-7204 “Zeus”.