Near Narita Airport, there is an Aviation Science Museum that is generally not well known. I hadn’t had a chance to visit until now, but I was interested in their “Aero Junk Market” (basically a flea market for retired aviation parts), so I took a weekend trip to check it out.

The museum is located on high ground just outside the 34L Runway at Narita Airport, offering a panoramic view of the airport interior and the runway itself. It takes only 15 minutes by bus from the airport. The bus stops at Bus Stop 30 at Terminal 1 and Bus Stop 5 on the 3rd floor of Terminal 2, with a fare of 250 yen. However, since the bus service is infrequent, you must check the schedule in advance if you plan to go.

Outside the museum, there are aircraft displays and educational exhibits like navigation lights and radar. However, since my main goal today was the flea market, I didn’t linger outside and bought a ticket (500 yen) to go straight in.

The Aero Junk Market is held only twice a year, in spring and autumn, for two days each time. I arrived a bit late, and there was already a long line; it seems there are quite a few aviation enthusiasts. After waiting for about 20 to 30 minutes, I finally got inside. It turned out there wasn’t a huge amount of stuff, such as various instrument panels from 737s, 747s, 727s, and DC8s, though their condition wasn’t particularly great.

They also had instruments from smaller aircraft, such as Altimeters, Attitude Indicators, and Airspeed Indicators. Personally, I thought the prices were a bit steep…

This vintage 737 Inertial Navigation CDU was asking about 900 USD. It looked to be in decent condition, but that was way out of my budget.

They also had pilot seats for sale, but they were even more expensive, so I passed…

There were engine cowlings too, and the prices weren’t cheap either.

Especially this 737 engine cowling; it was in incredible condition and priced at 4000 USD, but this thing is just too massive…

I was also quite interested in the tiller (steering hand wheel), but it was a bit too dirty, so I gave up on that too.

The market also had aircraft models, airline memorabilia, galley carts, blankets, indicator lights, aviation books, and more. But since these weren’t my focus, I didn’t look too closely this time. Of course, I couldn’t leave empty-handed. I ended up buying two aeronautical charts as souvenirs. Although they are a bit outdated—the November 2012 Sectional Aeronautical Chart (1/500,000) JAPA-503 (Kanto/Koshinetsu) and the 2011 Capital Region Detailed Aeronautical Chart (1/100,000)—they were brand new and priced at less than 1/5th of the original value, so I was quite satisfied.

After shopping, I continued to explore the museum and look at the exhibits. For example, this actual cross-section of a 747 fuselage looks truly shocking in terms of size. There’s also an actual DC8 landing gear. And a 747 engine. These classic aircraft parts are all very well preserved. Outside, there is also the nose section of an actual 747-200, where the registration number on the nose landing gear is clearly visible.

The exhibition hall also features B747 and DC8 flight simulators, but the lines were too long, so I decided not to join the crowd today.

There is an excellent observation deck on the upper floor of the Aviation Museum with a prime spot right next to the Runway, so I took out my camera and snapped hundreds of photos. There is a restaurant on the 4th floor, and having a simple lunch while watching the planes below is a really nice environment. Inside the 5th floor, experts also provide free explanations about various airlines, aircraft types, and more—you can really learn a lot. I’m still sorting through the plane photos, so I’ll post a separate blog entry later.