Fancy getting up close with a real MiG fighter jet or walking beneath the wings of the Tu-154 that once carried Czech ice hockey champions home from the 1998 Nagano Olympics? The Aviation Museum in Kunovice is one of Central Europe's most authentic air museums, run largely by enthusiastic volunteers from the local aeroclub.

The open-air collection sits right next to an active airfield in Kunovice, near Uherské Hradiště in the Czech Moravian region. The atmosphere here is anything but stuffy — think the smell of aviation oil, sunlight glinting off aluminium fuselages, and the occasional roar of engines from the runway nearby. In summer you can easily spend a couple of hours wandering among dozens of aircraft; in cooler months, the indoor miniexhibition dedicated to the legendary L-200 Morava is well worth a look.

• Kunovice is just a few minutes by car or local bus from the centre of Uherské Hradiště. The museum is well signposted near the airport.
• Cycling from Uherské Hradiště is a pleasant option — the route is flat and easy.

• Admission is charged; check the official museum website for current prices before your visit.
• Highlights include MiG-15, MiG-19, MiG-21, MiG-23, Su-7, transport aircraft Il-14, Yak-40, Tu-154, helicopter Mi-4, and dozens of Czech-manufactured types such as the L-39, L-410, and L-610.
• An interactive educational zone for children is part of the site.
• The museum is run by volunteers — a real labour of love worth supporting.

One of the most touching stories here: the Tu-154 that flew victorious Czech hockey players home from Nagano in 1998 was saved for the museum through a public crowdfunding campaign that raised over 1.2 million Czech crowns from more than a thousand donors. Proof that passion can move mountains — or at least a massive jet airliner.