Founded in 1986 by a group of aviation enthusiasts passionate about preserving the history of South Africa’s national airline this museum is based at the site of the old Transvaal Aviation Club. The museum pays a quirky tribute to the days when commercial aviation possessed a glamour that has long been lost to 21st century globalisation and budget airlines. The small building is crammed with aviation memorabilia: old flight manuals, model airplanes, historical photographs, and mannequins dressed smartly as SAA flight attendants and crew from various periods in history. For a rest from browsing take up a seat in one of several rows of old SAA passenger jet seating. For enthusiasts the biggest drawcard is the fleet of retired aircraft, positioned on a large tarmac outside the aviation club, including two Boeing 747s, a Douglas DC-4 109, and a de Havilland DH 104 Dove, among others.

The headliner museum aircraft is SAA’s retired Boeing 747-244B “Lebombo”, the gargantuan passenger jet that famously flew over Ellis Park Stadium before the 1995 Rugby World Cup final. Lebombo’s passenger section is open for museum visitors to explore. (The cockpit is unfortunately closed, but aviation enthusiasts can visit a retired B747 flight simulator next to the plane.) Test out the Lebombo first-class seat that Nelson Mandela himself once travelled in.