Civil aviation

The first polar route between Europe and North America went over Kangerlussuaq. In 1954 Scandinavian Airlines made the first scheduled flight between Copenhagen and Los Angeles with a stopover in Søndre Strømfjord, as Kangerlussuaq was known at this time. The museum building itself dates from this period; it was originally built as a Scandinavian Airlines hotel before it was taken over by the Americans and used as headquarters.

This part of the exhibition centres on two 1:25 scale models of a DC-8-55, and tells the story of polar navigation and polar mail. Also on display are examples of historic Scandinavian airline uniforms, designed, among others, by French couture houses Carven and Christian Dior. The exhibition also includes a section on Air Greenland, showing a so-called sling operation in which a helicopter lifts and moves a large cargo.