Akmenė collector preserves ANBO-4 wreckage in aviation collection

Aviation collector Vytautas Faber has spent 16 years building a collection of Lithuanian aviation history, including wreckage from Antanas Gustaitis’s ANBO-4 aircraft, LRT reported.

Faber, 47, lives between Lithuania and Norway and hopes to return permanently to his home country, but said illness currently prevents him from doing so. His collection, ranging from pre-war awards and original photographs to aircraft parts, is now on display at the Akmenė district museum.

He found the first ANBO part by chance while travelling from Norway, where he has lived for 20 years. Faber said he saw an advertisement while taking a ferry to Latvia, called the seller and learned that only one part remained. He travelled from Sweden to Latvia that same day, drove to Akmenė and collected it.

Other ANBO-4 parts were later added to the collection. An acquaintance gave them to Faber on the condition that they would not be taken abroad.

Faber said collecting had become both expensive and difficult to stop. He began with a simple model and eventually accumulated so many items that he needed larger premises. He estimates that he once spent about 85,000 euros on the collection, although he no longer keeps track of his expenses.

He recently took part of the collection out of boxes and cupboards and displayed it at the museum. The exhibition was prepared in just one week. Faber said he wanted to introduce Akmenė residents to Lithuanian aviation history and encourage younger people to learn about aviators such as Antanas Gustaitis and Jurgis Dobkevičius.

Faber also hopes to revive aviation activities throughout the Akmenė area. He dreams of a museum where visitors could see real gliders and aircraft. A German glider in his collection is already awaiting restoration, and he hopes eventually to create a park featuring working aircraft models.

He said his cousin first sparked his interest in collecting after Faber saw a collection of items linked to the partisan movement following his father’s death. His interest in aviation, however, began earlier, as he grew up near the Akmenė airfield and watched planes and gliders flying overhead.