Tuesday, 24 June 2008
Deutsches Technik-Museum - Berlin Germany - June 2008
A trip to Berlin to attend the bi-annual ILA airshow gave me the opportunity to visit this excellent museum.
The Deutsches Technik-Museum is located close to the U-Bahn station at Mockernbrucke on Line U1 and the aviation section was opened in 2005.
Suspended from the roof over a balcony is C-47 45-0951 in a silver USAAF c/s.
The exhibits in the museum are in excellent condition, some are hanging from the ceiling - the aviation section is tightly packed with aircraft and artefacts - take your time and enjoy the visit.
The rare Arado 96 B-1 was an advanced tandem trainer with retractable gear - this example is a composite rebuild of three airframes recovered from Sweden and is coded "U + CF".
The Etrich Taube was a widely used monoplane by the Luftwaffe in World War 1 - this aircraft was part of the original Technik-Museum collection of airframes pre WW2 - many of these exhibits were destroyed during - others were dispersed to storage in Poland during the War. Today many of those original exhibits can be seen at the excellent aviation museum in Krakow, Poland. This Taube is displayed as serial A-180 / 14 but is thought to be really serial A-118 /13.
The Bucker Bu 181 G2 Bestmann basic trainer with side by side seating was used by the Luftwaffe during WW2. This example is shown carrying Panzerfaust anti tank weapons, a last ditch attempt to halt the advancing Soviet armies in Spring 1945 by adding unguided weapons to this slow basic trainer. This example is serialled 501659 coded "RM + HE"
Swedish Air Force Fieseler Fi 156 Trop Storch serial 3810 code "20" of unit F3. This airframe is an ex Luftwaffe example. The Storch had an exceptional short take off and landing roll and was used for observation, artillery spotting and ad-hoc transport into remote locations.
The Polish Air Force Lim-2 is a Polish licenced built Mig-15 fighter jet from the 1950s and was widely used by Warsaw Pact nations during the Cold War. This example serial 1323 has c/n 1B-01323.
The F-86 Sabre was a direct adversary to the above Mig 15. The F-86 served with many NATO countries in the 1950s and 1960s. The type underwent a lot of development resulting in the F-86K . This example is an F-86K licenced built by Fiat in Italy and originally delivered to the Dutch Air Force as serial Q-256. In 1963 the aircraft was passed onto the the Italian Air Force, serialed 41256 and is preserved today coded "51-50".
Perhaps one of the most striking exhibits is this wrecked Junkers Ju-87 R2. This aircraft serial 5856 crashed into a fjord in Norway in July 1942. The deep dark cold water held onto this Stuka until it was recovered in 1995. The R2 version was used for anti shipping missions and had internal wing fuel tanks to increase range, but this reduced the weapon load to just one bomb. There are very few Ju-87s in existence today and this wonderful example is a very welcome addition.
Another exhibit recovered in recent years is this Messerschmitt BF 110 F-2 - serial 5052 this aircraft landed on a frozen lake in Northern Russia in January 1943 - it was abandoned and sank. The F-2 version was a long range hunter often used against allied bomber aircraft armed with 4 machine guns in the nose plus two cannons below. It was recovered from the lake in 1991 and underwent a long re-build with the Technik Museum into this fantastic condition. This aircraft is coded "LN + NR "
Take a look at the Technik Museums own aviation web pages here
Tuesday, 10 June 2008
Airliner Maintenance - Boeing 737
The ILA show at Berlin Schonefeld SXF usually allows an opportunity to view some airliner maintenance.
Lufthansa have a 737 overhaul hangar here and open the facility for the public to have a look - this year 737-500 D-ABIL was undergoing servicing on 30.5.08.
With the nose cone up you can see what I believe to be the the ILS localiser antennae.
This aircraft was built back in 1991 and has been with Lufthansa since new - the aircraft is named "Memmingen" and is c/n 24824 line number 2006.
Lufthansa have a 737 overhaul hangar here and open the facility for the public to have a look - this year 737-500 D-ABIL was undergoing servicing on 30.5.08.
With the nose cone up you can see what I believe to be the the ILS localiser antennae.
This aircraft was built back in 1991 and has been with Lufthansa since new - the aircraft is named "Memmingen" and is c/n 24824 line number 2006.
Monday, 9 June 2008
Spitfire Mk Vb - AB910
The Royal Air Force Battle of Britain Memorial Flight operate several Spitfires including Spitfire Mk Vb AB910.
This year AB910 is wearing the colour scheme of the legendary Spitfire Mk Vb EN951 flown by Polish ace Sqn Ldr Jan Zumbach, Officer Commanding No 303 (Kosciuszko) Sqn in 1942.
Jan Zumbach decorated his personal aircraft with a Donald Duck character. The round badge is the 303 ( Polish ) Sqn Kosciuszko emblem. The blue and red flag alongside shows this aircraft to belong to a Squadron Leader. 303 Sqn used the code letters "RF - " with aircraft "D" being Zumbach's own Spitfire.
Zumbach finished the War with 13 1/3 confirmed aerial kills - in latter life he flew as a mercenary pilot in the Biafra War in Nigeria in the late 1960s.
AB910 was built in 1941 by Vickers at their Castle Bromwich factory in the Midlands. This aircraft flew with many different squardrons during WW2 and took part in operations against the German navy battle cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and also flew at the Dieppe and D-Day landings.
In 1945 this aircraft AB910 actually took off and flew a circuit with a female ground crew member sitting on the rear fuselage holding onto the tail ! Post war she flew as an air-racer until damaged in 1953.
The aircraft was donated to the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight in 1965 and has since performed at hundreds of airshows throughout the UK and Europe.
Take a look at the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight website
Take a look at the details about Spitfire AB910 on the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight website
Take a look at the biography of Sqn Ldr Jan Zumbach, Officer Commanding No 303 (Kosciuszko) Sqn on the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight website
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