- 13,827
- Down under
I am supposed to be on leave, but i had to share this with you guys 
Basically i just had a once in a lifetime present, courtesy of the South African Military Museum.
I went off there this morning to see what the finished product looks like - they have been building hangars for their exhibits for the last 11 months. So I pop off to the book shop, and on my way out I see this guide helping a guy get into one of the exhibits. I'm all like "wtf!", then i remember something in the paper last week about there being a limited number of tickets for sale that allow the purchaser to sit in featured exhibits.
So I shuffle off to the info desk and sure as eggs are eggs, there are still tickets available! So I hand over my $10 and off I go. And so began my once in a lifetime experience:
Messerschmidt ME-262 B1-a Night-fighter.
I rush off to the nearest featured exhibit in excitement to get some snaps. Unfortunately I only had my cellphone camera with me, so once I can find someone to sell me a data cable, I'll post the 20-30 snaps I took in total 👍
So I find the guide and he is helping some other people onto the wing to reach the cockpit. Now this 262 is uberspecial as it is the only twin-seater nightfighter 262 in existance in the world today, complete with original engines and cockpit fittings. While the people before me muck about I get chatting with the guy - Harold - and he tells me how it was acquired as a gift from the Commonwealth after the war and stuff. Then it is my turn. I clambered up onto the port engine nacelle and reached the cockpit by walking across the wing to the fuselage. The cockpit looked pretty small in the back, not aided by the canopy which was hinged along the side of the cockpit on the starboard side of the plane. I awkwardly lifted myself into the cockpit and much to my surprise, my 6'5" frame fit. The cockpit itself is dominated by an unusually long stick the sticks up to neck level. Lots of dials and levels for drop tanks and fuel dumping, but well set out and uncluttered. There is a smallish aiming/deflector sight level with the top of the instument panel. Visibility aft is zero, but otherwise ok, considering the busy canopy. I extracted myself, walked back across the wing after taking some snaps of the 'pit and tail from the wing and that was the ME down.
Spitfire Mk?
Next in line was a polished aluminium Spitfire that served in North Africa. It must have been a later Mk, as it featured a 4 blade prop. Getting is was a bit of a mission. One has to get onto the port wing where it joins the fuselage. The side of the cockpit is hinged on that side and flaps down, allowing access. The cockpit is very narrow and it took some squeezing to get seated. Much more cramped then the ME. Seat pretty padded and well moulded. Dials everywhere, along with levers and wires and insulation. The stick is funnily shaped - it is almost like a stick with an upright circle on top. Pretty short too - about stomach height. There is a huge deflector/ aimer between your eyes and the top of the instrument panel. I closed the hinged cockpit side and slid the glass canopy closed. Teh claustrophibic. The glass was milimeters frmo my head and my shoulders about the same from the edge of the cockpit frame. Rear visibility courtesy of a mirror mounted on the top of the canopy/front shield facing, er, aft. Also boiling hot, despite being indoors. I would not have liked to get out of there in a hurry as many pilots did, when the need to eject came. Again, getting out was a mission and the drop to the wing is considerable. Sweating profusely at this point. Then as I am collecting my things, Harold appears and says to me "Wanna come see the Focke?"
Focke-Wulf FW-190 Nightfighter
Made my way back to the ME as it was next to the FW. Again, the FW has a working engine and is vitually air-worthy. After waiting a bit for a ladder to be produced, I cut infront of some other people waiting 👍 and clambered up the rickety ladder. The side of the cockpit didnt hinge like the Spit, so it was a case of stand on wing, leg over side into seat, other leg into seat, lower self in ala GP driver. Compared to the Spits cockpit this was sparse. About 5 dials, few levers, and the reasonably fat stick. Very precise in design. And small. My shoulders wouldnt allow the canopy to slide over me like the Spits did. Rear visibility attrocious, but side and front pretty good. Seat minute. Imagine sitting on something the size of a book, turned sideways i.e. landscape. And about as hard as wood. Almost fell off the ladder descending. Took some great snaps of the prop and body markings and some bird took a pic of me in the cockpit. She said she'd send me pics her boyfriend took using his digital camera. She better
Sherman Tank
Next up, the Sherman. Entry was via steps leading to the top turret hatch on the rear port section of the top. After a long drop into the turret - shock at how cramped it is. The seat directly below the entry hatch is presumable for the guy responsible for loading and firing the main gun. The barrel of which ends about 1,5 feet from you knees when you sit there. On the right of this guy sits the commander of the tank. He has a tiny magnified slit of armoured glass to look out of to see what is what infront of the tank. He can also stand up as there is a hatch above him. Ahead of these guys and seated closer to the ground are the driver on the left and machine gunner on the right. I eventually slid on my back (feet first) into the drivers "seat". His left is the side of the tank and his right is a monstorous transmission tunnel of sorts. No heel and toeing. The pedals and suspended about the floor so driving means feet lifted off the ground totally. I ache just think about how the driver must have suffered. I ache thinking about what it must have been like sitting in that thing in the baking sun, or the scramble to get out in the event of a fire in those cramped conditions. It took some serious contortionism to get back to the gunners saet and out again. Sweating more now.
South African Airforce "Impala" Jet fighter
While on the way to my next and final exhibit Harold appears again and asks me to follow.When Duke gets old, I imagine he will be like Harold. He brings me to the Impala (do a google search 👍 ) and produces another rickety ladder. He then replaces the fencing around the exhibit, so only I can explore it
He opens the hatch and i climb in. Much easier on this as the sill is lower and the seat bigger. No cushion on the seat, and seating position reminiscent of an old Alfa Romeo (long arms, short legs). The top of the eject seat sorta squashes the top of my head, but i aint complaining. Its sorta like sitting in a chair shaped like a 'C'. Millions of fuses and busses. Clear instruments, but lacks the character of what preceded it. I got out and he took apart the 20mm cannon to show it to me. What a guy.
Nazi Molch "Slamander" Submarine
Only one of three remaining in the world. A one man uboat built in the last few months of the war in a desparate attempt to harass allied shipping. About 10-13 meters long with two torpedoes mounted on the outside of the hull. The single passenger sits at the base of the turret, about 2/3rds to the rear of the craft. The entire forward portion is filled with batteries - thats right is was an electric sub, no diesel engines to be found. It could only go 10knots and reach a depth of 30m, hence its failure in WWii. I tried to get down the turret, but it was too narrow and I didnt want to get wedged in there *imagines the headlines...*.
Took some more snaps of the sub and Impala and of the FW on my way out. Man, what a morning. Just wish I had taken a proper camera. The exibition is for today only
I pulled some muscles in my left arm extracting myself from the aborted sub entry, but heck, it was worth it. 👍
Man, nothing beats the smell of 60 year old leather
Basically i just had a once in a lifetime present, courtesy of the South African Military Museum.
I went off there this morning to see what the finished product looks like - they have been building hangars for their exhibits for the last 11 months. So I pop off to the book shop, and on my way out I see this guide helping a guy get into one of the exhibits. I'm all like "wtf!", then i remember something in the paper last week about there being a limited number of tickets for sale that allow the purchaser to sit in featured exhibits.
So I shuffle off to the info desk and sure as eggs are eggs, there are still tickets available! So I hand over my $10 and off I go. And so began my once in a lifetime experience:
Messerschmidt ME-262 B1-a Night-fighter.
I rush off to the nearest featured exhibit in excitement to get some snaps. Unfortunately I only had my cellphone camera with me, so once I can find someone to sell me a data cable, I'll post the 20-30 snaps I took in total 👍
So I find the guide and he is helping some other people onto the wing to reach the cockpit. Now this 262 is uberspecial as it is the only twin-seater nightfighter 262 in existance in the world today, complete with original engines and cockpit fittings. While the people before me muck about I get chatting with the guy - Harold - and he tells me how it was acquired as a gift from the Commonwealth after the war and stuff. Then it is my turn. I clambered up onto the port engine nacelle and reached the cockpit by walking across the wing to the fuselage. The cockpit looked pretty small in the back, not aided by the canopy which was hinged along the side of the cockpit on the starboard side of the plane. I awkwardly lifted myself into the cockpit and much to my surprise, my 6'5" frame fit. The cockpit itself is dominated by an unusually long stick the sticks up to neck level. Lots of dials and levels for drop tanks and fuel dumping, but well set out and uncluttered. There is a smallish aiming/deflector sight level with the top of the instument panel. Visibility aft is zero, but otherwise ok, considering the busy canopy. I extracted myself, walked back across the wing after taking some snaps of the 'pit and tail from the wing and that was the ME down.
Spitfire Mk?
Next in line was a polished aluminium Spitfire that served in North Africa. It must have been a later Mk, as it featured a 4 blade prop. Getting is was a bit of a mission. One has to get onto the port wing where it joins the fuselage. The side of the cockpit is hinged on that side and flaps down, allowing access. The cockpit is very narrow and it took some squeezing to get seated. Much more cramped then the ME. Seat pretty padded and well moulded. Dials everywhere, along with levers and wires and insulation. The stick is funnily shaped - it is almost like a stick with an upright circle on top. Pretty short too - about stomach height. There is a huge deflector/ aimer between your eyes and the top of the instrument panel. I closed the hinged cockpit side and slid the glass canopy closed. Teh claustrophibic. The glass was milimeters frmo my head and my shoulders about the same from the edge of the cockpit frame. Rear visibility courtesy of a mirror mounted on the top of the canopy/front shield facing, er, aft. Also boiling hot, despite being indoors. I would not have liked to get out of there in a hurry as many pilots did, when the need to eject came. Again, getting out was a mission and the drop to the wing is considerable. Sweating profusely at this point. Then as I am collecting my things, Harold appears and says to me "Wanna come see the Focke?"
Focke-Wulf FW-190 Nightfighter
Made my way back to the ME as it was next to the FW. Again, the FW has a working engine and is vitually air-worthy. After waiting a bit for a ladder to be produced, I cut infront of some other people waiting 👍 and clambered up the rickety ladder. The side of the cockpit didnt hinge like the Spit, so it was a case of stand on wing, leg over side into seat, other leg into seat, lower self in ala GP driver. Compared to the Spits cockpit this was sparse. About 5 dials, few levers, and the reasonably fat stick. Very precise in design. And small. My shoulders wouldnt allow the canopy to slide over me like the Spits did. Rear visibility attrocious, but side and front pretty good. Seat minute. Imagine sitting on something the size of a book, turned sideways i.e. landscape. And about as hard as wood. Almost fell off the ladder descending. Took some great snaps of the prop and body markings and some bird took a pic of me in the cockpit. She said she'd send me pics her boyfriend took using his digital camera. She better
Sherman Tank
Next up, the Sherman. Entry was via steps leading to the top turret hatch on the rear port section of the top. After a long drop into the turret - shock at how cramped it is. The seat directly below the entry hatch is presumable for the guy responsible for loading and firing the main gun. The barrel of which ends about 1,5 feet from you knees when you sit there. On the right of this guy sits the commander of the tank. He has a tiny magnified slit of armoured glass to look out of to see what is what infront of the tank. He can also stand up as there is a hatch above him. Ahead of these guys and seated closer to the ground are the driver on the left and machine gunner on the right. I eventually slid on my back (feet first) into the drivers "seat". His left is the side of the tank and his right is a monstorous transmission tunnel of sorts. No heel and toeing. The pedals and suspended about the floor so driving means feet lifted off the ground totally. I ache just think about how the driver must have suffered. I ache thinking about what it must have been like sitting in that thing in the baking sun, or the scramble to get out in the event of a fire in those cramped conditions. It took some serious contortionism to get back to the gunners saet and out again. Sweating more now.
South African Airforce "Impala" Jet fighter
While on the way to my next and final exhibit Harold appears again and asks me to follow.When Duke gets old, I imagine he will be like Harold. He brings me to the Impala (do a google search 👍 ) and produces another rickety ladder. He then replaces the fencing around the exhibit, so only I can explore it
He opens the hatch and i climb in. Much easier on this as the sill is lower and the seat bigger. No cushion on the seat, and seating position reminiscent of an old Alfa Romeo (long arms, short legs). The top of the eject seat sorta squashes the top of my head, but i aint complaining. Its sorta like sitting in a chair shaped like a 'C'. Millions of fuses and busses. Clear instruments, but lacks the character of what preceded it. I got out and he took apart the 20mm cannon to show it to me. What a guy.Nazi Molch "Slamander" Submarine
Only one of three remaining in the world. A one man uboat built in the last few months of the war in a desparate attempt to harass allied shipping. About 10-13 meters long with two torpedoes mounted on the outside of the hull. The single passenger sits at the base of the turret, about 2/3rds to the rear of the craft. The entire forward portion is filled with batteries - thats right is was an electric sub, no diesel engines to be found. It could only go 10knots and reach a depth of 30m, hence its failure in WWii. I tried to get down the turret, but it was too narrow and I didnt want to get wedged in there *imagines the headlines...*.
Took some more snaps of the sub and Impala and of the FW on my way out. Man, what a morning. Just wish I had taken a proper camera. The exibition is for today only
I pulled some muscles in my left arm extracting myself from the aborted sub entry, but heck, it was worth it. 👍
Man, nothing beats the smell of 60 year old leather
