A friend from my university days came to Hamburg on a business trip, so I went to meet him. Today, we took a trip out to Hanover from the morning to visit an aviation museum. It’s a small private museum, but it has restored originals like the Bf 109G and FW 190, as well as aircraft such as the F-104G, An-2R, Spitfire Mk XIV, and Mig-15. It also goes into detail about the history of flight technology, with chronological displays of replicas of famous aircraft such as Lilienthal’s glider, WWI triplanes, and the Spirit of St. Louis (the original is in the Smithsonian).
They also have an extensive collection of engines, ranging from piston engines like the DB 601 and RR Merlin to the jet engine from the Me 262. Amusingly, they even have their natural enemy 88mm anti-aircraft gun—an odd addition for an aviation exhibit. The limited number of actual aircraft is compensated for by an abundance of models, from 1/87 scale to 1/1.8, crammed throughout the museum. There’s even a highly detailed diorama showing a Ju 52 being salvaged from a Norwegian lake.
Despite being a Sunday, there were only a dozen or so visitors. The staff, looking rather bored, repeatedly struck up conversations with me, perhaps intrigued by a rare visitor from Asia. When I told them that private museums like this don’t exist in Japan, and that military aircraft are viewed with suspicion—so much so that even flying a Zero recently caused public backlash—they were wide-eyed and said, “Unbelievable.”
When I mentioned I couldn’t quite understand how the canopy rails on the FW 190 were structured, they brought out a stepladder and let me climb up onto the aircraft to take a closer look. As for the Mig-21 that was listed in the exhibition guide—I kept wondering where it was, but three hours later on the way out, I finally realized it was mounted by the roadside like a scarecrow, serving as a kind of signboard.
In truth, only certain components of the aircraft are original—it’s more of a replica than a full restoration. And for the record, I did not touch the propeller.Almost all of the aircraft on display here are replicas. As if to make up for that, they’ve decorated the exhibits with what appear to be genuine period items—things like kitchen stoves and telephones.Mr. Otto Lilienthal? Looks like he’s flying along with the geese.There’s a scene showing the salvage of a Ju 52 from the bottom of a Norwegian lake. Apparently, the aircraft was in surprisingly good condition—probably thanks to the cold water (which freezes over in winter) and the fact that it was freshwater. A huge contrast to the remains of former Japanese planes in Southeast Asia, which have all crumbled into red clay.The DB 605 engine stands there in such pristine condition, you’d think it might roar back to life at any moment.There were some guys in front of the Me 262’s jet engine, totally mesmerized—like they could live off the sight of it alone. They barely moved an inch the whole time.You just gotta love the Starfighter! I know you’re not supposed to touch it, but I couldn’t help running my hand along that razor-like wing edge.The Bf 109G. “Look at those weak landing gears!”—not that I came up with that myself; I’m just repeating what Reiji Matsumoto wrote.They brought out a stepladder and allowed me to thoroughly explore the FW 190 cockpit. Being a small museum, visitors from distant Japan are quite rare, so they were exceptionally kind and welcoming.The FW 190 canopy’s frame folds at a central hinge and narrows toward the rear to fit the tapering fuselage. As for the transparent window, the portion with the hinge is divided into segments so it can bend, but the section further back appears to be forcibly bent rather than naturally shaped.This is the Mig-21 “Hayanie”—named after the shrike’s behavior of impaling insects on branches to store them. The support struts don’t actually penetrate the fuselage, though. It’s left out in the open and treated rather roughly.
I took many photos couldn’t be shown on this page. Please visit below gallery of mine.
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