Once in a lifetime experience.

This happened about 2 years ago.

My father an I went to Pensacola to see the Naval Aviation Mueseum. I blazed by the modern a/c on the war to the ww2 birds. As i rounded my 8th F-4 PHantom. I look out across the open floor and to my amazment, sitting there not 25 yards off was a A6M2 Zero fighter!

My first thought was that it was a replica. To my knowledge there we only like 4 authentic Zekes still around, with 0 flying. But as i approached the a/c, which by the way had no ropes to block it off, i read that is was an actual Zero from a Sentai based at Bouganville. One that had tangled with the Blacksheep! (VMF 214) I could actually touch the a/c, tapping on its cockpit wall to see how thinit was. It really was thinner than a soup can.

A friend of mine recently went to the mueseum and he said that the Zeke was gone. Which is a good thing, because the last zero on earth shouldnt be open to idle hands. (Me! )

[ 14 October 2002, 01:54 PM: Message edited by: Carl Von Mannerheim ]

 

Sounds like the day, many years ago, when I was just a youngster, when my family visited the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

There in all her beauty, sat a Messerschmidt 262. Just crying out to be touched. No ropes to stop you. The museum attendant quite happy to let me look into the cockpit. I think that day I fell in love.

And now she sits in a museum warehouse somewhere, waiting quietly for someone to dust her off, fix her up, and put her back out in the light.

Life can surprise you sometimes.

_______________

The British soldier can stand up to anything, except the British War Office - George Bernard Shaw, 1901

 

Only time ive seen a 262 was at wright-patterson USAF meuseum, and i couldnt get within 10 feet of it.

 

Guys :

If you ever get to Southern California please stop in at Chino Air Museum which in fact is also an operative airport with many modeling displays. The Tuskegee airmen have at least one reunion here almsot every year. On display an Me 163, a Zero, the famous recon version of the Me 262 which they rolled out two years ago October which was pretty neat to be able to touch and get photographed by ! Several P-51's, and across from the airport a gorgeous B-25 Mitchell. This air museum is also home of some very expereienced airraft restorer's. H.J. Marseille's Bf 109E flown in Russia was rebuilt and flown from here when the 262 was rolled out. I have some film that my brother took of it flying overhead. What a wonderful sound of that engine.... ! A great place to spend a good couple of days !

E

 

One of the most awesome sounds I've ever heard was two Spits flying at low altitude through a valley (at least I identified them as Spits, may have been something else). They sounded like the whole 8th AF!

 

Have any of you guys in the States seen and heard the B-24 and B-17 of the Collins foundation ? I've been through both of them twice and seen and touched both on at least 12 times. They come here quite regularly, once a year for all the bomber crew vets to oogle over and tell their great grand kids what they did and where they flew. Some pretty wild and hairy stories are shared and it has been a great way for me to meet up with several veterans in this way. There is a characteristic sound of both mighty a/c, both very individualistic but ah so bold, especially several thousand feet above your head. That sound is so differenet from anything else and so deep you know it's something very cool with 4 engines. If any of you ever have a chance to see these great a/c do not pass it up......

E

 

I have just saw a B-25 reconverted for civil use and a C-47, which is very common... So, not very great stuff....