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Pensacola Naval Aviation Museum


Somnus

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Hey guys, 

 

I got the opportunity to visit the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, FL last week. I don't have much experience with naval aviation, but I certainly found some things I enjoyed.

 

I didn't get a picture of it because I was too busy climbing all over it, but they had the cockpit section of a German Democratic Republic Air Force MiG-21UM trainer, hood and all in the front cockpit. Unfortunately the canopy was closed, so, like I said, I could just climb all over it, looking at the switches and gauges and being pretty impressed with how well DCS modeled it. 

 

Here's a picture of it from their website:

 

MiG-21.jpg

 

I did get some other neat pictures though!

 

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This is a trophy Fokker D. VII wing. You could really see how thin the fabric was that covered them!

 

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Here is a Nieuport 28 on the bottom with a Fokker D. VII above it.

 

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A closer picture of the Nieuport.

 

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Closer pictures of the D. VII.

 

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These are scale models of an Albatross D. Va, showing the skeleton of the plane.

 

7EmdyFm.jpg

 

An American Sopwith Camel. I was disappointed with the snoopy doll in the cockpit. I mean, I get it, but still. 

 

b9INMfZ.jpg

 

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A beautiful MiG-15 with a closeup of the guns and cannon. I really wish it had been down on the ground so I could have ran my hands over all those rivets!

 

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An Me 262, the world's first jet fighter!

 

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Another view of the Fokker and Neuiport, with the MiG-15 peeking in from the right.

 

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And for the final picture, the Hanriot HD.1

 

 

This was a really amazing musuem. They had a few examples of huge flying boats, and a large section of cockpit trainersthat you could climb into and sit in, including a F-4 Phantom II, an AH-1 Cobra, AV-8 Harrier and an F-8 Crusader.

 

If you're ever in Pensacola, FL I would highly recommend visiting this free museum!

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Great pictures Somnus!  I would love to check out a MiG-21 cockpit, now that I'm familiar with the one in DCS.  I've seen them before in the past, but that was way before I knew what I was looking at.

 

Love the picture of the Me 262 and the MiG-15's machine-guns and cannon!

 

I see what you mean about Snoopy.  If you're going to have him in the cockpit, at least get a better stuffed animal.

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To be honest, our time there was short and I was too busy running back forth like a giddy school girl looking at everything to actually read most of the plaques  :rolleyes:

 

Although my hosts that took me did mention that the planes in there were either the actual planes, or reproductions. I have a feeling that a lot of the more modern US naval planes were original, but these WWI and WWII were reproductions.

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