Wernigerode airplane museum

I visited a small aviation museum in the town of Wernigerode, about 130 km away from Hanover. The reason for visiting such a minor museum was that it is the only place in the world, except for India, where you can see the first jet fighter in Asia, the Marut HF-24. This aircraft was designed with the involvement of the German engineer Kurt Tank, known for the design of notable planes like FW190 and Ta152. However, due to India’s difficulty in procuring a high-performance engine, the design ended up producing a subsonic fighter-bomber that fell far short of its Mach 2 target. Despite being a design from the 1950s, it has a modern appearance. Unfortunately, by the time it was operational, the enemies were already well-equipped with Mig21, making its deployment impractical. After retirement, this aircraft was gifted to the widow Mr. Tank from India, and it found its way to this museum via a German museum.

This is the Marut HF-24. I find it quite stylish. People tend to favor Kurt Tank, and there’s a desire to say, “The aerodynamic design was excellent, but due to the lack of a good engine, its performance couldn’t be fully realized.” However, according to some insiders, there are stories like when they lowered the airbrake, the nose suddenly pointed straight up, or if the engine had been decent and it reached supersonic speeds, they had no idea what would have happened.

Apart from the Marut HF-24, there aren’t many noteworthy aircraft. Following the trend in German museums, there’s an abundance of F-104s with various parts, cutaway models, and more. Other aircraft include Mirage III, MiG-21, MiG-15, AlfaJet, G91, etc. There’s a variety of instrument panels and components gathered from different sources, and some interesting cutaway sections from F-16s and Buccaneers. It seems like they acquired disassembled parts to supplement the limited number of actual aircraft exhibits. As for helicopters and biplanes, I’m not very familiar, so there might be some valuable displays there as well?

The F-104 exhibit is quite unique, with the aircraft stripped down to the engine from the intake.

Fiat G91, F86, Hawker Hunter, and T37B police version?

Of course, it’s unfortunate that the complete aircraft isn’t there, but having it cut and placed on the floor provides a unique opportunity to see the cockpit and even the internal structure that is usually hard to observe. In particular, the cross-section of the Buccaneer allows a view that is likely exclusive to this museum.

MIG21’s cockpit inside. The color looks similar to what the WWII Japanese warbirds had.

A notable feature is the replica cockpit of the Bf109 with a flight simulator that allows you to experience flying. Even though it’s a simulator, it can be quite exhilarating. With an old man who only speaks German assisting me with holding the control stick together, performing a barrel roll was truly exciting. Trying a daring pull-up resulted in a blackout, with the screen going dark, which was a bit nerve-wracking. In the end, attempting a landing didn’t go well, and I ended up flipping over and crashing.

The large-screen flight simulator may not be a high-end model with tilting for G-forces, but the visual experience alone is enjoyable enough.

This is also the instrument panel of the F-104, right? Although I thought the switches related to armament were complicated, the buttons around the image of the aircraft are clearly arranged, making it seem like even I could become a pilot (you probably can’t land though). The Bf109’s instrument panel is arranged in two rows, and as I’m leisurely looking at it, the simulator instructor from earlier is suddenly standing behind me, “The left one has these switches and those switches reversed. And here, this one is incorrect,” he imparts deep wisdom without me even asking.

This museum has various interesting exhibits to allow children to enjoy and learn about aviation technology. There are exhibits where paper-made triangular cone propeller-like objects rotate and are blown upward by the air from the duct, as well as simulators where you can control airplanes on the screen by striking airplane poses and tilting your body. Perhaps they are nurturing the next generation of aviation engineers in this way.

The Jumo 213 engine that was installed in the FW190D. It looks surprisingly clean for having been buried in the mud for 30 years. The broken traces of the wooden propeller are quite vivid.

Like this, beneath the genuine instrument panels and equipment, there are rows of model airplanes stacked on top of each other in two tiers. Many of them are in smaller scales. It could be that this place has the most extensive display of model airplanes in Germany.

I took many photos. Please enjoy them visiting my gallery.