Cologne/Bonn, air & space exhibition.

Today was the annual open house at the DLR, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt / German Air and Space Agency.

There was no air display to speak of. Only a handfull helicopters on pleasure flights, and the A380 banking a few times upon departure. However, the lack of a flight display was made up by a very intesting static display. Most of the DLR fleet, including a VFW-614 and A320. The Luftwaffe was also present with several transports and fighters. The highlight was a NASA/DLR 747SP that is operated as a flying observatory.

The DLR fleet.

Normally at Cologne you only got a limited view over the UPS cargo apron, and no view at all over the dumped F27s. From the DLR apron some better shots could be had. Due to the distance the shots are still not perfect, but they’ll do.

Inside view of the A380. Unfortunately no cockpit view.

And the NASA-DLR jet!