It shows how, even at slow speeds, how much energy there is from a birdstrike. Hence why we wear clear visors down

………and why Peter Teichman has a fighter windscreen on his Spitfire PR.XI

Well, if you read it on the Internet, it must be true! 🙂

………with only 2 complete airframes surviving – it is bizarre in extremis to present this a/c on display as a trainer at a national museum !

It is even more bizarre (and downright sad) to see what they’ve done to the poor old Tempest V. 🙁

If it was a Spitfire, they’d have it flying again by now from a piece that size! 😉

Agreed David, I thought the Pensacola Catalina exhibit was excellent. Likewise the Hendon BrisFit. There is a Curtiss Jenny at Yanks at Chino that is presented uncovered, an excellent exhibit, and I’ve seen a few more WWI biplanes presented in that manner on my travels.

I don’t know what it is about the Wellington, but to me it just looks unfinished and rather tatty, rather than being delibrately presented as a part-uncovered, finished exhibit. A US friend, visiting with me a couple of years back, made exactly the same observation.

I think that HARS may have been helped more by this exchange. 2 airworthy engines received, in exchange for 2 prettied-up boat anchors going to the Qantas Museum. Either way, a good exchange. I seem to remember the Sally B folks doing a similar deal with the IWM B-17 back in the day.

The late Merle Maine’s collection in Oregon