Question for plane experts

[photax]

Hi !

This summer, my son and i visited the Dornier-museum in Germany. A very interesting museum, just opened in 2009 ( from the museum-cafe you can watch the starting and landing of the new Zeppelin ). Unfortunately there is no example of the legendary big seaplanes, like the Do-X left.
At the outside section is a german navy airplane displayed. Underneath the plane in an open cover at the central part we found this switch:



My son said, this is strange, with turning this switch you can decide, either to take a picture from the landscape, or destroy it.
Does anyone know for what reason this switch is installed ? For exercise purposes ?

Here is the plane:



And a picture of the 1925 Dornier Merkur, the first Lufthansa passenger plane ( this is a replica ):



MIK

[nikonbob]

MIK

Well that is another museum I should make note of for the future. I was not aware that the German Navy flew the French Atlantique ATL3 but you learn something new every day. As to you question, I am going to guess that a camera system could be mounted on the right wing instead of a bomb at the #2 hard point position. With camera selected that would activate the camera circuitry and block the bomb release for that mount. Wouldn't do to accidentally drop all that expensive camera gear. Like I said that is just a guess on my part. I see it is also equipped with a MAD boom/stinger at the tail, s pretty typical set up for maritime patrol aircraft.

Bob

[PeterW]

nikonbob wrote

I was not aware that the German Navy flew the French Atlantique ATL3

I'm not a modern(ish) plane expert by a long chalk but I thought I read somewhere that the ATL3 was upgraded from the ATL2 by having, among other things, Rolls-Royce turbo-prop engines with six-bladed props.

Could this be an ATL2, or even ATL1?

BTW, I see that the notice for the bomb/photo switches are in English. Is English the "official" language of the Nato air forces as well as being used worldwide by civil airlines?

PeterW

[nikonbob]

Peter

I don't know about that long chalk, you seen pretty closed up about aircraft to me. I vaguely recognized the plane as being a French model. Did a quick check on the net and came up with this www.naval-technology.com/projects/atlantique/atlantique2.html before I replied just to be sure I was not mistaken. I took from that site that it was an ALT3. I checked a few more sites after your post and as you say the ALT3 should have a 6 bladed prop and up graded RR Tyne engines. It pays to check more than one site it seems. Well at least it was an Atlantique. OTH is it possible that the German Navy upgraded it's fleet of Atlantiques to ALT3 standards for other systems and passed on the engine upgrade? WRT to English as the official language of NATO air forces I am wondering too. I have seen films about the Nato AWACS planes crewed by multi national crews and everyone was conversing in English while working on board.

Bob

[photax]

Hi !

Have many thanks for your explanations. As i remember, the navy-aircraft was described as ATL 3, but i am not sure, i am no expert, i am only fascinated by old things that can fly, drive and swim. The Dornier-Museum is located in Friedrichshafen ( there is also the Zeppelin-Museum ). There i have met the most friendly and mindful museum attendants i have ever seen: entering the museum, they will ask you, if they can explain the airplane you are interested in, to you.

Bob, If you go to Germany, don`t miss the "Technik Museum Speyer/Sinsheim". This is the largest museum of this kind in Europe ( i guess in the whole world ). On two locations you can look at numberless planes, cars, railroad engines, tanks, submarines and many things more, just like the russian space shuttle, or the "Blue Flame speed-record car". I spent two days visiting this museum, the lagrest technology collection i have ever seen Here are some of the ca. 200 pictures i took two years ago:
















PS.: I will send you a PM with the internet-links of the museums.
MIK

[olroy2044]

Wow! What an awesome display! Nice shooting! Roy

[pompiere]

If you are interested in aircraft displays, the US Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio is outstanding. They are open every day but Christmas and admission is free. I need to go back down there again, since they have opened a new expansion.
www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/index.asp