ANAM Open cockpit w/e

[Adam the Akrodude]

I took a couple of my billy lids down to ANAM's Open Cockpit w/e event yesterday down at Moorabbin - great fun! They both climbed into the Victa, Sea Venom, Firefly, Wirraway and they even climbed up the ladder into the Bristol Freighter! It was fun being "daggy Dad" and explaining all the levers, switches and dials as best I could - and trying not to overload them with stuff they'd forget in the next minute or two anyway! I got to climb through the Beaufighter which was brilliant. It sure was built for those smaller & fitter than I! It's quite a athletic feat to get into the pilot's seat - a task I failed at miserably! It was pretty warm inside the cockpit and by the time I worked out the best method (using the overhead red rails and going feet first), I had sweat pouring off me and decided that I'd leave this challenge to another time. I thought the few times I had to climb into the front seat of a Pitt S2 was hard enough! The kids were starting to get bored too waiting for Dad. Bailing out of a Beaufighter I imagine would have been a very difficult task.
We finished up with the kids having some time on the DC-9 "sim". ANAM have placed a large monitor/display in front of the windscreens and run a recorded X-Plane scenes - pretty clever really. The kids go through the motions with assistance by the sim instructor with some flashing lights and alarms going off for fun. Doesn't seem to matter that the controls aren't connected at all. It was pretty cool as a dad seeing the kids go through the motions of flying a RPT jet. Bravo to ANAM for coming up with a very simple and yet very entertaining and educational "ride" for the kids. I do think ANAM are on a winner making their museum more interactive for kids in particular. Yes, the displays will go through a little more wear and tear, but hopefully with care and good supervision (which I'm sure has happened in the past and and will continue into the future), this will be managed well over time. To me it's keeping these aircraft "alive" in some respect as they are fulfilling a function more than just being looked it - it's more dynamic and hands on.
Looks like ANAM is getting better and better with more exciting and very historically important aircraft on the horizon. Double thumbs up to all at ANAM for all the hard work in recent weekends!

[BradG]

I was meant to be there Sunday, but everyone in my house is still crook with this damn flu going around. I was there helping out Saturday but came home that night feeling like total rubbish! I can tell you that the guys look at the museum as an entertainment venue first and a museum second. It's really the only way to exist as we don't get all the government funding that the RAAF or Melbourne Museum have access too.

We're very lucky to still have the museum, under the totally incompetent last administration, the place came within a month of closing it's doors. To see where the museum is today pleases me a great deal. There are possibly more new aircraft to come as well.