Saab J 35B Draken cockpit
At the missile museum in Arboga, Sweden, one may see and play with a whole assortment of things. The biggest "toy" is the J 35B Draken simulator, a real front section still having all its knobs and dials. Many of the functions are hooked up to a computer and thus responding accordingly to the actual setting. If you want to you may fly a sortie, fire missiles and get vectors back to airfield by an operator. Last photo is of the operator´s desk and the "radar image" for him to know where you are and what other aircraft that may be in your way. A sortie can be quite tough and make your leg go all wobbly once you get out of the cockpit. A slight neausious feeling may linger for quite a while as your brain records all turning around as actual and not only as a computer generated film. First photo shows your plane parked under a shelter waiting for next sortie. If you take a look at the ejection seat you may notice the angle is reclined well backward, a feature incorporated way before the F-16 Fighting Falcon was designed.
That sounds like a blast! The ultimate video game, huh...? I assume you did it. The "simulator" appears to be the remnants of the real airplane. [...don't touch anything painted red...]. 🙂
Yes, Craig, a blast it is 🙂 This time I didn´t fly it but my friend Kai did, I´ve flown it before. He even shot a salvoe of rockets/missiles (Sidewinders?) at the Globe arena in Stockholm. Not sure if that was a sanctioned target or not, oups! I flew a JAS 39 Gripen simulator, just a small screen and a very simple cockpit but you still have to fly the darn thing and find your home base and all. Even a simple simulator can be exciting enough and make your heart thump faster.
Super cool
Correct, super cool it is!
Can it make a tour of the U.S. Ha Ha . Looks like fun.
Sure, for a price anything is possible. But hey, why not make your own? If nothing has changed there should still be a couple left in USA, at Chino http://www.planepictures.net/netsearch4.cgi?stype=actype&srng=2&srch=Saab%20RF-35%20Draken Ex-Danish RF-35. Here is a list of survivors https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_surviving_Saab_35_Drakens#United_States. A few J 32 Lansen should also be around but in a bad shape...
Very cool I remember building the old 1/72 Revell(?) Draken as a kid in the 60s flew it around the back yard on many missions!
Absolutely, that is what one is supposed to do with such anawsome plane. Fuel up, kick the tires and take her up on a new mission.
The Draken is one of my favorite Swedish Cold War jets. An aircraft that was years ahead of its time if you consider that design work started in 1949 already. I posted the fine Hasegawa offering on Imodeler. Would love to be in that simulator.
Just come on over, I´ll take you there.
Haha. Will have to save a lot of money to make the trip from South Africa to Sweden. 😉
It will be worth it! And we have a lot of museums, including one dedicated to Draken entirely http://www.osterlensflygmuseum.se/flygplan.php
Thanks Stellan for the web link. Beautiful stuff indeed. As I said the Draken is my favourite Swedish fighter. Would love to get close to one!
Love the Draken, and will use the photos as reference for my Revell kit.
Great, I like the idea someone actually using my photos 🙂
Can I have one please.
Why not, if you´re already flying Vampires you could easily be able to upgrade to a Mach 2 double delta in no time.
Stellan, thanks! What a beaut, love the Draken. Always felt it was way ahead of its time. I missed the flight simulator at Disney last week. Rats!
Thanks for the cockpit photos, I got the Hasegawa 1/48th recently, and it is a beauty, like the original.
You are welcome! The Hasegawa is a classic at our shows in Sweden. Have one but never dared to start building it, afraid I will not do it justice... Here is a list of versions and what after market one may use http://www.ipmsstockholm.se/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=4206 Guess Google translate is your friend if your Swedish is not up to date.
Having spent many hours in Bookmark Simulation's J35, (An awesome FSX add-on, and free to boot!)I wonder how I would be able to handle the "real deal"! It's amazing the amount of fidelity that guy put into the sim, works great as a cockpit/procedure trainer an the layout is identical to the photos. (No working weapons systems though.) As far as purity of form, IMO the Draken is by far the best looking jet of any country, ever! Even 60 years on it looks futuristic! Would love to have a go in this!
I´m, confident you´d master this sim like no one before, Josh. Just by getting into a real (yes, it´s a REAL J 35, how cool isn´t that?!) cockpit you will get the proper attitude and feel like a warrior. Re looks it IS the most beautiful, you´re correct 🙂 Hawker Hunter is way too airy and lacks the proper heft a fighter needs. The J 35 even looks good on the ground.
"Heft" is definitely not a word that comes to mind when I think of the Draken! It is a sports car of a jet! (Hey! Maybe SAAB could scale a two seater down and market it as a sports jet!)