RAN De Havilland Sea Venom FAW.53 cockpit (yes, another one...)

March 28, 2017 · in Aviation · · 23 · 3.9K

Time for another black cockpit, been a while now. Although I have filed a Sit-Around from a RAN Sea Venom before I think you can take one more. This time it´s the very nice cockpit from from the WZ 939 at the Classic Jet Fighter museum at Parafield, South Australia. The plane itself is beautifully restored and even have the radar disc for show. Please help yourself to compare the interior of the first Sea Venom cockpit I filed http://imodeler.com/2015/12/ran-de-havilland-sea-venom-faw-53-cockpit/, you might find a few differences... The Sea Venom´s cockpit is incredibly small for two persons. Tried to imagine an ejection sequence but couldn´t see that one wouldn´t leave ones legs behind thanks to sitting almost chest-to-instrument board (OK, I´m 183 but no big guts), bulky flight suit and parachute pack. Having two guys leaving the aircraft can´t have been much fun.

More info on this particular aircraft can be found here http://www.classicjets.com/collection/c_Venom.html and http://www.adf-serials.com.au/n4.htm

Reader reactions:
4  Awesome

22 additional images. Click to enlarge.


23 responses

  1. Great pictures, thanks for sharing.

  2. Thanks for the comprehensive and enlightening photos. Looks claustrophobic, wonder if they screened for slightly built aircrew? Ergonomics wasn't around then, it appears. The observers position in the Sea Vixen wins the prize, though.

  3. Great pictures Stellan - thanks for these. Smaller crew only I expect !

  4. Yikes...looks like a pretty "busy" cockpit/interior to attempt to replicate in a model (even a 32th scale if they made one)...and I may be wrong, but those don't appear [to me] to be ejection seats - what's the story there?

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    said on March 28, 2017

    They are martin bakers Craig. Just not the usual. Sea vixens had a fairly high death rate for the observer in the coal hole as it was known as this seat was slower to eject than the pilot seat. Later sea vixens the observer was able to eject through the hatch rather than waiting on it to open wich helped save lives.

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    said on March 28, 2017

    Cheers for posting Stellan

  7. some nice detail! I'm kinda glad I already built my Sea Venom, or I'd be tempted...

  8. 🙂 ... Greetings ... 🙂
    Very good and useful photos Stellan. Nice close up's , thank you very much for sharing these images.

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    said on March 29, 2017

    My apologies Stellen I went on about sea vixens. I misread. I need more sleep.?

  10. thanks for sharing.

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