You are still here? Fine.
Let's take a look at the fourth image of our little
tour now. It shows the fuselage with the tail wheel taken from the Ju 88. It can be
retracted completely, and its tyre consists of rubber that can conduct
electricity. The
reason for this is the following: By friction with air molecules, the fuselage accumulates
electrostatic charge during the flight, generating extremely high voltages. Using
conducting rubber immediately grounds the plane when it lands. Otherwise, the high
voltages could be dangerous for the crew or cause fires as ignition sparks when the plane
is refueled.
The red letters on the fuselage warn ground crews only to pull the plane backwards on
concrete slabs, not on grass. To the right of the warning, there's an open flap, probably
for steering maintencance. Above, you can see where the elevator is attached.
Let's take a look at the tail turret; its guns were uninstalled. The purpose of the turret is defense against any planes attacking from behind. It is controlled from the cockpit and adjusted through periscopes. Remote control gun turrets were installed in several German WW II planes, e.g. in the Messerschmitt Me 410, the Arado Ar 240 and the Heinkel He 177. But in many cases, the turrets proved to be rather unreliable.
You will certainly want to know where the wings are. I sort of "dug up" the following photo. It shows wings, elevators and the rudder. The latter is almost completely covered by the elevators. Moreover, there's a BMW 801 engine hood.
We will conclude our little tour with this photo. I hope it has been interesting for you. If you click here, you will get back to the main page.