After
many years of failed attempts, I finally made it to the PAF museum
in Karachi which had dodged me in Peshawar during its location
there. The museum was dismantled and relocated in more cosmopolitan
Karachi for broader band of visitors. It is a class-one place
to go to. It will take you from the chaos of Karachi traffic to
the tranquility of a beautifully laid open air park within a space
of five minutes. Neatly arranged pens and podiums house some wonderfull
aircraft which are actual machines that have once seen action
with the PAF. The museum has a huge hanger which houses a sea
of information on individual units. Here I found the aircraft
I had read about since my childhood - the famous Gnat captured
(Air Arrested along with the pilot who happened to be the Squadron
Leader) during the 1965 war with India. The other famous resident
of the hanger is the very aircraft that served Quid-E-Azam Mohammad
Ali Jinnah - father of the nation. A well stocked sovenier shop
is an irresistable attraction. There is also a canteen and a picnic
area. If you are in Karachi, you must visit it - If I am ever
there again its going to be my first stop.
These two photos give you an
idea of the size of the area the museum covers. The security gaurd
framed me here with my family and the family of my host, cousin
and childhood friend Saadat Baig. His father has the distinction
of being an ex-PAF personnel, who went on to be one of the key
people who made PIA, the national airline, what it is today. In
fact more than what it is today as PIA is currently well past
its prime years (seventies and early eighties) when it was rated
amongst the top 10 airlines of the world.
The F-6 (Mig-19) on the left
and the F-86 Sabre on the right share the duty of being the gate
gaurdians.
The old warior B-57
a licensed built American version of the British Electric Canberra
light bomber socking-up the Karachi sun in what certainly is a
well earned retirement.
This F-6 from no 15
squadron (Talons) Note the air-brake under the fuselage and the
parachute chamber above the twin engine exhausts - both would
have been utilised for short landing dispersal strips.
This Mirage once proudly
served with the Combat Commanders School - one of the finest 'Top
Gun' units not only in the PAF but, according to one Russian commentator,
in the whole world
F-104 Starfighter has
been one of the few military jets that I had not seen in physical
form and I was surprised at its huge size. It is even more complex
now to understand how those tiny wings supported such a huge fuselage
- perhaps one of the reasons why so many crashed with a number
of air forces. However, It certainly made its mark with the PAF
in 1965, although by 1971, it had been rendered to second line
duties (inset is the front view of the same aircraft highlighting
the thin wings).The above aircraft entered service with PAF in
1957, the year I was born - in fact the serial number is precisely
my date of birth 13 September 57!!!!
At the far end of the
museum is this Turkish Starfighter erected in this impressive
take off position. Those large fuel tanks on the wingtips suggest
that the thin and small wings were not fragile at all.
This Afghan Air forces
Mig-21 defected during the Afghan war to become a war trophy for
the PAF.
Talking of war trophies
- non come bigger than this one - and I definitely do not mean
the size of it. This is one aircraft in the museum I have waited
for over 20 years to see and photograph. This Gnat has been subject
of many a magazine articles and books. It was air arrested by
the PAF during the 1965 war. I will try to post a full story on
this on these pages sometimes in the future. In the meantime,
try the picture below for a briefing. Here it shows what a tiny
target it must have presented to the PAF pilots with the sabre
looking like a transport (in comparison) in the immediate background,
even with the perspective disadvantage. Further down the hall,
Jinnah's Viking transporter can be seen behind the Sabre. This
is known as "Quide-E-Azam's plane", in which he traveled
as the leader of the nation during the final days of his life.
Excuse me for the posture
adopted in this photo but I could not help fantasising a little
pretending as if this was my very own F-6
With my beloved Gnat...I
went over the cordon and did not ask if I was allowed to go this
close to the aircraft fearing that I might be refused permission.
This photo further highlights the diminutive size of the Gnat,
especially with the Sabre in the background and I am not even
a full 6ft. This must be the only jet fighter which did not require
steps for the pilot to get into the cockpit. Another interesting
comparison element is the pilots overall view of the combat from
an almost 360 degrees for the Sabre to about 240 degrees for the
Gnat - an obvious advantage for the Pakistani pilots.
And now....................
Visit
the official museum website