Virtual visitors to the Museum of Flight (also known as the Scottish National Museum of Aviation) can explore for themselves the tiny cockpit of the Me 163 Rocket powered fighter plane.Imagine being strapped into a tiny cockpit smaller than the inside of a Mini, and then having a powerful but primitive rocket motor ignited a few feet behind your back. You will be slammed into the seat by the explosive force of the liquid fuel-rocket, all the way to 500 mph and 25,000 feet altitude and beyond - in just a few seconds.The plane, the Messerschmidt Me 163B-1a, was the last line of defence in the dog days of Hitler's reign of terror and flying it was a suicide mission. The hydrogen peroxide fuel routinely blew up the plane and pilot upon landing due to its inherent instability. The rocket plane cockpit is just one of three virtual reality 360 degree views which can be seen on the site.Also on the site are details of forthcoming airshows in 2001, new and views, a chat room and a host of other features. The Museum of Flight is based at East Fortune Airfield, just outside Edinburgh. It's a place of pilgrimage for many air enthusiasts in Scotland: a historic airfield where a lot of early experiments were carried out by the pioneers of aviation.It's not just about 'planes though: according to projects director Dawn Kemp the airfield was the home of giant airships such as the R 34, the first aerial craft to cross the Atlantic from East to West in 1919."We also have the biggest collection of rocketry outside the Science Museum, including a Blue Streak and a Black Arrow from the 60's and part of a V2 as well," said Dawn Kemp.
