A date with Susi in Berlin

**Bjoern** · August 26th, 2014, 20:12

Weirded out by the thread title? Good. It gets even weirder. Or not. Maybe.

Anyway, Susi is flexible, a bit older but still sprints like in her prime. You can call her what you want...Susi, Susanne, Suzi, Susan...as long as you speak russian.
Yeah, you guessed it. No, you probably didn't. But I commend the effort. "Susi" was the nickname for the Su-22M in the Luftstreitkräfte.
You can see her in her prime here: http://youtu.be/rIMkwqHgasQ
Despite her flexibility, it's impossible to fly her in downtown Berlin without trespassing into the west. But I tried my best.
She's actually from Rostock and wasn't too happy about travelling all the way to Berlin, but what won't she do for a photoshoot...

The theme was "HPOA* in front of Berlin landmarks".

So next to Susi's graceful and seductive lines, you see some well known buildings in this shot. Everyone knows the Brandenburger Tor. Everyone. No exceptions. To the right of it is the Reichstag in its state from 1945 till the mid-60s. Below Susi's buttocks, the Soviet War Memorial can be seen. Located in west Berlin it was funnily enough, despite the cold war going on, guarded by Russians. The alpine hut next to the memorial is a land class glitch. I think. Far off in the distance, the victory column, testament to the last time the Germans won an argument with the French (way before they decided to get together after all).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandenburger_Tor
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichstag_building
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_...8Tiergarten%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_victory_column

Susi wasn't the focus of this shot, but she didn't mind. Berlin Cathedral, an oversized monument to...something in the middle. To the right, an assortment of museums of all kinds. Enough to bore yourself out of your mind on a rainy day. Faithful east german citizens don't have any interest in the artistic or cultural heritages of civilizations long deceased from capitalist and royalist decadence and instead visit the "Palace of the Republic", right next to the cathedral. Since an east german citizen is a political citizen, the wise government decided to make this building both the seat of the east german parliament and a location to get drunk in relative luxury and witness awful hit music festivities. Talk about being close to the people! Bladder relief can be achieved right next to the palace at the "Seat of the State Council"'s building, where brilliant devices like the "antifacist wall" (se previous photo) are thought up to protect the average east german citizen from the corrupting influence of Mickey Mouse, the Rolling Stones or Hamburgers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Cathedral
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museumsinsel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palast_der_republik
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_C...ratic_Republic

But being in Berlin, I had to use Susi for sending a message to some people. Germans probably know what I'm referring to when they look at the last photo.
This is the headquarters of the publisher of Germany's biggest tabloid. It's not as bad as the english ones but still bad. You still get a daily dose of prefabricated opinions, twisted facts and mammaries. And to make it even better, most of their time back in the day was spent denouncing everything ever so slightly leftist. And to signal that to the East Germans and the world they built their HQ smack dab right next to the wall. Talk about a giant birdie. Seeing an east german aircraft zip by and on the "better" german side to boot would have caused a collective heart attack there back in the day.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axel_Springer_AG
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axel_Springer

But enough historical ramblings.
I took Susi to the actual border a few hundred kilometers farther west (checking for capitalist infiltrators) and then back home, but there's no photos of that as they are all NSFW.
But boy, you should really see her without her external stores...!

Fin.

In case you're wondering...

Su-22 (WIP and portover!): http://forum.ddr-flugzeuge.de/viewto...tart=380#p7496

Bulding density increased over UTX:E and default thanks to "Vector Land Use Europe" (land_use_europe_1.zip land_use_europe_2.zip on Avsim)

Wall scenery with some custom Berlin landmarks not yet available.

*Hot piece of a-...irplane

***ian elliot*** · August 26th, 2014, 22:14

Id hate to be in a Gatow based RAF Chipmunk, and see her come towards me full blast, great shots of a great city i had the privilege to visit a few years back.
cheers ian

**mjahn** · August 27th, 2014, 00:29

Cool pictures, Bjoern! Brings back memories of certain days when the Berlin airspace was infested with Russian fighters going at Mach speed, and huge helicopters hovering over public buildings, also a YAK-28 that fell into a lake, and whose equipment was quickly salvaged by the Brits. Hell I even got a snapshot of that RAF Chipmunk, only to be offered a ride by the RAF Police a few minutes later. Oh Happy days!

**Bjoern** · August 27th, 2014, 05:12

Originally Posted by mjahn

Cool pictures, Bjoern! Brings back memories of certain days when the Berlin airspace was infested with Russian fighters going at Mach speed, and huge helicopters hovering over public buildings, also a YAK-28 that fell into a lake, and whose equipment was quickly salvaged by the Brits. Hell I even got a snapshot of that RAF Chipmunk, only to be offered a ride by the RAF Police a few minutes later. Oh Happy days!

Ah, helicopter-assisted construction of high rising structures was an east german specialty, thanks to a state-owned airline and cheap fuel.
And don't forget sitting on a balcony in Tempelhof and having everything from 727s to C-141s zip past a few feet overhead.

By the way, here's a cool photoblog with pics from then and now.
http://chrisjohndewitt.tumblr.com/

**txnetcop** · August 27th, 2014, 05:49

AWESOME Bjoern!!!
Ted

**hairyspin** · August 27th, 2014, 09:33

The Berlin descriptions reminded me of a Polish political joke from the Soviet era: Where is the finest view in all Warsaw? From the Palace of Culture. Why from there? Because from there you cannot see the Palace of Culture.

You probably had to be there, then...

Good shots, Bjoern!

**Bjoern** · August 27th, 2014, 14:00

Danke, Leute!

Originally Posted by hairyspin

The Berlin descriptions reminded me of a Polish political joke from the Soviet era: Where is the finest view in all Warsaw? From the Palace of Culture. Why from there? Because from there you cannot see the Palace of Culture.

My apartment works by the exact same principle. Being in Berlin without having to be in Berlin.