diff --git a/src/GUI/FGCocoaMenuBar.hxx b/src/GUI/FGCocoaMenuBar.hxx
index f18baf496..daf45e5a4 100644
--- a/src/GUI/FGCocoaMenuBar.hxx
+++ b/src/GUI/FGCocoaMenuBar.hxx
@@ -55,6 +55,14 @@ public:
    * Test whether the menu bar is visible.
    */
   virtual bool isVisible () const;
+    
+    /**
+     * This is a no-op on Cocoa - the menubar doesn't overlap the window
+     * when its drawn.
+     */
+    void setHideIfOverlapsWindow(bool hide) override;
+    
+    bool getHideIfOverlapsWindow() const override;
   
   class CocoaMenuBarPrivate;
 private:
diff --git a/src/GUI/FGCocoaMenuBar.mm b/src/GUI/FGCocoaMenuBar.mm
index c82546f32..288017ab7 100644
--- a/src/GUI/FGCocoaMenuBar.mm
+++ b/src/GUI/FGCocoaMenuBar.mm
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 #include <simgear/debug/logstream.hxx>
 #include <simgear/structure/SGBinding.hxx>
 #include <simgear/misc/strutils.hxx>
+#include <simgear/sg_inlines.h>
 
 #include <Main/fg_props.hxx>
 #include <GUI/CocoaHelpers_private.h>
@@ -325,3 +326,14 @@ void FGCocoaMenuBar::hide()
   // no-op
 }
 
+void FGCocoaMenuBar::setHideIfOverlapsWindow(bool hide)
+{
+    SG_UNUSED(hide);
+    // no-op
+}
+
+bool FGCocoaMenuBar::getHideIfOverlapsWindow() const
+{
+    return false;
+}
+
diff --git a/src/GUI/FGPUIMenuBar.cxx b/src/GUI/FGPUIMenuBar.cxx
index 9f5283685..4833058b7 100644
--- a/src/GUI/FGPUIMenuBar.cxx
+++ b/src/GUI/FGPUIMenuBar.cxx
@@ -111,17 +111,15 @@ FGPUIMenuBar::init ()
 void
 FGPUIMenuBar::show ()
 {
-    if (_menuBar != 0)
-        _menuBar->reveal();
     _visible = true;
+    recomputeVisibility();
 }
 
 void
 FGPUIMenuBar::hide ()
 {
-    if (_menuBar != 0)
-        _menuBar->hide();
     _visible = false;
+    recomputeVisibility();
 }
 
 bool
@@ -130,6 +128,32 @@ FGPUIMenuBar::isVisible () const
     return _visible;
 }
 
+void
+FGPUIMenuBar::setHideIfOverlapsWindow(bool hide)
+{
+    _hideOverlapping = hide;
+    recomputeVisibility();
+}
+
+bool
+FGPUIMenuBar::getHideIfOverlapsWindow() const
+{
+    return _hideOverlapping;
+}
+
+void
+FGPUIMenuBar::recomputeVisibility()
+{
+    if (_menuBar) {
+        const bool actualVis = _visible && (!_hideOverlapping);
+        if (actualVis) {
+            _menuBar->reveal();
+        } else {
+            _menuBar->hide();
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 void
 FGPUIMenuBar::fireItem (puObject * item)
 {
diff --git a/src/GUI/FGPUIMenuBar.hxx b/src/GUI/FGPUIMenuBar.hxx
index fa21c05b3..3a196ef5b 100644
--- a/src/GUI/FGPUIMenuBar.hxx
+++ b/src/GUI/FGPUIMenuBar.hxx
@@ -69,7 +69,10 @@ public:
      */
     virtual bool isVisible () const;
 
+    void setHideIfOverlapsWindow(bool hide) override;
 
+    bool getHideIfOverlapsWindow() const override;
+    
     /**
      * IGNORE THIS METHOD!!!
      *
@@ -113,9 +116,12 @@ private:
     // Add <enabled> listener that enables/disables menu entries.
     void add_enabled_listener(SGPropertyNode * node);
 
+    void recomputeVisibility();
+    
     // Is the menu visible?
     bool _visible;
-
+    bool _hideOverlapping = false;
+    
     // The top-level menubar itself.
     puMenuBar * _menuBar;
 
diff --git a/src/GUI/menubar.hxx b/src/GUI/menubar.hxx
index 2c6f0f33d..e46b28983 100644
--- a/src/GUI/menubar.hxx
+++ b/src/GUI/menubar.hxx
@@ -48,6 +48,19 @@ public:
      */
     virtual bool isVisible () const = 0;
 
+    /**
+     * Request the menubar to be hidden if its display overlays the main window content.
+     * (Which essentially means the PUI menubar at the moment). This is used to prevent
+     * the menubar overlapping the splash-screen during startup.
+     *
+     * The state of this flag is independant of the normal menubar visibility, i.e this
+     * flag and the normal visibility and AND-ed together inside the code.
+     */
+    virtual void setHideIfOverlapsWindow(bool hide) = 0;
+    
+    // corresponding getter to valye able.
+    virtual bool getHideIfOverlapsWindow() const = 0;
+    
     /**
      * Read a menu label from the menu's property tree.
      * Take care of mapping it to the appropriate translation, if available.
diff --git a/src/GUI/new_gui.cxx b/src/GUI/new_gui.cxx
index 4f0721c93..05917c980 100644
--- a/src/GUI/new_gui.cxx
+++ b/src/GUI/new_gui.cxx
@@ -71,6 +71,9 @@ NewGUI::init ()
     fgTie("/sim/menubar/visibility", this,
           &NewGUI::getMenuBarVisible, &NewGUI::setMenuBarVisible);
     
+    fgTie("/sim/menubar/overlap-hide", this,
+          &NewGUI::getMenuBarOverlapHide, &NewGUI::setMenuBarOverlapHide);
+
     setStyle();
     SGPath p(globals->get_fg_root(), "gui/dialogs");
     readDir(p);
@@ -305,6 +308,18 @@ NewGUI::setMenuBarVisible (bool visible)
         _menubar->hide();
 }
 
+bool
+NewGUI::getMenuBarOverlapHide() const
+{
+    return _menubar->getHideIfOverlapsWindow();
+}
+
+void
+NewGUI::setMenuBarOverlapHide(bool hide)
+{
+    _menubar->setHideIfOverlapsWindow(hide);
+}
+
 void
 NewGUI::newDialog (SGPropertyNode* props)
 {
diff --git a/src/GUI/new_gui.hxx b/src/GUI/new_gui.hxx
index 4df077d48..f89acb1f2 100644
--- a/src/GUI/new_gui.hxx
+++ b/src/GUI/new_gui.hxx
@@ -201,6 +201,8 @@ protected:
      */
     virtual void reset (bool reload);
 
+    bool getMenuBarOverlapHide() const;
+    void setMenuBarOverlapHide(bool hide);
 private:
     void createMenuBarImplementation();
     
diff --git a/src/Viewer/renderer.cxx b/src/Viewer/renderer.cxx
index 6689d426d..99cd780b7 100644
--- a/src/Viewer/renderer.cxx
+++ b/src/Viewer/renderer.cxx
@@ -468,6 +468,11 @@ FGRenderer::preinit( void )
     _updateVisitor->setFrameStamp(_frameStamp.get());
     viewer->setUpdateVisitor(_updateVisitor.get());
     fgSetDouble("/sim/startup/splash-alpha", 1.0);
+    
+    // hide the menubar if it overlaps the window, so the splash screen
+    // is completely visible. We reset this value when the splash screen
+    // is fading out.
+    fgSetBool("/sim/menubar/overlap-hide", true);
 }
 
 class ShadowMapSizeListener : public SGPropertyChangeListener {
@@ -1594,6 +1599,7 @@ FGRenderer::update( ) {
         _splash_alpha->setDoubleValue((sAlpha < 0) ? 0.0 : sAlpha);
 
         syncPausePopupState();
+        fgSetBool("/sim/menubar/overlap-hide", false);
     }
 
     FGLight *l = static_cast<FGLight*>(globals->get_subsystem("lighting"));