Sunday, 25 September 2011
The Museum of Flight
Although I am sure I will be labeled a chauvinist pig, this post is primarily directed at the males in the audience. While I am sure a number of you females are interested in airplanes, flights, rockets, etc, I suspect the greater percentage of the males are interested in this topic. However, I will say that Meriam (as I did) thoroughly enjoyed this museum.
The Museum of Flight is located at the original Boeing Aircraft facility in Seattle. It is actually an adjunct to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC. While there are a number of excellent museums in the US dealing with flight (including the Smithsonian in Washington, DC, and the World War II museum in New Orleans), the Museum of Flight’s only focus in flight (both commercial and military.)
When walking into the Great Hall of the museum ones visual sense is immediately overwhelmed with the vast number and types of aircraft in this one room (including such famous aircraft as the SR-71 spy plane, World War II aircraft such as the Corsair, various commercial airframes, gliders and early reproductions of the Wright Brothers’ first airplane.) In this one large room there are 62 full scale airframes. These airframes are the authentic aircraft, not mockups (with the exception of a few of the very early airframes like the Wright Brothers.)
In the Personal Courage Wing of the Museum the first floor houses original World War II aircraft and the second floor houses World War I airframes. There are 17 airframes from World War I on the second floor and 10 airframes from World War II on the first floor. One of the most impressive planes in the WWII section is a complete P-38 Lightning. Many of you might remember this is the aircraft our very own John Allen flew when he served in WWII.
The last impressive area of the Museum is known as the Airpark. This portion of the Museum is located in the open air. It houses 5 airframes including a Concorde, an Air Force One (flown by Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon) as well as a Boeing 747. These aircraft are open to the public as walkthrough exhibits.
There are also exhibits of rockets, space modules and some really Kool flight simulator systems in the Museum (yes Marshall, I was thinking of you as we tried our hand at several.) The exhibits associated with the space program were especially impressive.
One last comment. This museum was staffed with extremely knowledgeable guides. We cannot remember when we have encountered a museum staff so knowledgeable of a museum’s material.
Speaking of Air Force One, as Meriam and I arrived at the Museum, we noticed a few people in the parking lot looking anxiously towards the runway adjacent to the Museum. We thought perhaps some old operation aircraft or perhaps an experimental plane would be landing soon. We found out President Obama would soon be arriving in the current Air Force One. Not wishing to spoil our day, we hurried into the museum!
Meriam entering the Great Gallery
One of the Apollo Command Modules
HB trying his hand at landing the Space Shuttle (he crashed all four times!)
MB inspecting on of the Space Station modules.
The incredible SR-71 (note all the other airframes surrounding it!)
More of the amazing airframes in the Great Gallery
MB tries her hand at the controls of an F-16 hornet
This is a life size simulator. It can be programmed with a number of different aircraft, give a VERY real experience of flight.
Here is MB getting strapped into the simulator (I will also travel with her.) She picked the F-16 as her program. This flight lasts about 5 minutes. As this baby twists, turns, flies upside down, etc. one really gets a taste of what flying the real plane might be like!
We are now in Air Force One. Looks like MB is making a phone call (perhaps to Obama?)
A P-38 Lightning (much like John Allen's)
Air Force OneA P-38 Lightning (much like what John Allen flew.)