Behind The Scenes (warning, flying things inside)
Akirasho
Posts: 1,892
I'm fortunate enuff to have been born in and lived in (for the most part) the birthplace of aviation and the location of Wright-Patterson AFB here in the States. The base is also home to the most awesomest National Museum of the United States Air Force!!! YAY!
Besides being a world class venue for such (recommended if you ever make it this way... and it's free) they also sport world class restoration facilities and give "behind the scenes" tours to see their works in progress (sometimes, decades long progress). Here are a few pics!
These engines were just pulled off the static display of the prototype C-17 transport and were being readied for shipment and future testing for in flight ingestion of volcanic ash (these engines were chosen in part because of the number of hours they garnered as the prototype... replacemen engines were placed in the static display).
... the C-17 from which they came.
... the Swoose... last remaining B-17D
... some of the artistry... some parts have to be hand fabricated from scratch without benefit of blueprints or original tooling...
... the Memphis Belle in far better shape now than when on display in Memphis
... the loser in the JSF program...
... this one used to belong to Sadaam...
... our awesome guides (the folks in the brown shirts are actual restorers)...
... and back at the museum, the Shuttle simulator since we were cheated out of an actual SHUTTLE!!!
... and since a C-17 was passing overhead...
the end.
Besides being a world class venue for such (recommended if you ever make it this way... and it's free) they also sport world class restoration facilities and give "behind the scenes" tours to see their works in progress (sometimes, decades long progress). Here are a few pics!
These engines were just pulled off the static display of the prototype C-17 transport and were being readied for shipment and future testing for in flight ingestion of volcanic ash (these engines were chosen in part because of the number of hours they garnered as the prototype... replacemen engines were placed in the static display).
... the C-17 from which they came.
... the Swoose... last remaining B-17D
... some of the artistry... some parts have to be hand fabricated from scratch without benefit of blueprints or original tooling...
... the Memphis Belle in far better shape now than when on display in Memphis
... the loser in the JSF program...
... this one used to belong to Sadaam...
... our awesome guides (the folks in the brown shirts are actual restorers)...
... and back at the museum, the Shuttle simulator since we were cheated out of an actual SHUTTLE!!!
... and since a C-17 was passing overhead...
the end.
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Comments
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Very nice!0
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great stuff, thanks for sharing
All lies and jest..still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest....0 -
Good to see The Swoose & Memphis Belle getting the attention they deserve!Remember that you are an Englishman and thus have won first prize in the lottery of life.0
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OffTheBackAdam wrote:Good to see The Swoose & Memphis Belle getting the attention they deserve!
... both planes were in bad shape... the underbelly of the Swoose and been severely crushed but you'd be hard pressed to see the damage now. The Belle had sat abused in it's namesake city before being "rescued" by the museum and will eventually take it's place alongside this beauty which I was fortunate enuff to see when it flew, by it's own power to the musuem a few years ago (complete with a vintage fighter escort and period music played by the Air Force Band of Flight orchestra).
Also, recently, a bud took these shots of an airworthy B-17
... and while I'm at it, earlier this year, there was an anniversary celebration of the Doolittle Tokyo raid and these show'd up...
... then flew overhead.
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Here are a few pics taken at my local Airshow (Sywell Aerodrome, Northamptonshire)
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The French (Montgolfier brothers) and British (Cayley) may lay claim to hosting the birthplace of manned aviation. Nonetheless the photos are pretty cool, particularly impressed by that many B-25s in one place and oh so grateful that the F-35 won the JSF contest over the F-32, how embarrassing to have to fly something that ugly.
Favourite has to be the Catalina though.Coffee is not my cup of tea
Moda Fresco track racer
Kinesis Crosslight Pro 6 winter commuter
Gunnar Hyper X
Rocky Mountain ETSX
Cannondale Scalpel 3000 (retro-bike in bits)
Lemond Poprad Disc, now retired pending frame re-paint.0 -
Escadrille Ecosse wrote:The French (Montgolfier brothers) and British (Cayley) may lay claim to hosting the birthplace of manned aviation. Nonetheless the photos are pretty cool, particularly impressed by that many B-25s in one place and oh so grateful that the F-35 won the JSF contest over the F-32, how embarrassing to have to fly something that ugly.
Favourite has to be the Catalina though.
... Dayton's claim is "The Birthplace Of Powered Flight" which assumes heavier than air and three axis control which is why we argue with the folks at Kittyhawk (the first flight at Kittyhawk was a proof of concept but lacked true controlled flight (in particular, turning to return to point of origin). Indeed, it can be argued that this is the world's first airport where, with the Wright III flyer, the Brothers actually learned to fly and turn the damn thing around...
... this was a re-enactment at Huffman Prairie (now a small field at Wright-Patterson AFB) that ended... badly (pilot dug a wing doing a low altitude turn and was moderately injured)!
This was a pic of the field's unofficial "mascot", Derrick! I guess he wondered what all the todoooo was about...
... we also have the YF-23 (loser to the F-22 Raptor) in the annex and I may try to get pics in the next couple weeks.
Here's one for you Brits
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