Not nearly enough time.

[wombat_socho]

Since the last time I saw the Air Force Museum in 1995 (I think) they've added another couple of hangars to the complex, one of which is on Wright-Patterson AFB proper and houses the XB-70 and other experimental oddities in one half while the former Presidential aircraft are in the other. I got there early enough to secure a seat on the 1600 shuttle over there, and spent the intervening hour wandering the Air Power (WW II) hangar. I somehow managed to miss the B-17G they have there, but I didn't miss this:


Yup, it's me and the Fat Man. Obviously, I'm the one in the guayabera shirt. ;)

Also on display was a C-46 Commando with an excellent diorama showing Air Corps construction engineers at work on a runway in the Southwest Pacific theater; the placards told the history of the black Air Corps units that were sent to SoWesPac and elsewhere after putting up with substandard training, harassment, and other time-wasting bullshit characteristic of race relations in the 1940s. Other displays included a panel showing actors who served in uniform during WW2, including Captain Errol Flynn, Colonel James Stewart, Major Glenn Miller and Lieutenant Ronald Reagan, who went on to a more prestigious command sixty years later. :) The Miller display was pretty extensive, featuring music, programs and posters from the band's performances in Europe, a very rare V-Disc and other memorabilia. There was much more cool stuff, such as the commemorative silver goblets given to the Doolittle Raiders*; a B-18, P-35 and P-36 in prewar silver paint jobs; and much, much more. This is part of the reason flying to DC was out of the question: how could I possibly have passed on the chance to see this? Tomorrow will definitely be spent with fresh batteries and maybe a larger SD card for the camera.

Not even coming back to the motel to find that housekeeping had skipped my room could kill my buzz. The night manager got right on it, personally bringing fresh towels, changing the bed, and throwing out the garbage. w00t.

*Music playing in the background during the Doolittle Raid video? "Fanfare for the Common Man."
HELL YEAH.

Comments

[materia-indigo.livejournal.com]

I need to visit that museum one of these years. Wow.

[wombat-socho.livejournal.com]

Yes, you do. They have a Army model A6M2, and an Ohka special attack craft, among other things that might appeal to you. Unfortunately the XB-70 is jammed in cheek by jowl with about three dozen X-planes, drones, and Lord knows what all, so I couldn't get a clear shot of it. It looks like it's in much better shape these days, though.

[geekboyonline.livejournal.com]

Very Cool! I will have to try to go visit there sometime (in my copious free time that I have).

Glad your having fun.

[wombat-socho.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Yes, you should take a break in the spring or fall and come down here to check the place out. It is filled with win and awesome.

[(Anonymous)]

Since the last time I saw the Air Force Museum in 1995 (I think) they've added another couple of hangars to the complex, one of which is on Wright-Patterson AFB proper and houses the XB-70 and other experimental oddities in one half while the former Presidential aircraft are in the other.

Well, that would explain why I couldn't find the Valkyrie back in May.

There's always next year (I think I'm going to make a point of having the pilgramage to http://www.hamvention.org/ be an annual thing).

-RS

[wombat-socho.livejournal.com]

Yup, they hid the Valkyrie from you and stuck a bunch of transports outside in its place. True, some of them are interesting transports, like the NKC-135 laser testbed plane and the Spanish-made JU-52 repainted in Luftwaffe colors, but they're not the XB-70.