Aviation and space museum

[cobraman]

Still stuck in Virginia thanks to Southwest Airlines ( hope to fly back to Arizona tomorrow ).  My daughter took us to a museum here in Sterling Va.  Lots of cool stuff . Here are some pics . 

[cobraman]

Few more . 

[Joe Nunes]

Thank you for sharing the photos with us. I really enjoyed looking at the aircraft. 

Joe

[TransAmMike]

Thanks for the pics Ray....a lot of interesting aircraft there.  I like old warbirds they have there.

[LDO]

Wow! So many cool planes. I must go there one day. Thanks for the photos!

[Xingu]

The building itself is pretty amazing. No center columns, and it is a wide building, with the ability to hang a fair amount of weight from the trusses.

There is a lot of history in that building.

[Snake45]

Great pics, thanks for sharing them! 

My Dad flew that Constellation many times. Interestingly, in the same pic with the Constellation is a Shrike Commander (Bob Hoover's). I have a pic of my Dad with that very airplane in the background. 

[Ace-Garageguy]

Yup, thanks Ray. Looks like you made good use of your unplanned layover time...and looking at your photos was the most fun I've had all week.

That wooden sailplane suspended above the P-26 Peashooter is, I believe, one of several donated by the father of a good friend of mine. 

EDIT: Nope. It's a Bowlus Sr. Albatross.    https://www.si.edu/object/bowlus-1-s-2100-senior-albatross-falcon%3Anasm_A19350058000          My friend's father donated a Bowlus Baby Albatross, IIRC.  

The Nemesis racing plane was the reason the LS-9 powered Lancair project I was working on was cancelled. When the Nemesis debuted, it became obvious the hot-rod Lancair wouldn't be as fast, so the owner sold it, not wishing to continue dumping money into a second-place racer.

 

Edited January 1, 2023 by Ace-Garageguy

[misterNNL]

It's amazing how many of those delicate wooden frame canvas wing early craft still exist today. Thanks for sharing!

[Rodent]

3 minutes ago, misterNNL said:

It's amazing how many of those delicate wooden frame canvas wing early craft still exist today. Thanks for sharing!

They are probably akin to Lincoln's axe, but it is still cool to see them. I was lucky enough to have a free D.C. trip for work (kinda) in 1998, and we had a few free hours near the Capitol to sightsee. My colleague Lisa and I quickly covered everything "air" in the Smithsonian Air and Space museum, and spent the rest of the time in Natural History. I believe that the museum Ray visited is an annex of the Smithsonian Air and Space?

[Dave Ambrose]

Thank you for the pictures! I can think of worse places to be stuck. Hope you make it home okay. 

[Ace-Garageguy]

39 minutes ago, Rodent said:

They are probably akin to Lincoln's axe...

The wooden sailplane shown above was donated in 1933 by its owner's widow, and is pretty much as-was. The wooden sailplanes donated by my friend's father shortly before his death were also mostly original, having been maintained in flyable condition since just after WW II. The fabric coverings on the flight surfaces had been replaced periodically, but that's part of standard maintenance.

When an aircraft is badly deteriorated, a lot of effort is usually expended keeping as much of the original material intact as possible, especially if the restoration is to display status only, where structural integrity isn't critical. Another friend's wooden plane was originally assembled with an early resorcinol glue, and as it turned to powder over decades, the aircraft literally became a pile of sticks. After cleaning and reassembly with a more stable adhesive, it's still the same plane, just put together with different glue...a far cry from the "Lincoln's axe" analogy where both the head and the shaft would be replacements, leaving nothing of the original but provenance.

 

Edited January 1, 2023 by Ace-Garageguy
CLARITY

[Raoul Ross]

The Lockheed Constellation was one the great designs in aeronautic history. Wish you could find one in 1/48 without paying an arm and a leg. Great Pix!

[JollySipper]

2 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

The Nemesis racing plane was the reason the LS-9 powered Lancair project I was working on was cancelled.

and It's such a pretty plane, too! 

Thanks for the pics, Ray.........

[Snake45]

2 hours ago, Raoul Ross said:

The Lockheed Constellation was one the great designs in aeronautic history. Wish you could find one in 1/48 without paying an arm and a leg. Great Pix!

My Dad told me that it was his favorite military aircraft he ever flew. And he'd flown the F-86, among many others! 

[1930fordpickup]

Another Thanks Ray. Great Photo's .

[ChrisBcritter]

Thanks for these terrific photos, Ray - you just saved me an expensive trip to DC! 

[cobraman]

So glad you guys liked the photos . It’s a great place . I wish I could have stayed a bit longer but with a 3 year old and a 5 month old In tow it was tough even with daughter and wife watching them . Right now I am sitting at Dullas airport waiting for southwest to take me to Denver and then on to Phoenix . All looks good at the moment !!   Fingers crossed !

[oldnslow]

Man ! That's a great group of pics , thanks

[BlackSheep214]

Impressive! I love going to aviation museums. I’ve been to the Air & Space Museum in D.C. a couple times (1984 and early 2000). If anyone ever get a chance to go to Ottawa, Canada do check out a couple museums there - the Canadian War Museum and Canada Aviation Museum. Lots of wonderful stuff to see. The War Museum has a lot of their War trophies of WW2 - Tiger, T-34, Hitler’s car he used for Nazi rallies, etc... 

Both have a nice collection of Pre WW1 and WW1 aircrafts as well as WW2, Cold War and modern stuff. It was at the Aviation Museum I got my first look at the famous Lancaster and a Bf-109.The 109 isn’t really a large fighter plane but sure look fast standing still. Same with the Lancaster. You would think it’s a fairly large bomber of WW2 but it really not when you study it at first. No different in comparable size to a B-17. I was in awe with the Lancaster bomber. Such a gorgeous WW2 British bomber.

[Mike 1017]

If I had the money, I would restore that P38

Thanks for the pictures