So I took a five-day trip to Rockville, Maryland to visit family friends. This was for relaxation more than anything, because work has been pretty exhausting. I would have been perfectly happy lounging all day, but my host took me shopping at a couple used bookstores. (End-of-week haul: eight volumes, four of which are about WWII Commandos, two of which are by Peter Young.)
Then on Wednesday we visited Udvar-Hazy, the "annex" to the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum. My host was happy just trailing behind me while I reeled off useless trivia. We didn't bother taking a proper tour, but were able to see most everything in just two hours! It's one big hangar.
My favorites were the Westland Lysander (first picture), some of the rare Nazi planes, and the WWI and '30s aircraft. Of course there are the big ones - Enola Gay, space shuttle Discovery, a Concorde and SR-71, but I've seen these types all before at other museums. I remember Enola Gay caused trouble when it was first brought to the museum, and it is not set off in any way frm the rest of the collection, while Bockscar at the Dayton USAF museum has a more interesting and thoughtful display about the history behind it.
Also, Flak-Bait, the longest-serving B-26 Marauder, can be seen in the restoration area - they are giving it back its wings and tail.
Pics aren't of the best, but hope you like them.
Thanks for sharing these photographs. I like the juxtaposition of giant real planes and small model planes that you can see both overall size, shape and detail. The Lysander is a favourite, one I never made as a youngster. Matchbox made a (too expensive for pocket money) 1:32 scale model that would have been superb for covert operation games (although delicate models and wargaming outdoors do not go well together).
ReplyDeleteFlakbait is an excellent name for a WW2 bomber, worthy of a board game or wargame.
The planes are so packed together that it's hard to separate them out or see the whole of an aircraft, though the upper walkways help quite a bit. Definitely a must-see sort of place. I would have liked more time to soak it in, but we had to leave at a given hour. The photos will help with the memories.
DeleteModeling-wise, I was surprised to find they had Guillow balsa-and-paper models in the shop, the exact same ones that my Dad used to build and fly forty years ago. I was quite tempted by some of the snap-tite models and paper airplane kits, in the end I settled for a book by Apollo 13 crewmember Fred Haise.
What a great looking collection. Like Mark, I built the Lysander in my youth and my Dad also built loads of balsa and paper planes. I remember a rubber band powered P51 Mustang he built. Alas, it only survived one flight.
ReplyDeleteMy dad's favorite for flying was a "civilian" aircraft which might have been a Piper Cub. We went through three or four of them. The WWII ones rarely flew - we tried the BF109 once and Dad (an aviation engineer) decided the tail was too small to work on the scaled-down plane.
DeleteA large Corsair ended up over my bed, and more than once dropped its plastic bombs on me in the night...
what a great place to visit - thanks for sharing your pictures
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. It's a must-see if you're in the area.
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