Went to Wright Patterson Air Force Museum Yesterday.

[[SC] Arachnicus]

Actually it's only 45 minute drive for me so I have gone a few times this year. That Museum has a stunning collection. To be 3 feet from the real plane you get a great perspective of these planes. I have noticed many different things that kind of surprised me. Here are just three.

1) How did those early pilots see out the front of a Spad?

2) The P-38 is smaller then I thought it would be.

3) The P-47 is bigger then I thought it would be.

 

[drgondog]

The 355th FGA will have its annual re-union there in October. We will have one full day of open cockpit/full access to all the 355th related a/c (WWII 8th AF), Vietnam F-105, RB 66 and Desrt Storm/Iraqi freedom A-10 plus access to maintenance/rebuild shop.

I'll take a lot of pics.

 

[model299]

I spent the 6th and 7th of May there.

Wowzers!

What a stunning collection. I'd had this on my bucket list for many years, and knew it was a large complex. I was still not prepared for the scope of this museum. Even though I spent two whole days there, there's no way we (Dear wife and I.) even came CLOSE to seeing everything.

if I lived in the area, I most certainly would become a volunteer. One volunteer told me they have one guy who lives in KANSAS who makes the trip to put time in. That's dedication.

 

[model299]

1) How did those early pilots see out the front of a Spad?

Kick the rudder pedal and look down the side.

2) The P-38 is smaller then I thought it would be.

3) The P-47 is bigger then I thought it would be.

I'd been near those types through my volunteering at the now defunct Planes Of Fame museum in at the Flying Cloud airport in Minnesota.

I'd never been next to a B1 or B2, and was surprised at the size of those.

I was also floored by the size of the unmanned Predator drone hanging in the Cold War Section. That thing is huge.

 

[davebender]

I was impressed by how small the Me-262 was despite two engines.

And the huge size of the B-36. What was the USAAC thinking? With a gyrostabilized gun sight an average pilot could spray that thing with cannon fire from a range of 1,000 meters.

 

[bobbysocks]

they are still having re-unions?? how many 355 vets are still about? the 357th had their last one in 01 because the guys were getting too old. a couple mini ones not and then but nothing formal like this.