The aura of aviation – evidenced in the high-tech hangar look of the building design – starts from the moment you glimpse The Museum of Flight. Man’s fascination with flight is mapped for you to track: Leonardo da Vinci’s dreamy sketches, the Wright brothers’ first short success, to the soaring accomplishments of the Space Age.
Michael P. Anderson was born December 25, 1959, in Plattsburgh, New York, but considered Spokane, Washington, to be his hometown. Died on February 1, 2003 over the southern United States when Space Shuttle Columbia and her crew perished during entry, 16 minutes prior to scheduled landing.
British and French aerospace companies collaborated to design and build 20 Concorde aircraft between 1966 and 1979. Flying with Air France and British Airways, the supersonic jets offered a luxurious and speedy trip across the Atlantic for 27 years. Capable of speeds over two times the speed of sound and at elevations up to 60,000 feet (18,290 m), the Concorde could fly from London to New York and return in the time it took a conventional aircraft to go one way. Flagging demand and rising operating expenses finally ended Concorde service -- symbolizing a lost era of luxury travel.
The Museum's aircraft, registration code G-BOAG, is referred to as "Alpha Golf." It was first flown in April of 1978, and delivered to British Airways in 1980. Equipped with four powerful Rolls-Royce/SNECMA Olympus 593 Mk. 610 turbojet engines, the Alpha Golf logged more than 5,600 takeoffs and over 16,200 flight hours while in service. The Museum's aircraft made the last commercial Concorde flight, which took place on October 24, 2003. On its way to The Museum of Flight, the Alpha Golf set a New York City-to-Seattle speed record of 3 hours, 55 minutes, and 12 seconds.
I thought this mountain is Mt. Fuji and I am in Japan. Actually, this is Mt. Rainier (4,392 m).
Grumman F-14, named the Tomcat, procurement began in 1969 for 700 aircraft. Deliveries to the Navy began in June 1972 with the initial deployment of operational carrier squadrons in 1974.
The ability to sweep its wings aft 43 degrees from the horizontal, coupled with twin 21,000-lb-thrust engines enables the F-14 to achieve speeds in excess of twice the speed of sound.
The museum F-14 was from Fighting Squadron 84 (VF-84), the squadron was nicknamed the Jolly Rogers and was based at Naval Air Station Oceana.
The Fiat G.91 was designed in the mid-1950s to meet NATO requirements for a tactical fighter and ground support aircraft. Several features, especially the swept wings, tail, and fuselage structure, bear a great resemblance to the North American F-86 Sabre jet fighter.
The Museum's aircraft was one of several G.91s used by Frecce Tricolori (Tricolor Arrows), Italy's national aerobatic team. This flight demonstration group flew G.91s from 1963 to 1981.
During the Korean War, the U.S. needed rugged jet aircraft suited for attack missions. The A-6 was designed as a tough and versatile all-weather attack bomber to fill this role. Major improvements in avionics and hardware have made the Intruder the workhorse of the Navy and Marine Corps for over 30 years -- from Vietnam to beyond Desert Storm.
The Museum's A-6E entered service in 1972. It has flown with nine Navy squadrons including bombing missions over Iraq during the first Gulf War. The plane is painted in the scheme of a VA-52 aircraft from the USS Kitty Hawk. That A-6 Intruder, named "Viceroy 502," was lost over Vietnam in 1972.
The Harrier is one of the most extraordinary and recognizable fighter aircraft in the world. Built to support troops on the ground and intercept and attack enemy aircraft and helicopters over the battlefield, the single-man light fighter currently flies with the United States Marine Corps, the British Royal Air Force, and the Spanish and Italian navies.
The trait that makes the Harrier unique from other U.S. airplanes is that it can take off and land vertically. The Harrier accomplishes this amazing flying feat by directing thrust from the engine through four swiveling nozzles located on the fighter's belly. Sometimes called a "jump jet," the Harrier can operate from short fields, the decks of ships, or even roadways located close to the fighting.
This Harrier flew with Marine Attack Squadron 542 before it was retired and loaned to The Museum of Flight.
The first presidential jet plane, a specially built Boeing 707-120, is known as SAM (Special Air Missions) 970. This aircraft, as well as any other Air Force aircraft, carried the call sign "Air Force One" when the president was aboard. Delivered in 1959 to replace Eisenhower's Super-Constellation, the high-speed jet transport is a flying Oval Office with a modified interior and sophisticated communication equipment.
Jet technology gave a president the opportunity to meet face-to-face with world leaders easily. SAM 970 has carried presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon as well as VIPs such as Nikita Khrushchev and Henry Kissinger.
By 1962, SAM 970 was replaced by a newer Boeing VC-137C. But SAM 970 remained in the presidential fleet ferrying VIPs and the Vice-President until June of 1996.
T. A. Wilson Great Gallery
Dramatic both day and night, the museum’s Great Gallery is an architectural statement. Six stories of glass and steel – with 3,000,000 cubic feet of exhibit space – is an impressive showcase for aircraft.
Currently, you can see 39 full-size historic aircraft that trace the history of the first 100 years of flight. Taking full advantage of the space, 23 of these aircraft are suspended from the ceiling in an attitude of flight. Yes, that includes a nine-ton Douglas DC-3.
Consider that the Blackbird spy plane was designed to fly coast-to-coast in 58 minutes, and is still the fastest plane in the world.
Currently, you can see 39 full-size historic aircraft that trace the history of the first 100 years of flight. Taking full advantage of the space, 23 of these aircraft are suspended from the ceiling in an attitude of flight. Yes, that includes a nine-ton Douglas DC-3.
Consider that the Blackbird spy plane was designed to fly coast-to-coast in 58 minutes, and is still the fastest plane in the world.
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