cazalea
[Seiko Moderator]
21019
More Aircraft at the March Field Air Museum
Here's the view as you exit the freeway and approach the March Field Museum:
I'll walk you through some of the exhibits:
Yes, those are MIGs behind the B-29
There were actually quite a lot of visitors on the chilly Thursday morning we visited. Notice the rare, snow-capped peaks in the background.
In addition to fighters and bombers, the musuem has some ground vehicles
Helicopters
Oddball stuff, like this tiny "Gnat" As it was under restoration, there was no sign. Here's the data from the museum's site:
Designed in the mid-1950s by W.E.W. Petter as a low-cost alternative to
increasingly expensive and overly sophisticated military aircraft, the Gnat is a
tiny, subsonic, single-seat, swept-wing fighter and trainer. Developed for
production by Folland Aircraft Ltd United Kingdom, the design permits an
aircraft to be constructed and maintained cheaply, by countries without
extensive specialized tools and industry.
With excellent performance capabilities, a top speed of 695 mile per hour and
a service ceiling of nearly 50,000 feet, the little aircraft became a favorite.
Although not used as a fighter by the Royal Air Force the Gnat was a versatile trainer
and the star of the RAF Red Arrows Aerobatics Demonstration Team.
Armed with two 30mm cannon, the Gnat's most noteworthy achievements
came as a fighter for the Indian Air Force. In repeated conflicts with Pakistan
the Gnat became known as the "Sabre Slayer," besting the Canadair Sabre, a variant of the F-86.
It's 30 feet long, 22 feet wide, 6000 lbs and can do 698 mph. Youch!
There are amphibious aircraft,
Jet Interceptors and Fighters
A few older aircraft
The last US bomber to drop weapons on North Korea!
Some freighters
Trainers, etc.
It's not all outdoors, either. Inside there's a fantastic aviation library donated by my friends Martin & Jane's family - the Yeagers.
For camera buffs (and I know we have many here) there was an exhibit of various kinds of Combat Cameras.
An entire wall was devoted to cockpit interiors. I looked at a hundred dials and only found this clock:
There's a big space display too but I was exhausted by this time and just wanted refreshment.
Sadly the bar was closed that day.
I recommend you stop by and take a look someday. THE MUSEUM WEBSITE
Cazalea
747 lifts off from March field, circling over the museum
Saturday fantasy: SR-71 and B-52
SR-71 Blackbird Let's just say it's Saturday morning, the chores are done, and we need to take a look at the state of affairs of the planet. Rather than open the newspaper (on our iPad), we walk to the hanger. We fire up these two Buick Wildcat V8 engines...
More please!!!
I love these older aircraft, as they really were game changers with regards to the course of history. The U2 spy plane is one that I also love reading about - watching the James May (BBC ex-Top Gear presenter) youtube clip showing the journey into low atm...
Thank you for this detailed visit...
Shame on humankind, that cannot produce better planes, after all those years. Cheers, Nilo
Good point!
I do wonder though if there is a successor to the blackbird that is still understandably classified. Although with satellite technology it might not be necessary.
Please do the follow-up
and thank you for showing two legendary aircrafts Cheers D P.S. Dr. Strangelove is superb movie
I just watched the trailer for Dr Strangelove
It must be 40 years since I\'ve seen that movie. Time for another viewing. Cazalea
More Aircraft at the March Field Air Museum
Here's the view as you exit the freeway and approach the March Field Museum: I'll walk you through some of the exhibits: Yes, those are MIGs behind the B-29 There were actually quite a lot of visitors on the chilly Thursday morning we visited. Notice the ...
Great photos....
of great planes, I was not aware of this museum so thanks for this report, I am confident I will take the time to visit the place! And even though I have seen the SR-71 numerous times myself, I have not seen it in a setting like that where you can even cl...
WOW ! Congratulations on your purchase !
Owning a Blackbird must be very special ! What's the highest speed you reached with it ? ;-)
I haven't run it yet, still looking for a refueling partner ...
Trouble is, this tanker isn't fast enough. The Blackbird would fall out of the sky trying to fly slow enough ... I have flown a SPEEDBIRD though but I sold it. :-( ...
Quiz time! Great post, now to see who's on their game....
Your first photo: SR-71 Your last photo: P-38 What person do these two aircraft have in common? ( Hint: One of my heroes! )
I must admit that I give credit to Ben Rich
Project manager for propulsion and heat management systems for Skunk Works. Without him the SR-71, F117, and U2 would have not been possible. This is not to undermine K. Johnson work by any means, but it is neat to know the men "behind the scenes". Sincer...
Gosh how can i have missed this post!
I never go to the timeout section! Thanks a lot cazalea for these stunning pictures. The SR-71 is my favorite aircraft, i used to have a tiny model of it when I was a child. This plus alphajets flying daily over my home made my an aircraft addict! I reall...
Beauties!
I\'m heading to Seattle next week and the museum of flight is in the plans. Cheers PAt