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Several incredible WWII aircraft arrived from a museum flying collection in Canada. A Spitfire and Hurricane were the big draw fighters. One of two flying Lancasters in the world arrived and it was amazing to see this machine close-up. A Corsair was included in the collection and I did see some Canadian T-33s coming and going.
Max
I hope everyone liked the abbreviated Oshkosh tour. I have more pictures but I just wanted to expose the Gang to a truely remarkable aircraft gathering. I'm a model builder because I'm facinated with aircraft and I can build replicas to display. Every model in the museum has also been researched about history and design. Models are a link to the real aircraft and history to me and that's why I keep showing everyone great places in aircraft history that I was lucky enough to experience.
Here's a couple of items you don't often see like the twin hulled spacecraft hauler complete with Branson and Rutaan walking around the area and the Erickson Air Crane on display after doing a water drop for the crowd.
When they flew the Spaceship hauler I positioned myself about where I assumed lift-off would be and waited. To my surprise that thing hardly rolled at all and was airborne way early for me. The shot is distant but it does show lift-off. (Mit der Beetle!)
So check it out if you can, you only need to go once, a great experience! (And thanks for looking!)
Another great batch of pics!
Man, I LOVE Skycranes. I only ever got to see one in Army service. We had "Goliath" at my airport for a good week. They set up base here, while doing some heavy lifting, somewhere more toward Detroit. I did my best to try to entertain the guys on their down time...which there was a lot of. Sounds like a very boring job...most of the time.
Got a couple pics of em "practicing"...
Here's a link to the album, got quite a few detail shots in there...
http://s661.photobucket.com/user/fermisb/library/Ref%20pics?sort=3&page=1
Another pic, I like...can't remember if I posted it before. This was an Army NG bird...acquired by "Construction Helicopters" (based at my airport)...it has since been painted, but I have not seen it again since.
OK, just one more BD-5 picture, these things fascinate me. It's a true 1/1 model you could build and really fly! (Well, not me, they look scary! lol)
Here's a couple for the DC-3/C-47 guys. There were more but here's a good representation. When leaving Oskosh there were two big lines waiting to take one on each side of the runway. Occasionally two would take off together on each side of the centerline. Not us, we yielded to the C-47 on the other side to go ahead of our Cessna 185. Worlds busiest airport in the world when runways were open. I felt better when we escaped the area and were on our way home!
Just a P-40 rumbling by that I thought you might like. What a nice example!
Lotsa significant aircraft in one picture! Dayton again, I sometimes forget how many examples of history are preserved there. Check it out.
I did find a few more fun aircraft photos hiding in the archives. The first one is a couple of old Fokkers lol, and the second is a Sunday ride with his lady friend. It's probably easy to pick up ladies with your new shiney restored T-28.
Aircraft silliness.
Engines and details.
Hey, thanks for looking! These probably wouldn't have been seen again by anyone including me.
Czech Aero L-39, yet another paint job. There's even one depicted as a Blue Angel that I saw several years ago. This is an old eastern block trainer used by Russia and East Germany during the cold war. Hundreds have been sold on the world market. You can even have your L-39 serviced in the U.S. I had it on my Christmas want list but at 200-300 grand it was probably out of the question. Maybe I should just look for a model and customize like I want.
Just dreamin'.
PS--does anyone make a 1/48 L-39?
Update: I now see that Special Hobby has one. I've never built a SH. Any reports?
Ouch, I've been moved to page two again. Here's a cool B-25 that arrives at Ks/Ok/Mo airshows that I've shot several times. It's based in Tulsa Ok. This thing is slick! Check it out.
What better way to revive this subject than a field trip with my 10 year old grandson on spring break to a cool sleeper Space Museum in Kansas. He's at the age where it's time to fill his brain with cool stuff. Success! A great educational adventure and a chance to break out the camera to show off America's Space treasures.
The Kansas Cosmosphere rates somewhere in the top five places to see space artifacts. It's not a large place but is jam packed with Space goodies from both the U.S. and Russia. They have a National and International exchange program with other Museums including the Smithsonian. They also restore National Space artifacts. Quite the place to see if you are in our area!
I'm still editing and will try to post a few pictures of the adventure and some of the great displays and items. This was a satisfying experience for educating my grandson on a great period in history.
The lobby is somewhat daunting when you enter. A Blackbird dominates the entrance (you can touch it!) along with a partial Shuttle mock-up and inverted T-38 NASA chase plane. The second shot shows Apollo 13 on display. This is one of Max's favorites as I got to photograph and fiddle with it during the restoration process on assignment.
More to come.
PS--We did have to buy a small SR-71 Blackbird model in the gift shop for my grandson. We finished it before he went home. I think this is how modeling begins! Another acomplishment for a great day.
A couple more. When educating children one should explain the non-benefits of Nuclear destruction and explaining how the Nuclear tipped Titian was converted to launching Spacecraft. Good display, visual outdoors and an engine viewing pit accessable through the museum.
I can't seem to get enough of these big liquid-fueled beasts with their monster pumps and fuel lines. We agreed, cool for sure!
Max and Cameron
Wow! Remember the "White Room"? It's where Apollo astronouts left Earth on their way to the Moon. It was the room at the top of the stack where you entered the Apollo spacecraft. Actually there were two White Rooms for the two Moon launch sites.
My Grandson and I entered one of them yesterday and here he is ready to board through the opening behind him! He wasn't as excited as I was but he'd probably already received too much info from his guide, namely me, on the tour. Lots to digest here!
We did have to go back and check the SR-71 Blackbird a few more times for details on his upcoming model build that evening. The nice tour guide lady even shot a picture of the gang with my camera. I'm the enthused old guy on the left, lol!
PS--I hope I'm not boring everyone with the family educational outing but we are proud of our Kansas Cosmosphere!
Germanys V-1 and V-2 vengance weapons were well displayed and menacing, I guess is the word. The V-1 "Buzz Bomb" was close-up and hands-on and the V-2 rocket was depicted as being under constuction by slave labor. Several panels were removed to show the inner workings. All really well done.
Upon returning home that evening, I did show Cameron my Tamiya 1/48 buzz bomb to demonstrate how modeling is related to history. His eyes did light up, It was part of my plan.
Being the photographer here, I made our crew check out all the space Nikon and Hasselblad film cameras of the era. They weren't as excited as me but it was part of the program with me being the guide and deciding mandatory stops.
An interesting fact was that the Moon Hasselblad cameras were left on the Moon since they needed the limited space for Moon rocks and only the film magazines were returned. There were several returned Astronout autographed magazines on display.
Being a Nikon user and collector, I liked the space modified Nikon F models on display. Wow!
Ok, not as exciting as Spacecraft and Blackbirds but I am the Photographer, Guide and Writer on this part so be patient and humor me. I'm happy now.
Max's part,
OK, last installment on the great museum experience. Thanks for watching our great adventure! I just wanted to share our experiences in educating the younger generations on what happened in an incredible part of history and even trying to influence a new modeling person to carry on our work.
I also find it amazing that someone had the insight to preserve, save and exhibit the great examples of early spaceflight history for all of us. I thank them!
Another couple of shots to show what a great collection and display museum the Kansas Cosmosphere is and to hopefully lure others there to learn from and enjoy the collection. Hope you liked it!
Max, That looks like a really cool museum. Who would have thought in the middle of Kansas! Thanks for sharing.
John
Kansas! Who knew? Love the situation, thanks for the pics
My website: http://waihobbies.wkhc.net
Thanks Gang, for comments and just watching. I rarely get comments on my photographic reports but I sometimes need to share my enthusiasm with like-minded people. I see that the post had over 200 hits which means to me, mission accomplished, as showing our cool space museum and my pictures and adventure were not just filed away never to be seen again. This has been a good outlet for me both in photography, writing and social interaction with a fun bunch. I do appreciate your tolerance!
Max, Here are some pics I took at Osh Kosh in 2015 of a A-26. Enjoy
Enjoy!
Really nice example John and thanks for posting! I've about run out of materials for this post. I guess this means it's time for some of us to go on the proverbial road trip to an air show or museum. This is about the only place I can find victims to show my photography and adventures to, LOL! I am going to a major modeling show in Tulsa Oklahoma this Saturday, April 8 and along with entering a few craft I may shoot a few pix there for a brief report.
Later,
Here's a few more from Osh Kosh
PBJ Devil Dog
Spitfire, with my son and father-in-law in front.
The mighty FIFI
Page two will never do, Max. With your permission here are some pictures from the show at Mather Field this weekend, with the Patrouille de France and the A400M, the first time it has been to North America. A couple of T-38's from Beale AFB did a low pass, who can resist?
Ten airplanes are on tour, with 9 and 0 held in reserve for mechanicals on the other 8. The emblem on the nose commemorates US members of the WW I Lafayette Escadrille.
The smoke adds a lot to the show.
And the A400M. I guess Tom Cruise got off the airplane, I didn't seem him. They played a little Mission Impossible music during the A400M's flybys.
And a little eye candy of the US variety:
To see build logs for my models: http://goldeneramodel.com/mymodels/mymodels.html
Wow! good post John!
PS--and thanks from saving us from the dreaded page two! LOL!
waikongAn operational B29 - beautiful!
Being from Kansas, I've been following the restoration of the second B-29 and first flight recently. It was restored in Wichita Kansas where it was originally built. There are now two flying!
Here's one to keep the Aircraft Photograhy post current. Don't forget Oshkosh coming up! I did get an invitation but I can't go this year. Check it out for us and shoot some pictures for us!
This was shot on a Nikon D-70 with a Nikon 80-200 F2.8 on my first outing to an airshow with a digital camera. The end of film for me!
Nice one Max!
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