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Museum Month

Vlad

Well Known Member
December in Mid Atlantic. Outside temperature often below freezing. What to do? Not much local flying activity this time of the year. Let's make December a Museum Month! How many museums can I visit before New Year Ball drops on Times Square? :D


MAAM at Reding is open today. It's not far away and I've never been there. Lots of interesting stuff to see I've heard. Gassed up, preflight and up we go. RV and I.






Air is stable visibility so so. Not many aircrafts in the air perfect training day for a tower controller. I am lining up with active runway to ease his workload and making a call just before entering Delta airspace. Nothing should be easy on training day, get a code first experimental.






Now go straight in runway 31 clear to land.






What's your destination Sir? Museum ramp. Proceed via x right on y left on z said the trainee... I read back all the instructions without much thought I've looked over the airport diagram before, it's super simple... and I landed longer to meet that taxiway... A second (stern) voice from the tower corrected which taxiway to use I felt a bit ashamed. It's age and a deficit of attention :)






Mid-Atlantic Museum has its own ramp and you can park by the entrance for free. Kind of cool to be on the ramp with all those airplanes. There is an FBO next to it and they charge a symbolic fee so I saved myself a whopping $8 for admissions.






This Yankee came all the way from Green Bay WI and they already finished touring the Museum. I was the only visitor.







 
Joe was my guide and let me tell you he is the best I've ever had!







He told me the story of a Black Widow under restoration. She will be airworthy soon.







A lot of riveting is already done on her.









Mighty B-25 they are selling rides during summer months.








This engine is a kind of big for RV.













There is a planemobile and a very interesting pusher airplane with channel wings. I will come again when weather is nice just to look over it again.













There is a giant impressive transport parked outside. Faded insignia says - Marine Lumber Co, Nantucket.










 
Two hours went fast I got the contact and invitation to visit Grimes airfield where Joe and a group of restorers have several projects under way. When grass is green I am in...





Time to depart.







The same tower trainee cleared me to depart from an intersection. Asked about destination but gave me a squawk anyway :) Great airport and very accommodating people on all levels.




A balloonist near my home field was skirting low because of higher winds upstairs. Usually there are at least four of his colleagues.











An old girl jumped from joy of seeing my RV back.







Reding. Check. :D
 
Vlad,

Love your travel stories, but hate to see your airplane out in the cold. Keep the stories coming I'm always looking forward to your next adventure.
 
Great museum at Grissom Field in Indiana. Former Air Force Base now open to the public. If you're lucky, you'll be in the pattern with a KC-135, maybe a Warthog. Museum is just off the field, about 1/4 mile walk from FBO. There is also an Army Aviation museum in the FBO building.
 
Texas my friend

Vlad,

There are a few museums in Texas?and I can almost guarantee the weather will be warmer down here.

How does that heater work in your 9?

I love to see the pictures and read your stories also.
 
????? When do you get your reality show????? I am pretty sure you could give Honey Boo Boo a run for the money in ratings. Seriously!
 
Head to Pensacola...

Where the seafood is excellent, lots of Naval Aviation History, great museum, with a BAR. And it's warm and sunny:p
 
flying boxcar

Thanks for the pics. Many years ago I parachuted out of those at Ft. Benning GA. My first 5 jumps were out of those.
 
Great shots Vlad.

Just a quick question, how do you get your RV to start, given what looks like very cold conditions.

Cheers
 
Coffee table book

Vlad you do more exploring with your RV than anybody I ever heard of. ;) And all your travel stories have great photos to boot.:) You have the makings of an outstanding coffee table type full color travel /motivational book. Just skimming through a few pages would be enough to get me in the shop. Every time you post another story it's a reminder of what I'm missing. :mad:
Can't wait to read about your next Vladventure.:D
 
Great museum at Grissom Field in Indiana. Former Air Force Base now open to the public. If you're lucky, you'll be in the pattern with a KC-135, maybe a Warthog. Museum is just off the field, about 1/4 mile walk from FBO. There is also an Army Aviation museum in the FBO building.


Thanks Rich. On the list...




Where the seafood is excellent, lots of Naval Aviation History, great museum, with a BAR. And it's warm and sunny:p

I love Florida but couldn't afford to go there every weekend. After 2022 maybe :)


=eddieseve;938684

Just a quick question, how do you get your RV to start, given what looks like very cold conditions.

Cheers

It's the whole system of tricks Eddie to start it below zero. I don't have neither primer nor preheater. If oil drops from the dipstick while I check the level I know I could start. I won't post the sequence because it's not a common and recommended practice. Some even tell me it's harmful for journals. If my battery can turn a blade or two I am good. Just need a little time, gentler touch on the controls and a magic word :D



 
NAS Wildwood. Today all Navy!

To get to museum #2 I used notable landmarks. Passed dormant SixFlags amusement park. Navy kids love it!






Stables where Navy feeds fat dirigibles.






Built bankrupt building. Why? Because Navy officers don't gamble as much as they did before. Where are the golden days of casinos?







Lucy the Elephant. It relates to Navy somehow... :D







Coast Guard chopper in a navy-like exercise.







After landing I was greeted by a herd of caribou.







Two turns later here I am at NAS Wildwood in Cape May NJ.







The Museum is open. It has huge attendance during summer months. Cape May is a popular family vacation spot. But today I am the only visitor.



 
Never saw such a guided bomb.





This Paragon Propeller is so huge it couldn't fit in my camera lenses. Nice safety wiring I took one more picture really close. PM me if you want to see it.








Mig15 with a great story. You can play it by pushing red button on a screen by the exhibition. "We flew the Mig" says the movie title.






A Top Gun star.

















I counted exposed cords on this F-5 main wheel and was surprised to see exact match with my first set of Vans stock tires :D



 
Trenton Makes the Navy Takes. TBM Avenger!







Last of the big fighters. F14 Tomcat!








Trainer from 1939 beautiful bird. Still under restoration.








They have very nice museum at NAS Wildwood. Come to visit when it's warmer.



 
Well, how to get back and still look like Navy? The skies are getting wetter but the downpour starts in three hours. Trip back takes 30 minutes and I stretched it to 55. :D


Simulated engine out somewhere in the marshes. Boy that appendix is full of surprises and it's two times longer then a carrier deck.






Somewhere here they are building new boat for Sig600. Another Navy engineer I know flies a loaded RV calls it a Cornfield Cruiser. I stayed under his frying pan just in case.







Feeding grounds of Navy birds. I don't want to be down there.








Rain started earlier then forecasted. Time to retreat. Time for Margaritas :D
 
Nice

Hey Vlad,

Great pics and write-up. I was just at Cape May airport, but didn't have time to tour the museum. Thanks!

Tom
 
Museum #3 Smithsonian Air and Space

Next museum visit was to Smithsonian Air and Space in Washington DC. A write up is here. Great place easily accessible by public transportation from College Park airport.


 
#4 Empire State Aerosciences Museum

ESAM.org is located in Schenectady, NY.
It was a quick one hour run up north. Hunter Mountain ski resort in Catskills is in business.





Our summer swimming hole by Freehold is out of business :)






Before departure I called Schenectady Tower on the land line and asked if I could taxi to the museum ramp. No problem said ATC.
It's almost Canada here getting cooler...






Cleared the active runway and ground control sent me where I wanted.












Very little flying is observed in Schenectady on a perfect winter VFR day. Well, lesser traffic lesser chance of fender bender :D



 
There is a little plaza just across the road from Air Museum. Couple minutes walk to a breakfast place.





After a good breakfast I went straight to the museum. There are two galleries and an airpark outside with amazing collections of modern aircrafts.







Nice exhibition devoted to Amelia.






Look at her auxiliary fuel tanks.







Interesting launchers on a WW1 airplane.







National Guard corner. Never knew they had runways this curved.









A mighty mite.






Gnat single seat bomber.







 
Gallery 2 is filled with rarities.




I can only imagine how many different conoids and pinions are hiding in the body of this bombsight.





A measuring device VAF moderators could use :D








This scaled model of a Japanese air carrier is impressive.












I estimated the deck has enough distance for my RV to land to full stop without cables.



 
Outside ramp is packed with modern aircrafts.




Those with pointy noses make good movies.







Blunt noses make history.







The Migs family.







Royal Scimitar carrier based aircraft view from behind. There are specifics when it's launched. It sits nose high before being catapulted to introduce higher angle of attack at the moment of launch. That's why there is a hydrolic leg under the tail.











My RV fell asleep while I was browsing the museum. She woke up on third blade and we flew home.

















At home airport a T-6 had nothing to do but boring holes in the sky. He bored one for me. I made it safe under the cloud deck. Thank you Texan good luck with your check ride tomorrow...







I would like to visit one more museum this month. Anybody has any recommendation which one?
 
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The Amelia exhibit looks interesting. I get sleepy looking at those "modern" propeller-less creations :)

Thanks for the recon! Looks to be a worthy destination!
 
"The Savage Sons of Sanford": a phrase that lives (in?)famously in my memory for no reason I can recall. Except, that I was born in Sanford.

Liked that one, Vlad.
 
I would like to visit one more museum this month. Anybody has any recommendation which one?

New England Air Museum at KBDL in Connecticut (neam.org)
 
Got to get back there

Another great write up VLAD. They've surely built up that place. Was there a plaque anything on that large hangar you were in giving its history? It was acquired from General Electric. That's a very old pre WWII hanger that was owned by GE where their very first jet engine was developed. My Dad told me years ago that it was a beehive of activity durning the war and you couldn't get near it. Always a lot of military planes there.
 
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Canada Aviation and Space Museum

Vlad,

Another great write up! I have never been there, but the Canada Aviation and Space Museum is fairly close to you, and gets great reviews.

http://casmuseum.techno-science.ca/en/index.php

You can apparently land at the Ottawa Rockcliffe Airport (CYRO) and walk right to the museum.

Where ever you go make sure you post about it!

Merry Christmas all,

Geoff
 
Another one closer to you is at South Jersey Regional airport KVAY. The air victory museum.

Great writeups.
 
Mighty Mite

The Mighty Mite is a Mooney M18 "Mite". Note the name John Piersma below the canopy. John was a long time CAA/FAA Examiner in Utica NY. I took my Private check ride with him in May 1958. Piper J3, no radio no instruments.
John was a partner in Utica Aircraft, the FBO at the original Marcy Airport and then at Oneida County, both airports are gone.
A friend, now gone, flew the C130's in the Schenectady ANG.
 
Museum's

There is a small museum in Hammondsport NY. Closest Airports are Penn Yan and Painted Post. There are some airplanes on display in the airline terminal at Rochester NY. Geneseo has some warbirds but its a grass strip.
Lots of early aviation history in Hammondsport.
 
Then there's the American Helicopter Museum in West Chester, PA. The only all helicopter museum in the country. They have V22 s/n 1.
 
Vlad,

Another great write up! I have never been there, but the Canada Aviation and Space Museum is fairly close to you, and gets great reviews.

http://casmuseum.techno-science.ca/en/index.php

You can apparently land at the Ottawa Rockcliffe Airport (CYRO) and walk right to the museum.

Where ever you go make sure you post about it!

Merry Christmas all,

Geoff



Per Geoff's advice I decided to close 2014 Museum Month with the visit to Canada Aviation and Space Museum. I kept the mission as secret as I could...
Days are very short in December. I came to the airport it was still dark. Preheated the engine and preflighted the aircraft. There was another craft flying this cold morning.










Ottawa is a quick 2.2 hours northbound hop from me. I was experimenting if my RV9A is capable to get to CYRO Rockcliffe airport and back without refueling. Theoretically it's only 600 nm round trip if I choose right altitudes and work red knob smart I am able to make it on full tanks.
One hour later... Utica, NY unplanned altitude change.





Fort Drum brews his own weather. Another slight change in altitude my planned tailwind gain is lost. Winds calm ride smooth.





Two hours later still smooth sailing. I am in Big White North. This is Ottawa.





And this is approach to Rockcliffe airport CYRO. Museum structures are to the right and I am allowed to taxi straight to their hangar.









He looks like a Canadian German eh... My good buddy and RV8 builder Ken tracked me all the way up north, came to the museum, took care of my admission and arranged an escort for me. And they kept him behind the fence anyway.





He advised me where to park and where to go. A museum staff member appeared shortly.







It's a magnificent exhibition.







... To be continued...
 
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This museum is a must to visit. It is very different from US museums. A lot of German artifacts the whole flock of Messerschmitts sits comfortably under the wings of a Lancaster bomber.








Junkers pun intended.










Every museum of this size has a Mig.







Legendary Canadarm 201. Them Canadians have long hands they can reach everybody everywhere...






















 
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Ken was my guide. Back in the golden days of Cold War 1 Ken flew some interesting hardware like this. They were chasing Bears somewhere over the ocean some things are still classified.
It was fun and friendly talk between former rivalries. Who could have thought...




But prior to it he had some time in this beauty. Well, not exactly in this particular aircraft but similar.










Lockheed Electra.







Look at the method of hanging the engine.







We had a little lunch at the museum cafeteria, I checked with US Customs on ETA and we went our own separate ways. The Xmas gift bag somehow migrated to me. It was heavy
I was hoping my Customs "cousin" wouldn't ask extra questions...
There was a performance in the middle of the hall. 100 years of WWI Christmas Truce. I couldn't stay till the end because the daylight was running out in 3 hours and I still have to clear
at the border I am only Day VFR airplane/pilot.

The British trenches.






The Germans'.







There is some magic in these visits. My little known homebuilt is just several yards and a thin metal wall from an aviation history of great proportions. It feels good...







Minutes later I was airborne heading southbound. Bye Ottawa I enjoyed the visit.






A 5 minutes stop at Ogdensburg NY (KOGS) to clear US Customs and I am in the air again. One extra takeoff I forgot to put in fuel calculations less another gallon and a half...
I couldn't make it back on full tanks I was short two gallons. If I have wheel fairings installed, if I planned better, if port of entry takeoff and climb with smart power.. you get the idea...




I visited 5 museums in December 2014. Looking forward to visiting more in Dec 2015! Happy New Year everyone thanks for looking :D
 
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Rockliffe

I flew the DC-9 that is now part of the displays in the Museum many moons ago.

Kind of weird to see an airplane that one flew in a museum...time to retire I guess..

The museum is really worth the visit.

Bruno
[email protected]
 
They landed that DC-9 on our 3000ft runway ... blew my mind when I heard that.

And yet, when the F-18 came in, they used arrestor cables!

Great museum indeed ...

I'm 40 and several ships I sailed on with the navy have been mothballed ... which only speaks to the age of our fleet back then :p
 
Vald, I did not notice any "big N-numbers on you plane in those pictures. Do you have them or did the Canadians look the other way?
 
It's a wonderful time of the year at Millville NJ

It's December again where time goes?

Millville Army Air Field Museum is a gem not far from my home base. On a nice Sunday Dec 6th I flew there. On the way checked rookie firefighters at training. The blaze at a factory was just extinguished.



Then conducted some Alaskan training.









Then arrived at Millville Airport KMIV.





Breakfast first. Airport restaurant serves good food and is located in the original WWII building.



 
Will, a line man from local FBO gave us a ride to the gates. It's actually a very short walk from the restaurant.








Several museum halls were loaded with history and artifacts I didn't expect the museum be that large.





This museum is for the whole day tour not a brief excursion as we planned.













The same type I've seen when I was a kid on the other side of the globe. The same trophy from the same time. Just a different army soldier brought it to a different location.






Quite impressive prop.



 




Sorry, couldn't resist :D






The hall with WWII memorabilia we didn't walk. We left it for the next time.







Short walk to parking






and we are ready to roll after a medevac finishes his business.






We still have a lot of daytime left. Winds were calm and ride smooth. We flew northbound for more then one hour to pick up two cases of engine oil. What a lovely day! :)



 
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