Seattle Museum of Flight - May 28, 2016

Russ wanted to see Paul Allen's Museum of Flight, so we headed off to Everett. This airplane museum is different than any of the others we have been to (and that is a lot of them).  Almost every plane on display is flyable and they do actually take them out for display flights during the summer.  A couple, while flyable, are not actually flown because they are the only existing plane of that type in the world.

The museum designers did an excellent job of interpreting how technology innovation from 1935 to 1945 advanced at unprecedented rates as a result of several themes including political will and means and capacity. They showed how humanity on the homefront influenced the outcome of the global conflict. And they tied it to current days with the display of a replica of the SpaceShipOne as well as the White Knight which is the launch platform. One of the best systems analysis stories I have ever seen.

You also get to see what seemingly unlimited resources can do for a museum. All of the planes and tanks were meticulously restored.  Their paint jobs were authentic to a particular squadron or group. The displays described the vehicle in general and specifics (like where the plane was found and how it was acquired.)

And then there were the docents.  Very knowledgeable about the vehicles and some of them had their own stories. We met a 93 year old veteran who served in the Italy conflict during WWII as a bomber on B-17s. He told a very personal story of how he generally didn't wear a flak jacket because they were hot and uncomfortable, but on one mission when he was wearing his jacket, his plane was hit. He was knocked on his butt and saw holes in the fuselage. Then he realized that he had been hit by flak.  The guy actually pulled out of his pocket the pieces that had hit him. Fortunately, his flak jacket saved his life. His son served in Vietnam and is also a docent at the museum. 

When I go to these museums, I go because Russ likes them. I usually enjoy seeing the different planes, but they don't touch me emotionally, other than continued disappointment in the human race's need for war.  This museum was different. I got some different insights in World War II and the human dynamics that were part of it. It was a good visit.

 

A P-51 Mustang.  It took 117 days from initial concept to first build.

P-40 Tomahawk. This is the kind of plane that my dad repaired during WWII as an air mechanic for the Flying Tigers.

A Grumman Hellcat - at one point, Grumman was producing one of these an hour, a production record that has never been met.

A Sherman tank.  More of these were built than any other tank in history.

Eight inch howitzer. Those rake type things on the back were lowered and dug into the ground to provide support when the gun was fired.

A Messerschmitt 163 B Komet. The first rocket propelled aircraft, it tended to blow up while in flight.

A piloted V-1 Buzzbomb.  This rocket propelled missile was supposed to be guided by the pilot to a predetermined  position where the pilot would somehow get out of the cockpit (missing the intake of the jet engine). Most of the test pilots died.

Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne. Burt Ratan and Scaled Composites won the X-Prize with this vehicle.

 

The White Knight. This plane hauled SpaceShipOne up to altitude and then released it for its flight.