Chopper_nut's US trip July 2018

[emfrat]

Cool Folland Gnat, beside the rumbly/roary hybrid
Mike

[Splitpin]

Go you good thing

[Splitpin]

Re ...the more to come.

[emfrat]

All top shots - what is that nice tri-motor tail-dragger with the red nose?

[chopper_nut]

Pima Part II

[chopper_nut]

All top shots - what is that nice tri-motor tail-dragger with the red nose?

Northrop C125. Lots of unusual aircraft there.

[Charl]

There's that Boeing YC-14, Upper Surface Blowing technology surely must come back someday!
And a Vigilante, no less... is there anything that is not on show??
A current Japanese B787 perhaps

[chopper_nut]

There's a lack of 'enemy' aircraft particularly from WW2 but that doesn't take anything away from the place. I even missed out doing one hangar due to running out of time. There are virtually no ropes or barriers so you can walk up and touch most things, pets are allowed and there is simply a glut of aircraft. The only thing that I can say is that the main hangar is quite dark and so not great for photos.

[Splitpin]

Nick .... this is torture I look .... look again, compose questions ....and then you post again!
If nothing else, young man .... you have cemented Pima into my bucket list.
Again, thank you for taking the time to share.

[chopper_nut]

You’ve got to get there. Blows the mind. There’s a bit of a gap in there. The convention in Tucson was amazing. Photos coming...

[chopper_nut]

Right so rewinding a couple of days to the convention in Tucson.

















These guys were making working AGCs and LGCs. Some out of alloy and some 3D printed.













A real AGC that they're trying to get working for the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11

This chaps name escapes me right now but here he is using Google Earth type software to revisit the moon with Apollo 15 CMP Al Worden.






Flight control panel. Left to Right - Chuck Deitrich, Sy Leibergot, Milt Heflin, Jerry Bostik and Dutch von Ehrenfried


Shuttle astronaut Clayton Anderson salutes the old team


Apollo Panel. Left to Right - Walt Cunningham, Al Worden, Jack Lousma, Vance Brand, Charlie Duke, Di O'Hara, Rick Armstrong (Neil's son)


Walt Cunningham - Apollo 7 LMP


Al Worden - Apollo 15 CMP


Gerry Griffen - Gold Team Flight Director


Hoot Gibson - Naval Aviator, Shuttle Commander, Airline Pilot, Racing Pilot and Good Bas*ard


Fred Haise - Apollo 13 LMP and Enterprise CDR. Waving our hands in the air like pilots. I wanted to talk about flying the shuttle and he wanted to talk about helicopters.

[chopper_nut]

Drove from Tucson to Alamogordo NM yesterday. Couldn't get into the White Sands Missile Range... US citizens only... Drove up to Albuquerque today and did the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History. Very surprising.








Glass from the Trinity site


Flag that was flying during the Trinity test. Damage is from the shock wave.






Broken Arrow in Spain 1966. Two of the four actual nuclear weapons.


WE177. British 'Bucket of Sunshine'


Jupiter ICBM. Short version of the Juno II.... sort of.




Jupiter tailpipe


Titan II


Business end of Titan II


Injector plate


The famous Minuteman


Peacekeeper


Thor.... YES A THOR!!!!


Titan II reentry capsule


B47 radome. Lots of leftover parts lying around


B58 weapons package


Trinity tower replica














Under restoration. Looking good already. Damn I love this aeroplane. And yes... I know how dangerous it was.

[Splitpin]

Keep them inbound CN.
Convention looked amazing.

[chopper_nut]

It was. It really was

[chopper_nut]

Museum of Space History, Alamogordo NM. Quite a small museum but a surprising amount of quite interesting stuff. Worth the visit.


Aerobee sustainer stage


Rocketdyne H1 engine out of a Saturn 1b


Mercury model


Little Joe II. Used for testing the Apollo launch escape system


V2




Rocketdyne F1 engine out of the mighty Saturn V


Apollo boilerplate


Rocketdyne LR79 engine from a Thor


F117 cockpit trainer




XLR11 engine that powered the X1


Lunar Module ascent engine


Apollo telescope and sextant panel.

[chopper_nut]

Hit the airport at Alamogordo this morning.. good thing we did.

[chopper_nut]

Sorry about the lack of updates. Went and did the San Diego Air and Space museum and their annex at Gillespie Field. Some really interesting stuff at both. The main museum has the usual problem in not having enough space.








Remarkably complete Stratocruiser cockpit




Apollo 9


Interior. Computers have been removed


Heatshield





















Lots more at this museum.

[chopper_nut]

Also did the USS Midway. If you're in the area, it's so worth it. Try to go on a weekday during the school year though...












CIC
















Painted on the nose of the A6




First MiG kills in Vietnam


Last MiG kills in Vietnam. Painted on either side of the F4

[chopper_nut]

So it turns out that a lot of museums in the US are closed on Monday... strange. The only place that we could find was Planes of Fame at Chino. Insane number of aeroplanes in a small space.

[chopper_nut]

Hit up the Classic Rotors museum at Ramona. Well worth the trip. Very much an enthusiast museum.










The second NOTAR... I wanted to push it out and fire it up.






Bell 47B... and it is a runner.


Piasecki helicopters... both runners.




Piasecki HRP1.. exceptionally rare... and it'll fly.