NASM Steven F. Udvar Hazy Center, Dulles - 5 September 2023
Oct 10, 2023 18:52:21 GMT 1
Beemer, viscount, and 8 more like this
Post by andyh on Oct 10, 2023 18:52:21 GMT 1
While not the primary purpose for our trip to the USA, I managed to negotiate a visit to the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udder Hazy Center at Washington Dulles. It’s somewhere that has been on my bucket list for many years and it was a delight to finally get there. The range of exhibits is outstanding, although there is a sense that there are some ‘obvious’ gaps in the collection on display. In part that is due is down to some of the collection being on show at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington itself (like their DC.3).
Exhibits are displayed in 14 themed groups plus a further four groups around space flight. Some of the most historic and iconic aircraft are on show and even Mrs H found herself captivated by some of them - especially the Space Shuttle Discovery.
In all there are over 150 aircraft on display across three levels (some exhibits being suspended from the ceiling at a mid and upper level) plus rockets, missiles, satellites and general artifacts. It’s free to get in as well and we spent several hours exploring. There are a series of raised walkways which help you get up close and offer a different perspective for photography.
The only minor grumble would be that there are almost too many aircraft on display in the space available so in some areas they are a bit tightly packed, making photography tricky.
Anyway, I took hundreds of pictures and it’s tricky to try and pick out the best! Credit to the Smithsonian Museum website which I have drawn on extensively for some of the detail around individual exhibits.
Cold War, Korea and Vietnam War and Modern Military Aviation Collections…
Occupying the northern third of the main hangar theses two collections comprise some iconic aircraft. The aircraft from each group tend to blend (e.g. starting with a MiG 21 an ending with an F/A-18 at the other.
These two photos show most of the central portion of the display and give an insight as to how tricky it is to get a clear shot of some of the exhibits.
60-0445, Republic F.105D Thunderchief, US Air Force
This aircraft has served in several F-105 units around the world and is restored to its 1967 Vietnam-era 388th Tactical Fighter Wing, 421st Tactical Fighter Squadron camouflage as it flew during its assignment to Korat RTAB, Thailand. This jet also was briefly assigned to the 355 TFW located at Takhli RTAB in 1968. After this "Thud" finished its combat tour-which certainly included missions supporting Operation "Rolling Thunder," "Steel Tiger," and "Barrel Roll"-it returned stateside and began more than a decade assigned to the District of Columbia Air National Guard and was transferred to the Air and Space Museum in late 1981.
53-5226 Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star, US Air Force
The Museum's beautiful T-33A-5-LO ’T-Bird’, serial no. 53-5226N, was accepted by the USAF on September 16, 1954, and delivered to the DC Air National Guard at Andrews Air Force Base where it served until its transfer to the museum on October 30, 1987. The Museum's aircraft has never been painted and has a highly polished natural metal finish.
Positioned right in the centre of the main hall, in the area with possibly the lowest levels of natural light, the Blackbird looks really dramatic (though not easy to capture!).
61-7972 Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird, US Air Force
This Blackbird accrued about 2,800 hours of flight time during 24 years of active service with the U.S. Air Force. On its last flight, March 6, 1990, Lt. Col. Ed Yeilding and Lt. Col. Joseph Vida set a speed record by flying from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., in 1 hour, 4 minutes, and 20 seconds, averaging 3,418 kilometers (2,124 miles) per hour. At the flight's conclusion, they landed at Washington-Dulles International Airport and turned the airplane over to the Smithsonian.
157307/7307 McDonnell F-4S Phantom II, US Navy
I have a real soft spot of the Phantom, possibly dating back to the early 1970s when one tore across the skies above the Liverpool Show in Wavertree, scaring the living daylights out of me and my sister.
The Museum's F-4S-44-McDonnell Douglas Phantom II, Bu. No. 157307, was accepted by the Navy on December 18, 1970. By June 22, 1971, it was assigned to Fighting Squadron 31 (VF-31) stationed at the Naval Air Station (NAS), Oceana, Virginia. Early in 1972, VF-31, (with F-4 Bu. No. 157307) went aboard USS Saratoga, and by April en route to the western Pacific for duty in the Vietnam War. On May 18, 1972, the squadron started combat operations on Yankee Station, off the coast of Vietnam. While on a flight on June 21, 1972, its last day on station, F-4 Bu. No. 157307 (Squadron No. 106) made its mark. It was launched that day on a MIGCAP (MiG Combat Air Patrol) with VF-31's Executive Officer, Cdr. S.C. Flynn, USN, as pilot, and Lt. W.H. John as the Radar Intercept Officer (RIO). This was not their regularly assigned airplane. They spotted 3 MiGs and in the ensuing engagement shot down one MiG-21 with a Sidewinder missile (AIM-9).
48-260/FU-260 North American F-86A Sabre, US Air Force
America's first swept-wing jet fighter, the F-86 Sabre joined the ranks of great fighter aircraft during combat operations high above the Yalu River in Korea. Even though they could not pursue the enemy across the Chinese border, Sabre pilots established an impressive shoot-down advantage against enemy MiGs. Sabre designers capitalized on captured German aerodynamic data, which showed that swept wings delayed air compressibility effects encountered at high subsonic airspeeds. Swept-wing aircraft could therefore be controlled at much higher speeds than similar straight-wing aircraft.
This F-86A saw combat against MiG-15s during the Korean War. It flew most of its missions from Kimpo Air Base near Seoul and bears the markings of the 4th Fighter Wing, the first F-86 unit in Korea.
54-0177/0-40117, Lockheed C-121 Constellation, United States Air Force
The Museum’s Lockheed C-121C (1049F-55-96), with former Air Force serial number 54-177, and now registered N-1104W, is one of the thirty-three C-l2lCs delivered to the USAF and the Atlantic Division of the Military Air Transport Service at Charleston AFB, South Carolina. This airplane arrived there in March 1956 and was assigned to the 1608th Air Transport Wing. Its original configuration was that of an over-water cargo/passenger transport, having eight crew members and accommodations for up to 80 passengers.
This "Connie" operated with number of units, ending its service with the 193rd Tactical Electronic Warfare (TEW) Squadron, Pennsylvania ANG, at Olmstead AFB, Middletown, Pennsylvania until November 1977, when it was retired after 21½ years of military service, thousands of flying hours, and countless ocean crossings, which for propeller driven aircraft were long endurance flights often exceeding 12 or 14 hours. When taken out of service, it was transferred to the Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center (MASDC), at Davis Monthan AFB, Arizona, for storage.
67-15508 Bell AH-1F Cobra, United States Army
I hadn’t appreciated that the Cobra entered combat service as far back as 1967. From 1968 to 1971, this Army “G” model flew 2,100 combat hours in Vietnam with D Company, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division; C Battery, 2nd Battalion, 20th Artillery (Aerial Rocket); and D Company, 158th Assault Helicopter Battalion. While flying this aircraft on August 15, 1971, Capt. Allen Butler held off enemy forces attempting to overrun South Vietnamese Marines and received the Silver Star. It also undertook heavy combat during 1993-4 in Somalia with Task Force Raven as part of Operation Continue Hope.
65-10126 Bell UH-1H Huey, “Smokey III”, United States Army
The Huey is another machine that I remember form my youth. Living in Garston you could hear them in transit from Burtonwood to the Airport, and when at the airport their distinctive sound could be heard long before they came into view.
This UH-1 compiled a distinguished combat record in Vietnam from 1966 to 1970 with four units, including the 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion of the 1st Cavalry and the 118th and 128th Assault Helicopter Companies. Numerous patches on its skin attest to the ferocity of missions flown while operating as a "Smoke Ship," laying down smokescreens for air assault operations with the 11th Combat Aviation Battalion.
153369/MQ/400, Boeing CH-46E Sea Knight, United States Navy
This aircraft is on loan to the Smithsonian from the National Museum of the Marine Corps and wears a special heritage paint scheme, used in its final year of service, that evokes its extensive Vietnam War service, including a mission that resulted in the award of a Navy Cross. Its other combat deployments included tours in Afghanistan during 2004 and Iraq from 2007 to 2009, which coincided with some of the most intense period of combat in those theatres.
1426, Sikorsky HH-52A Sea Guard, United States Coast Guard
The Coast Guard acquired this HH-52 (#1426) in 1967 and operated it until 1989, accumulating 12,618 hours. Its notable missions included a January 27, 1967 nighttime sailboat rescue that resulted in a Distinguished Flying Cross for the pilot and a mention in LIFE magazine. 1426’s most dramatic rescue occurred on November 1, 1979, when it rescued twenty-two survivors from a fiery collision of an oil tanker and freighter off Galveston, Texas. During the mission, it lifted twelve crewmen at one time from the inferno – a record for the aircraft, designed only to carry a maximum of ten, including crew, in the cabin.
Looking at previous images in the museum it was displayed on the ground and has presumably been elevated to help create more space for other exhibits.
63 MiG 21F Fishbed C, Soviet Air Force
More than 6,000 MiG-21s of 12 types were flown by over three dozen nations. This MiG-21F-13 was displayed in a Soviet military hardware exhibit at Bolling Air Force Base, Maryland, as part of a "Soviet Awareness" training program. Its service history remains unknown.
70109 MiG 15 Fagot B, Chinese Air Force
The MiG-15 on display at the National Air and Space Museum, serial number 4320, is a Chinese F-2, acquired in September 1985 through an exchange with the Champlin Fighter Museum, Mesa AZ. There is no record of its production or service history before the aircraft's arrival in the U.S.
301 Lockheed Martin X-35B Joint Strike Fighter
This aircraft is the first X-35 ever built. It was originally the X-35A and was modified to include the lift-fan engine for testing of the STOVL concept. Among its many test records, this aircraft was the first in history to achieve a short takeoff, level supersonic dash, and vertical landing in a single flight. It is also the first aircraft to fly using a shaft-driven lift-fan propulsion system.
154167/02 Grumman A-6E Intruder, US Navy
The Intruder first flew in 1960 and was delivered to the Navy in 1963 and the Marine Corps in 1964.
The Navy accepted this airplane as an "A" model in 1968. It served under harsh combat conditions in the skies over Vietnam and is a veteran of the 1991 Desert Storm campaign, when it flew missions during the first 72 hours of the war. It has accumulated more than 7,500 flying hours, over 6,500 landings, 767 arrested landings, and 712 catapult launches.
163438 McDonnell F/A-18C Hornet, US Navy (Blue Angels)
This Hornet served combat tours in Operation Desert Storm in 1991. It flew over Iraq and Afghanistan between 2007 and 2011 during the Global War on Terrorism campaign, the response to the U.S. September 11 attacks. Later, this jet flew with the Blue Angels, the Navy’s flight demonstration squadron. The Blue Angels flew Hornets longer than any other aircraft type.
159610/105 Grumman F-14D Tomcat, US Navy
The National Air and Space Museum's Tomcat (BuNo. 159610) was built as an F-14A-85-GR and was one of the few Tomcats that was modified as an F-14D(R) in the early 1990s. It is credited with one MiG kill which was earned on January 4, 1989, near the coast of Libya. In the second image there is he forward fuselage of what I think is an F/A-18 nose behind, but there was no information about it on show.
Exhibits are displayed in 14 themed groups plus a further four groups around space flight. Some of the most historic and iconic aircraft are on show and even Mrs H found herself captivated by some of them - especially the Space Shuttle Discovery.
In all there are over 150 aircraft on display across three levels (some exhibits being suspended from the ceiling at a mid and upper level) plus rockets, missiles, satellites and general artifacts. It’s free to get in as well and we spent several hours exploring. There are a series of raised walkways which help you get up close and offer a different perspective for photography.
The only minor grumble would be that there are almost too many aircraft on display in the space available so in some areas they are a bit tightly packed, making photography tricky.
Anyway, I took hundreds of pictures and it’s tricky to try and pick out the best! Credit to the Smithsonian Museum website which I have drawn on extensively for some of the detail around individual exhibits.
Cold War, Korea and Vietnam War and Modern Military Aviation Collections…
Occupying the northern third of the main hangar theses two collections comprise some iconic aircraft. The aircraft from each group tend to blend (e.g. starting with a MiG 21 an ending with an F/A-18 at the other.
These two photos show most of the central portion of the display and give an insight as to how tricky it is to get a clear shot of some of the exhibits.
60-0445, Republic F.105D Thunderchief, US Air Force
This aircraft has served in several F-105 units around the world and is restored to its 1967 Vietnam-era 388th Tactical Fighter Wing, 421st Tactical Fighter Squadron camouflage as it flew during its assignment to Korat RTAB, Thailand. This jet also was briefly assigned to the 355 TFW located at Takhli RTAB in 1968. After this "Thud" finished its combat tour-which certainly included missions supporting Operation "Rolling Thunder," "Steel Tiger," and "Barrel Roll"-it returned stateside and began more than a decade assigned to the District of Columbia Air National Guard and was transferred to the Air and Space Museum in late 1981.
53-5226 Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star, US Air Force
The Museum's beautiful T-33A-5-LO ’T-Bird’, serial no. 53-5226N, was accepted by the USAF on September 16, 1954, and delivered to the DC Air National Guard at Andrews Air Force Base where it served until its transfer to the museum on October 30, 1987. The Museum's aircraft has never been painted and has a highly polished natural metal finish.
Positioned right in the centre of the main hall, in the area with possibly the lowest levels of natural light, the Blackbird looks really dramatic (though not easy to capture!).
61-7972 Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird, US Air Force
This Blackbird accrued about 2,800 hours of flight time during 24 years of active service with the U.S. Air Force. On its last flight, March 6, 1990, Lt. Col. Ed Yeilding and Lt. Col. Joseph Vida set a speed record by flying from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., in 1 hour, 4 minutes, and 20 seconds, averaging 3,418 kilometers (2,124 miles) per hour. At the flight's conclusion, they landed at Washington-Dulles International Airport and turned the airplane over to the Smithsonian.
157307/7307 McDonnell F-4S Phantom II, US Navy
I have a real soft spot of the Phantom, possibly dating back to the early 1970s when one tore across the skies above the Liverpool Show in Wavertree, scaring the living daylights out of me and my sister.
The Museum's F-4S-44-McDonnell Douglas Phantom II, Bu. No. 157307, was accepted by the Navy on December 18, 1970. By June 22, 1971, it was assigned to Fighting Squadron 31 (VF-31) stationed at the Naval Air Station (NAS), Oceana, Virginia. Early in 1972, VF-31, (with F-4 Bu. No. 157307) went aboard USS Saratoga, and by April en route to the western Pacific for duty in the Vietnam War. On May 18, 1972, the squadron started combat operations on Yankee Station, off the coast of Vietnam. While on a flight on June 21, 1972, its last day on station, F-4 Bu. No. 157307 (Squadron No. 106) made its mark. It was launched that day on a MIGCAP (MiG Combat Air Patrol) with VF-31's Executive Officer, Cdr. S.C. Flynn, USN, as pilot, and Lt. W.H. John as the Radar Intercept Officer (RIO). This was not their regularly assigned airplane. They spotted 3 MiGs and in the ensuing engagement shot down one MiG-21 with a Sidewinder missile (AIM-9).
48-260/FU-260 North American F-86A Sabre, US Air Force
America's first swept-wing jet fighter, the F-86 Sabre joined the ranks of great fighter aircraft during combat operations high above the Yalu River in Korea. Even though they could not pursue the enemy across the Chinese border, Sabre pilots established an impressive shoot-down advantage against enemy MiGs. Sabre designers capitalized on captured German aerodynamic data, which showed that swept wings delayed air compressibility effects encountered at high subsonic airspeeds. Swept-wing aircraft could therefore be controlled at much higher speeds than similar straight-wing aircraft.
This F-86A saw combat against MiG-15s during the Korean War. It flew most of its missions from Kimpo Air Base near Seoul and bears the markings of the 4th Fighter Wing, the first F-86 unit in Korea.
54-0177/0-40117, Lockheed C-121 Constellation, United States Air Force
The Museum’s Lockheed C-121C (1049F-55-96), with former Air Force serial number 54-177, and now registered N-1104W, is one of the thirty-three C-l2lCs delivered to the USAF and the Atlantic Division of the Military Air Transport Service at Charleston AFB, South Carolina. This airplane arrived there in March 1956 and was assigned to the 1608th Air Transport Wing. Its original configuration was that of an over-water cargo/passenger transport, having eight crew members and accommodations for up to 80 passengers.
This "Connie" operated with number of units, ending its service with the 193rd Tactical Electronic Warfare (TEW) Squadron, Pennsylvania ANG, at Olmstead AFB, Middletown, Pennsylvania until November 1977, when it was retired after 21½ years of military service, thousands of flying hours, and countless ocean crossings, which for propeller driven aircraft were long endurance flights often exceeding 12 or 14 hours. When taken out of service, it was transferred to the Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center (MASDC), at Davis Monthan AFB, Arizona, for storage.
67-15508 Bell AH-1F Cobra, United States Army
I hadn’t appreciated that the Cobra entered combat service as far back as 1967. From 1968 to 1971, this Army “G” model flew 2,100 combat hours in Vietnam with D Company, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division; C Battery, 2nd Battalion, 20th Artillery (Aerial Rocket); and D Company, 158th Assault Helicopter Battalion. While flying this aircraft on August 15, 1971, Capt. Allen Butler held off enemy forces attempting to overrun South Vietnamese Marines and received the Silver Star. It also undertook heavy combat during 1993-4 in Somalia with Task Force Raven as part of Operation Continue Hope.
65-10126 Bell UH-1H Huey, “Smokey III”, United States Army
The Huey is another machine that I remember form my youth. Living in Garston you could hear them in transit from Burtonwood to the Airport, and when at the airport their distinctive sound could be heard long before they came into view.
This UH-1 compiled a distinguished combat record in Vietnam from 1966 to 1970 with four units, including the 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion of the 1st Cavalry and the 118th and 128th Assault Helicopter Companies. Numerous patches on its skin attest to the ferocity of missions flown while operating as a "Smoke Ship," laying down smokescreens for air assault operations with the 11th Combat Aviation Battalion.
153369/MQ/400, Boeing CH-46E Sea Knight, United States Navy
This aircraft is on loan to the Smithsonian from the National Museum of the Marine Corps and wears a special heritage paint scheme, used in its final year of service, that evokes its extensive Vietnam War service, including a mission that resulted in the award of a Navy Cross. Its other combat deployments included tours in Afghanistan during 2004 and Iraq from 2007 to 2009, which coincided with some of the most intense period of combat in those theatres.
1426, Sikorsky HH-52A Sea Guard, United States Coast Guard
The Coast Guard acquired this HH-52 (#1426) in 1967 and operated it until 1989, accumulating 12,618 hours. Its notable missions included a January 27, 1967 nighttime sailboat rescue that resulted in a Distinguished Flying Cross for the pilot and a mention in LIFE magazine. 1426’s most dramatic rescue occurred on November 1, 1979, when it rescued twenty-two survivors from a fiery collision of an oil tanker and freighter off Galveston, Texas. During the mission, it lifted twelve crewmen at one time from the inferno – a record for the aircraft, designed only to carry a maximum of ten, including crew, in the cabin.
Looking at previous images in the museum it was displayed on the ground and has presumably been elevated to help create more space for other exhibits.
63 MiG 21F Fishbed C, Soviet Air Force
More than 6,000 MiG-21s of 12 types were flown by over three dozen nations. This MiG-21F-13 was displayed in a Soviet military hardware exhibit at Bolling Air Force Base, Maryland, as part of a "Soviet Awareness" training program. Its service history remains unknown.
70109 MiG 15 Fagot B, Chinese Air Force
The MiG-15 on display at the National Air and Space Museum, serial number 4320, is a Chinese F-2, acquired in September 1985 through an exchange with the Champlin Fighter Museum, Mesa AZ. There is no record of its production or service history before the aircraft's arrival in the U.S.
301 Lockheed Martin X-35B Joint Strike Fighter
This aircraft is the first X-35 ever built. It was originally the X-35A and was modified to include the lift-fan engine for testing of the STOVL concept. Among its many test records, this aircraft was the first in history to achieve a short takeoff, level supersonic dash, and vertical landing in a single flight. It is also the first aircraft to fly using a shaft-driven lift-fan propulsion system.
154167/02 Grumman A-6E Intruder, US Navy
The Intruder first flew in 1960 and was delivered to the Navy in 1963 and the Marine Corps in 1964.
The Navy accepted this airplane as an "A" model in 1968. It served under harsh combat conditions in the skies over Vietnam and is a veteran of the 1991 Desert Storm campaign, when it flew missions during the first 72 hours of the war. It has accumulated more than 7,500 flying hours, over 6,500 landings, 767 arrested landings, and 712 catapult launches.
163438 McDonnell F/A-18C Hornet, US Navy (Blue Angels)
This Hornet served combat tours in Operation Desert Storm in 1991. It flew over Iraq and Afghanistan between 2007 and 2011 during the Global War on Terrorism campaign, the response to the U.S. September 11 attacks. Later, this jet flew with the Blue Angels, the Navy’s flight demonstration squadron. The Blue Angels flew Hornets longer than any other aircraft type.
159610/105 Grumman F-14D Tomcat, US Navy
The National Air and Space Museum's Tomcat (BuNo. 159610) was built as an F-14A-85-GR and was one of the few Tomcats that was modified as an F-14D(R) in the early 1990s. It is credited with one MiG kill which was earned on January 4, 1989, near the coast of Libya. In the second image there is he forward fuselage of what I think is an F/A-18 nose behind, but there was no information about it on show.
