Some more warbirds

[Absalom]

Since some folks liked my posting here of some warbirds from the Erickson collection last month, I thought I'd share a few photos I took yesterday at the Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville, a museum originally built around the Hughes-Kaiser HK-1 "Spruce Goose" Flying Boat and now containing quite a collection across aviation's history. They've actually got an original SR-71 in their Space Museum part, but I didn't get there this time.

1. The nose of the Goose. It's impossible to get the whole thing into one picture .

2. B-17G. Built in 1945, this one actually flew for the CIA, was once equipped with the Skyhook system and was used in the Bond movie "Thunderball".

3. P-38 Lightning.

4. P-40 Warhawk, beautifully painted in Flying Tiger paint scheme.

5. Messerschmidt Bf-109.

 

[walkinghorse]

Very nice pictures, thanks for posting!

 

[madmikeb]

Just googled the museum, that looks like a great place to spend some time! I am a big fan of WW2 warbirds and it looks like they have quite a collection. I have been to the Pima Air and Space museum in Tucson a few times, and it looks like this museum is every bit as good.

Maybe someday when I get relocated to AZ I'll explore the west a bit and get up to Oregon for this one!

 

[Absalom]

PS: Speaking of warbirds, I just clipped this from the Sunday paper.

 

[zonker5]

I was able to visit the museum some years ago, it was wonderful. If you ever get the chance to go it's worth the time.

 

[wbraswell]

And they have an ME-262! You know that's some collection.

 

[Absalom]

And they have an ME-262! You know that's some collection.

That one is actually just a full-scale replica, just like a Focke-Wulff 190 sitting next to it. Still pretty cool to see one up close.

 

[fordson]

Had the opportunity to visit the museum in 2009. A surprisingly large collection and a first class exhibit. A very good place to visit fo aviation buffs.

 

[muddocktor]

OK, I'll play along too. The following pictures were taken by me some 13 years ago on vacation. We went camping at Gulf Shores Alabama, which is just a hop, skip and jump away from Pensacola, Florida, where the US Navy has the National Naval Aviation Museum. So one day we hopped over there and did a quick trip through the main building. I could have spent all day there myself, but had my wife, our 11 year old daughter and her friend too and they got "tired".

Anyways, here are some pics I took of some interesting aircraft.

When you walk to the front door, you see this F-14 on a pedestal outside:

When you go in, you find quite a few aircraft hanging from the ceiling. Here is an F4F Wildcat. Looks to be a 4 gun version:

Here's an F9F Panther hanging around :

Last in this post is the experimental aircraft, the Douglas Skystreak. It was one of the aircraft used to experiment with supersonic flight:

More to come!

 

[ParadiseRoad]

 

[ParadiseRoad]

 

[muddocktor]

Next are another 4 pics from my visit.

Here is an F8F Bearcat with wings folded. This plane came along just a little too late for World War II. If you've never seen one fly, you really need to see one. I saw Corky and Bill Fornoff perform in their Bearcats in the 60's before Bill died and it was just an awesome performance:

Here's a TBF/TBM Avenger hanging from the ceiling and is the type that George Bush flew in WW II:

Next up is an F6F Hellcat, which was one of the premier Navy fighter aircraft of the war:

Finally, I finish up this post with the PBY Catalina flying boat. It was one of the most useful aircraft of the war in both the Atlantic and Pacific:

 

[ParadiseRoad]

 

[ParadiseRoad]

 

[ParadiseRoad]

 

[ParadiseRoad]

 

[ParadiseRoad]

 

[muddocktor]

Next up is the SBD Dauntless dive bomber. This is the type aircraft that blew the 4 Japanese carriers away in the Battle of Midway:

Here is a P-40 they have on display.

Next, we have the main Japanese opponent to the F4F and F6F, the Zero:

Moving along, we start with some jets. I believe this one is a Banshee, which my uncle few in Korea as MigCAP:

 

[muddocktor]

Next up is a navalized version of the Sabre. I believe it was called the FJ Fury:

This is a photo recon version of the Banshee:

Many a pilot did his training in one of these. A Stearman for you, hanging from the ceiling:

Here is an unusual looking aircraft that turned out to be a dog and didn't last long in active service. The Chance Vought F7U Cutless:

 

[muddocktor]

This is a McDonnell F3H Demon, which was an aircraft that was originally let down by it's initial engine selection and then overtaken by higher performance, more advanced aircraft such as the Phantom. It had a relatively short service life too:

This is the F11F Tiger. The Blue Angels flew this one through the 1960's as their demonstration aircraft until replaced with the F-4 Phantom:

Here is the F8 Crusader. Called the "Last of the gunfighters" because the follow-on aircraft such as the Phantom were erroneously figured to do all their fighting with missiles at standoff range:

And here is the A-6E Intruder. One bad boy bombing platform and the basis of the EA-6B Prower electronic warfare aircraft.