Greetings folks!

I was on a layover a few weeks ago in Seattle (actually, a "day over"...we landed at 0100 and left the next night for KMSP on the red eye), and had the opportunity to visit the "Museum of Flight" out at Boeing Field. I've been a few times, and if you've never had the opportunity, I highly recommend it.

A few pics:

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The "Welcome" statue.

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F-14 Tomcat. My old roomie in Boston did a lot of the Tomcat flying in the movie "Top Gun". His stories about making the movie are legendary...

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A-6 Intruder.

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Love trying to look into those cockpits!

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Boeing Model 40B. Room for the mail and TWO (count 'em) passengers in the little "room" in front of the cockpit.

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Another view of the 40B.

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Boeing Model 80A-1 with the DC-3 in the background. Amazing how far we came in so few years!

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Their version of "flight simulators"...no thanks.

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Boeing Model 100.

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One of the more interesting exhibits (IMHO). The V-1 "Buzz Bomb" (wonder why they didn't have it in the WWII "Personal Courage Wing"?).

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Two old nemesis...the Mig 21 and the F-4 Phantom.

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Couldn't help myself....always thought this was one of the coolest views in all of combat aviation.

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A bit of sensory overload for an airplane lover!

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and finally,



"Three on a match"...the AV8 Harrier, the Mig 17 and the (way cool) Boeing B-47.

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-ROF forum for the WWI exhibits: http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/3283747/Boeing_Field_Museum_of_Flight.html#Post3283747
-IL2 Series forum for the WWII exhibits: http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/3284248/Boeing_Field_Museum_of_Flight.html#Post3284248


Again, a superb museum. A short bus ride from downtown Seattle (or even from SEA-TAC airport)...highly recommend it!

Later all,

BBall

Cool pictures BBall.


Wheels

Great pictures, BBall, looks like one place I will definitely have to visit.

Excellent pics



Sounds interesting,do tell....

First of all, thanks guys for the nice words regarding my pics.

Second, I'll relate ONE of the amusing things he told me about the making of the movie.

Apparently, he and some of the other pilots were allowed to see the "dailies" after some of the shooting. Needless to say, they were pretty aghast at some of the little "quips" that Cruise and others uttered during their flying (ie, "You hook him, and I'll fry him..." kind of drivel). He said they protested loudly that "real fighter pilots" really don't talk that way! It obviously fell on deaf ears and we ended up with icons like "I feel the need...the need for speed"...

LOL... Hollywood and aviation. Strange bedfellows to be sure.

later all,

BBall

Boeing Field is a pretty awesome place, and the Museum of Flight definitely contributes to that. KBFI is my home field, and this past weekend I was treated to an extremely cool aviation experience. I was just cleared to takeoff on 13L when tower advised me to expedite my roll. As I commenced my cross wind turn into 13L's left pattern tower cleared a P-40, that was overflying 13L, to execute a break at pattern altitude. I can only imagine the size of the smirk on my face when I looked into my turn to see a P-40 about a mile behind me performing a steep turn in the same direction. If that wasn't enough to make my day, on my return to the pattern an hour later I received the following: "Cleared for the option 1-3 left. Traffic is a P-40 taking off opposite direction on the parallel runway." The Warhawk rotated when I was on quarter-mile final, and broke hard into a Blake departure. I opted to make this landing my final one for the evening, and taxied back to parking. As I was doing my post-flight, a B-17 took off from 31L. Now - KBFI has a way of spoiling the aviation enthusiast. I'm routinely cautioned about 787s landing on the parallel runway, and on my first solo flight I shared the pattern with a flight of F/A-18's. But to share the same airspace with one of only 12 airworthy B-17s and 19 airworthy P40s in the world is freaking awesome. Too bad the Museum of Flight didn't get a Space Shuttle though.

I'm really quite envious of you chaps in the states. If I wasn't so colour-blind I'd be able to describe to you the shade of green I'm turning.

Says the guy who's what, a two hour drive? from Duxford...

All we have here are flying Energy Drink cans.

I'm ashamed to say that I've visited Seattle three times, even passed Boeing field on my way to the hotel, but never had the time to stop by...

Very cool pics, we used to have a B-47 as a Gate Guard here at Pease till they closed and the city didn't want to take them over...