Hi Guys!

Well, it was such a sunny day here in Alameda today, I was kinda bored and thought I would drive by and check out the USS Hornet, which is a WW2 era aircraft carrier that also served into the 70s, that is now a floating museum.

Although I actually DIDNT go on board today (too much free cool stuff to see in the parking lot I did see a lot of stuff I thought I'd share with you all.

Too bad I didn't bring my camera -- oh well next time!

First of all, if you live in the Bay Area (SF, Berkeley etc) you should definitely go there! First of all alameda is the sunniest part of the bay, and has better beaches than Stinson, Ocean Beach et al.

Plus, they have this cool aircraft carrier.

So what's so cool about it? Well one cool thing is all the torn apart airplanes in the parking lot

Sure, everyone gets to see old planes that look like the real thing from outside, but what can you tell from looking at a plane from the outside? Not a lot.

However, THESE planes (junk heaps is a better word), have been gone over with a hacksaw! So you can see what's INSIDE these planes.... How they were made! In fact, calling them cutaways would be a pretty good description.

There are even rudders, and flaps, and spare parts that you can pick up and futz with while looking at how the fuselage was welded together and how all the hydraulic lines run.

The first thing I was amazed by was how small the cockpits were. Economy class in a 500 person 747 is decidedly roomy compared to the cockpits in these things! I mean, these cockpits are SMALL....

Also, the metal used to make them (two were F4 and one was a E6, I believe) was THIN!!!! 3/8" aluminum in my estimation. I mean, a rifle bullet would go thru one of these things easy, let alone a 20mm cannon!!

And that 3/8" was the thickest piece of the wing or body I could find on the skin! (Easily visible courtesy of the mondo hacksaw they used to disassemble these things).

Anyway this is a 3d modellers dream...if you are a 3d modeller you owe it to yourself to go out and see these stripped down planes...its like a 3d cross section right there.

Makes me wonder how much "armor" those f4f really had...if they had as much armor as those jets did, I'd just as soon have the wooden LA5!

They also has some turbine jet engines laying around on the dock that are fun to examine as well.

I also talked to one of the guys who was working there, who's name was Randy.. He's a former F-14 pilot and flight instructor. I asked him if he did any simming and he said "No, I have a T-33 I bought and keep out in Arizona!" His own T-33!!! Sure beats a Cessna!

Oh well enough for now...if you live near by check that place out...maybe some of us can meet out there and geek out sometime...

MajBong