Rain all weekend in flying season is never something we wish for, especially with an aviation friend coming in from out of town.
A chance conversation after the Women in Aviation breakfast at Airventure Oshkosh led to getting to know the ramp rat. Dresses with pockets are a big deal!
Both the restorer and the ramp rat were looking forward to some sight seeing from the air – oh well, another visit.
Time for plan B.
There are more than a few aviation places to visit around our home. Most are on the aviation trail and some are well known like the Air Force museum while others are quiet and poignant especially in the rain, like the Wright family plot in Woodland Cemetery.
While aviation provides vocations for many, it is also a passion for some. Having a moment outside of everyday life to learn about other facets of aviation while enjoying good conversations and maybe being a little goofy.
Regardless of weather, the National Museum of the US Air Force is always worth the visit. Open daily from 9 to 5 except major holidays, it is free to visit and certainly worthwhile.
The museum is a massive complex most under roof of attached hangars. While it is possible to spend a short amount of time walking through its hangars, appreciating the collection requires more than one day to see everything.
Our day with the ramp rat was going to cover highlights to allow for more leisurely visits after getting her acquainted with the layout.
Memphis Belle, the first B-17 to complete 25 bombing missions and return back to the United States during World War Two is on display.
The Boeing designed bomber shares construction with legacy Boeing airliners that came after it and also harkens back to the Wright Flyer with fabric present on control surfaces.
Watching the ramp rat take pictures and excitedly converse with the restorer during our time at the museum made the rain outside a distant thought. Both having a maintenance background allowed for a deeper understanding of structures and maintenance practices than I possess.
Talk turned to the restoration of the aircraft which several of our friends were a part of and of projects they have participated in since then. One of the other volunteers at the restoration shop worked on Memphis Belle’s fabric control surfaces as well as the fabric construction of the Travel Air 6000.
We managed to make our way back to the presidential aircraft in the new hangar along with time to drool over the massive size of the XB-70 at the other and of the hangar.
Sacred Cow, the C-54 (the military version of the DC-4) that flew Presidents Roosevelt and Truman, is the first of the aircraft in the collection. Being able to walk through aircraft that have played a part in history is a special experience. Standing in the same place where moments that created the world we live in today gave me goosebumps.
Another notable presidential aircraft on display is the Air Force One that flew presidents Kennedy and Johnson, which was the location of President Johnson’s swearing in.
Sharing space in the same hangar is the only surviving XB-70 Valkyrie. Designed as a supersonic bomber it never left the testing stage though looking at its design some pieces of the Concorde come to mind.
Though our time was short, I have no doubt we will be back again, hopefully with the ramp rat.
The founder of EAA, Paul Poberezny, said airplanes bring us together but friendship keeps us together. Shared love of aviation eases conversations between once strangers forming friendships.
Taking time out to enjoy our shared love of aviation certainly made a rainy weekend less gray.
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