Aeroplanes and Boats

I have always loved airplanes.  In fact the third word I learned to say was "airplane'.  As a toddler I would sit in my high chair while my mom hung out laundry and at the sound of those round motors point my stubby finger skyward and say, "airpwane".Yesterday, I visited the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida. I especially enjoyed this because I once served aboard an  aircraft carrier, USS Intrepid. A favorite time of my work day was when I would steal away from my job and watch airplanes take off and land on our flight deck. In naval aviation speak it was to watch launch and recovery of aircraft. In the Naval Aviation Museum they have representatives of all naval aircraft from the very beginning in the early part of the 20th century to some of the latest aircraft that fly today. As you enter this ultra modern facility you'll see an F-14 Tomcat on a pilon. Aviation buffs and movie fans will remember this is the plane that Maverick and Goose flew in the film, Top Gun.  Inside the museum to the right you will find the information counter where you can get free tickets for the tour of the flight line. These are the aircraft awaiting restoration and aren't inside the museum. We opted to do this first because rain threatened. However, when we looked at our tickets we realized that it was an hour before he tour. (We were still getting acclimated to a different time zone.) So we took this opportunity to get some food at the Cubi Point Cafe. Cubi Point was the Naval Air Station in the Philippine Islands. The aircraft carriers I had served on had always tied up at Cubi. Once when the Bon Homme Richard was there the crew consumed 1,100 cases of San Migeul beer. I think our record still stands. For lunch I had a turkey sandwich with bean soup while Claudette had the Subic Bay sandwich. The food was great and the price was quite reasonable unlike many museums.  The decor was all memorabilia of squadrons that had been stationed at Cubi.

Soon it was time for our tour of the flight line.  The bus was one of those busses that look like a trolley car  and we climbed aboard. The driver/tour guide's name was Mac. He was a retired naval aviator who whose squadron was once assigned to the Intrepid. After chatting a few minutes I found out that Mac was on the "Fighting I" the same time I was. He had flown "Queer Spads".   The A-1 "Skyraider" was a single engine propeller driven airplane commonly referred to as a "Spad".  A "Queer Spad" was the ECM or Electronic Countermeasures version which was a four place plane rather than one. During our forty-five minute tour we saw quite a few airplanes and helicopters. Some were WWII vintage but most were newer. There were two planes from the Navy Blue Angels exhibition team, a F/A-18 Hornet and a C-130 Hercules. The support teams C-130 is fondly referred to as "Fat Albert". Our guide was extremely knowledgable and offered great commentary spiced with occasional humor.

Inside the museum the airplanes are displayed according to age, beginning with the early flying boats. Before the advent of the aircraft carriers all Navy planes were flying boats, seaplanes. The WWI life-size dioramas were awesome. There was a design aspect of the carrier based planes that was  to the Museum's advantage.   Carrier planes have folding wings and don't take up as much space. The museum collection is over 150 aircraft but my favorites are those from the so called "Golden Age of Aviation" those years between WWI and WWII. These planes were usually fairly small with one radial engine and one pilot. Biplanes, planes with two wings, are my favorites.  Biplanes such as the 1933 FF-1 which had retractable landing gear and a "greenhouse" canopy.    It was also good to see the planes I had watched take off and land when I should have been working.  The Crusaders, Skyhawks, Willy Fudds, and Skyraiders here were all pristine and clean. There were no exhaust soot, no dirty hand prints, and no duct tape. They were beautiful.  There are also  famous planes as well. The NC4 flying boats that first flew across the Atlantic in 1919.  The F-8 Crusader which was the first Navy fighter to fly twice the speed of sound in level flight. The first Navy fighter to be able to fly straight up was  the F-4 Phantom II.  Other interesting planes were the DC-3 which was the first airplane to land on the South Pole.  There is a Marine helicopter, Marine One, which carried the first American president to resign from the White House. There is also a S3C Viking that a sitting U.S. president landed aboard the aircraft carrier, Abraham Lincoln. Many airplanes hang from the ceiling to better mimic flight and there is a great lighter-than-air exhibit.

I found the aircraft engines, reciprocating and jet, very interesting particularly the cutaway displays. I like to know how things work.  One airplane that isn't mentioned on the website is the Me-262 .  This plane was the first operational jet fighter and the pride of the Luftwaffe. I had seen three of these before but never  a version built with dual controls as a trainer.  There are several representatives of adversary aircraft in the collection even a F-16 with a big red star on the side. The "Fighting Falcon" was used in the Navy's Top Gun school for fighter pilot training as an enemy aircraft. There are a lot of things for kids to do such as climbing into the cockpits of famous fighters, simulators and an IMAX theater. A few sculptures and other artwork are scattered throughout the displays.

It was a great place for a family outing. Normally the Navy's aerobatic team, "The Blue Angels", are practicing at the airstrip behind the museum but no longer, due to budgetary constraints. But there are lots of things for kids do do inside.  There are cockpits to crawl into, simulators to fly and movies to watch.  This kid had a great time.  And... I would visit again.