Discovery's last ride

Today, the first operational space shuttle to be decommissioned and retired, Discovery, was flown over to Dulles International Airport in Virginia, to be placed as an exhibit in the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center (the annex to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum). It's spent a total of 365 days, 22 hours, 39 minutes and 29 seconds in space, and has traveled approximately 148,221,675 miles during its  27 years of successful service! If you're ever in the DC area, and you've got time to spare to travel over to the Udvar-Hazy center, DO IT! Don't miss an opportunity to see one of the greatest flying machines of our time!

National Air and Space Museum

I've referenced it previously, but I've never actually spoken a whole lot about the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

Located in Washington, DC., and part of the Smithsonian Institution, it is home to the world's largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft. It's actually a set of two museums, one on the Mall and one at Dulles Intl. Airport. Both house amazing exhibits and showcase pieces of aviation history, including the Wright Flyer, the Enola Gay (the B-29 that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima), ballistic missiles, fighter aircraft, a space shuttle, a lunar lander, and a whole lot more! The best part about the museum is that it's fun for all ages. Kids can enjoy the fun, adventurous atmosphere, while adults can enjoy the the finer aspects of the history behind each aircraft/spacecraft.

One of the most fun parts about the museum is the guided tours. The docents offer a very interesting insight into the histories of each of the aircraft featured, and the aviators who flew them. You'll definitely leave the museum knowing a whole lot more about aviation than you did when you entered! For a guy like me, who's obsessed with anything to do with airplanes, it was a heavenly experience!

Flattop

Some of the most beautiful warships to have come out of the Second World War were the Essex Class aircraft carriers. In all, 24 of these carriers (or flattops as they were nicknamed) were built for the Navy. Today, only four of the largest class of capital ships ever made remain as museum-ships; testaments to the military engineering might of the United States. The Hornet, Intrepid, Yorktown and Lexington are berthed as floating museums across the United States.

I had the opportunity to visit the USS Intrepid earlier this summer and explore what can be truly considered a marvel of engineering. On a hot Sunday in July (it was 100+), we trekked over to see the Intrepid, after getting off at the wrong subway station. Finally, after half an hour of blistering heat, chilidogs and stops to take in the view along the Hudson, the gigantic gray mass of the Intrepid became visible, and my heart started pounding. You see, my entire goal in life is to be a Naval Aviator. The problem is that everything is in my way. On an international level.  It’s hard to explain, so I won’t waste your time trying to. The thing is, I know I’ll accomplish my goals. So when I saw the carrier for the first time, I was overjoyed, because I could see a part of my future.

After buying the tickets, entering the museum and heading over to the elevator, nothing could have prepared me for the rush I felt when I stepped on the flight deck. Walking across a gangway, I got a clearer view of the aircraft exhibits. To my right was an F-16, an F-9 Cougar and right behind them was the venerable A-12, the granddaddy of the infamous SR-71 Blackbird. Across the deck there was an F-14, an A-6 and an F-11 Tiger. I won’t bore you to death listing the names of the various exhibits, though God knows I’d love to.

After exploring all the aircraft on the deck in detail, including a Marine Corps F-4 Phantom II that flew in Vietnam, I headed into the island superstructure. I could just imagine sailors scrambling around the tiny, cramped up interior, when the call for General Quarters was made. The ladders were angled slightly, and that proved an issue for me because of my height. I could have sworn I bumped my head at least 30 times climbing down the first set of ladders into the Admiral’s bridge. Finally, after I finished exploring the Island, I went below decks into the hangar bay. 

Good God almighty was it huge! There were a couple of simulators which I wound up trying out a little later, a bunch of space-related exhibits and a few helicopters.

Standing in front of a TBM Avenger, like the one Former President Bush flew in WWII, I was amazed by the gargantuan proportions of the aircraft. It was undoubtedly a death-dealing mass of raw power.

Seeing all this and more below the hangar deck, I made a definite decision that next summer, I’m going to check out the Hornet in California, the Lexington in Texas and Yorktown in South Carolina.

Folks, if you’re as obsessed with naval aviation as I am, I highly recommend you visit these ships. They serve as memorials to the brave sailors and Marines who fought on these ships throughout the Pacific, tearing a path of destruction throughout the Japanese naval armadas.