Ok, let's see how many of these you folks can identify. I'm not an airplane guy so I won't be able to tell you if you're right or wrong, but this is from a recent WAAAM museum visit I went on during my hunting trip earlier this month. Most of these planes are SUPER rare, many of them are the only one left in existence.

Check it out...

Bamboo Bomber.
<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i4/spyder1200/stuff045.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>

(K, gonna send this and see if I chose the right way to post images...if not, I'll redo it...like always)

Take two!

Bamboo Bomber.
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i4/spyder1200/stuff045.jpg

K...it worked. Here ya'll go. That one up above was actually for sale. One brand new engine and he wanted almost nothing for it...

And, the great thing about these planes is that they ALL FLY. Every one of them is operational. They fly and ARE flown, fairly frequently...

THIS one is iiiiiiimmmppprreeesssiiivvveeee. I actually knew this one...
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i4/spyder1200/stuff044.jpg
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i4/spyder1200/stuff028.jpg
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i4/spyder1200/stuff026.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i4/spyder1200/stuff025.jpg
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i4/spyder1200/stuff024.jpg
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i4/spyder1200/stuff023.jpg
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i4/spyder1200/stuff022.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i4/spyder1200/stuff021.jpg
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i4/spyder1200/stuff020.jpg
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i4/spyder1200/stuff019.jpg
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i4/spyder1200/stuff018.jpg
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i4/spyder1200/stuff017.jpg
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i4/spyder1200/stuff016.jpg
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i4/spyder1200/stuff015.jpg

My pictures suck, I know. I dropped my camera one too many times on this trip and by the time we made it to Hood River it wasn't working all that great...


http://www.waaamuseum.org/

In that second to last one, look along the left side. Jeeps. Military jeeps. If you look close you can see the ones on the end, 106mm recoilless mounted, along with a few others. :)

Those pictures are awesome I don't know much about planes but they sure are neat.

Cool pics! The Pensacola Naval Air Museum has an extensive collection of old and newer aircraft on display as well

http://www.navalaviationmuseum.org/getfile/cb181480-3e67-4c88-9abb-b144e6dedf4b/NC-4.aspx (http://www.navalaviationmuseum.org/ExhibitsAndCollections/Exhibits/Exhibits-Frontiers.aspx)

Anyone seen the spruce goose in person that is one I would really like to see.

I saw it when it used to be in Santa Monica. You could take a tour inside it.

Look at the size comparison between the Spruce Goose, the 747-8, the A380-800, and the Antonov AN-225
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Giant_planes_comparison.svg

I want to see an A-380 in person looks pretty close to the same size.

Anyone seen the spruce goose in person that is one I would really like to see.I live less than an hour from the Spruce Goose (http://www.sprucegoose.org/), and have taken some visiting family and friends to the museum. It's quite amazing, and now you can go inside. Can't sit in the cockpit, though.

James, I didn't know there was an aviation museum in Hood River. Besides the Spruce Goose in McMinnville, I've also been to the museum in Tillamook (http://www.tillamookair.com/), so I'll have to check out Hood River.

I need to take a trip out west and have a look at some of these marvels

why was the spruce goose only flown once ?

it was way to heavy thats why it only flew for a couple of secs.

gdwriter, the museum just opened up a month or so ago. One of my good friends' fathers has spent his whole life collecting and restoring all the planes and vehicles in it and he finally got them all together and opened the museum.

Check out the website. It's a VERY impressive place.

http://waaamuseum.org/

so change out the props and upgrade to jet engines would it fly then ?

The spruce goose had plenty of power to fly. The reason it only flew once is that it was obsolete long before it was finished and the requirement for it had long ended. It was intended to be used to transport war supplies across the Atlantic to Europe when the German U-boats were wiping out convoys. We and the British won the Battle of the Atlantic with the Liberty ship, blimps, jeep aircraft carriers, and airborne RADAR. THe goose became irrelevant.

Yeah...wasn't the goose finished in like '48 or '49? Didn't Hughes basically finish it to prove that he could build it? And wasn't it finished with his funding?

On the same general note as the Spruce Goose, I bring you the Ekranoplan. Probably the neatest/wierdest plane ever.
http://www.se-technology.com/wig/html/image.php?code=0&id=406
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/27/Pic_4459.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ekranoplan

Ah, The Ekranoplan... (We use the Russian word, which means "Screen plane" FYI because the English term is "Power-Augmented Ram Wing-in-ground-effect" or "PAR-WIG"... talk about a mouthful!). Those are neat. I remember getting Smithsonian Air & Space magazine and seeing all the old Soviet desk models for sale. Now you can actually but the genuine article in Russia; last I knew nobody had bought it! There was some confusion over what they were good for, tactically; as they couldn't cross the Atlantic easily and couldn't fly above the ground effect fully loaded. The best anyone could come up with was they were going to cross the Caspian Sea or something like that and use it for an invasion. They actually called the big one (The KM-08 -the one in the bottom photo) the "Kaspian Sea Monster"

I want to see an A-380 in person looks pretty close to the same size.

I've got some really good pics of the A380 when it first came into IAD. I ran the security for the events that day. I can't post them now since I just upgraded my laptop to Vista and haven't put all my files back on yet but I'll put some up for you this evening once I'm back home. It really was a sight to see. I was out on taxi way next to the runway that was used when the 380 took off for a demo flight. I couldn't believe how quiet she ran.

Some fine pieces of aviation history there.

The town I live in is only here because of the air force base... there is a really awesome aviation museum here, lots of cool things... including my favorite plane... DC-3 :) Tho it is in rough shape... I should get pictures some time.

This thread rocks

Today in 1911, the aeroplane makes it's debut on the battlefield.
http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/10/dayintech_1023

I have an old set of encyclopedias I bought in a book fair that have "The War" (WWI) as supplement volumes.

I'm actually excited about this thread. Working with aviation I've got some great and one in a lifetime pictures to share but it's really rare to find anyone who shares the same joy with aviation. When I get home I'll post up a bunch I've taken and collected over the years. Not only did I have the pleasure of seeing the A380 up close and personal during it's proving runs I also was witness to the last landing of the concorde ever - when it came into IAD to be put in the new Air and Space Museum.

I dunno if you guys noticed when I mentioned it early on in this thread, but all of these planes are operational. They FLY them! That's what impresses me so much... Yes, the Jenny actually has been airborne in the last month. The Bamboo Bomber flew in to the airfield and is ready, right now, to fly again... :)

I am a junkie. I've worked in aviation ever since I graduated high school. If you are interested. I'm posting my tour of duty in a Marine Recon squadron. We caught the evacuation of Vietnam. The O-1 Birddog is in the Pensacola Museum I mentioned earlier. Sorry for the poor picture quality of some pics. Back then I kept a Kodak 110 on my person.

http://pages.prodigy.net/fremin/Garage/marines.htm

Speaking of the Concorde, Chrysler did that bit of aviation history no justice when they used that name for their mediocre-at-best full size sedan.

Oh, and again, with the Concorde, when I was in England in '03, I went out for a morning jog, with my MP3 as loud as it could go, and I heard this tremedously loud roaring sound...think of a jet engine x10...I look up and what do I see? A Concorde directly over me...no more than 500 feet above me. Loudest airplane ever! Interesting side note: that was the last year they were operational IIRC, and that was in August..right before they retired them.

Alright, poll time. If you could fly or ride in any aircraft you wanted, whether it reached production or has been retired, what would it be?

For me, I think it would either be the XB-70 Valkyrie or the SR-71

Spruce Goose....because I like big things that handle like ass.

Yeah...wasn't the goose finished in like '48 or '49? Didn't Hughes basically finish it to prove that he could build it? And wasn't it finished with his funding?




Naa, he finished it because a congressman said it was nothing but a joke and that he was wasting Americas money and I believe tried to get him thrown into jail.....so even though the war was over he finished it to prove that it did in fact work and it kept him out of jail....still a cool plane, I still can't believe it was built out of wood. :bonkers:

Naa, he finished it because a congressman said it was nothing but a joke and that he was wasting Americas money and I believe tried to get him thrown into jail.....so even though the war was over he finished it to prove that it did in fact work and it kept him out of jail....still a cool plane, I still can't believe it was built out of wood. :bonkers:

Owen Brewster was a shitbag. That is all. Juan Trippe was in his pocket.

Naa, he finished it because a congressman said it was nothing but a joke and that he was wasting Americas money and I believe tried to get him thrown into jail.....so even though the war was over he finished it to prove that it did in fact work and it kept him out of jail....still a cool plane, I still can't believe it was built out of wood. :bonkers:
If God had meant airplanes to be made out of metal there'd be aluminum trees.
I flew general aviation aircraft for over forty years and I can't imagine what my life would have been like if I hadn't done it. All you young whippersnappers need to go to your local GA airport and at least get an introductory ride. If you don't, you'll never know that you have missed one of lifes biggest adventures. One warning; flying is more addictive than crack and meth combined.

Ha, yea...I was going to say, most of the planes from the good 'ol days WERE made of wood. Hell, damned near ALL of them.

Sinister...without a doubt, it'd be the SR-71. Have you ever read "Sled Driver"? Brian Shul lives about five minutes away from me...

All you young whippersnappers need to go to your local GA airport and at least get an introductory ride. If you don't, you'll never know that you have missed one of lifes biggest adventures. One warning; flying is more addictive than crack and meth combined.A buddy of mine has his private pilot's license, and his dad has a Cessna 172. I've gone flying with him a couple of times, and he's even let me take the controls.

For my birthday a few years ago, my ex-wife gave me a couple of flying lessons. I absolutely loved it, but it was very expensive, and it just wasn't practical for me to go for my pilot's license. But at least I can say I've actually flown a plane.

Funny thing, during my second lesson, my instructor was focusing on turns and drilling me on the importance of keeping the nose up while turning (I think there's a natural tendency for the nose to drop when turning). So I was pulling on the control yoke a lot as I made my turns. Got in my car to drive home, and I found myself pulling on the steering wheel! Didn't make a difference in the car, though.

I love pretty much anything with wheels or wings, so I've hit most of the air museums anywhere I've traveled. On my way to the Cadillac Owners meet this spring, I spent a couple of hours at the Hill Aerospace Museum (http://www.hill.af.mil/library/museum/index.asp) next to Hill Air Force Base in Ogden, UT. Photos from that stop are here (http://www.gdwriter.q45.org/Cadillac_Meet_Road_Trip/May_17/May_17.html).

A few years ago, I was in Washington, DC and got to visit the main Air & Space Museum (http://www.nasm.si.edu/) on the National Mall, which is pretty much the Holy Grail of aviation museums. The original Wright Flyer (http://www.nasm.si.edu/exhibitions/gal209/index.cfm#1903) is there, along with the Spirit of St. Louis (http://www.nasm.si.edu/imagedetail.cfm?imageID=205), Chuck Yeager's Bell X-1 (http://www.nasm.si.edu/imagedetail.cfm?imageID=996) that broke the sound barrier, and the Apollo 11 capsule (http://www.nasm.si.edu/imagedetail.cfm?imageID=363).

I also got to see the museum's expanded facility near Dulles. On display there is the Enola Gay (http://collections.nasm.si.edu/code/emuseum.asp?profile=objects&newstyle=single&quicksearch=A19500100000), the Boeing B-29 Superfortress which dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, an Air France Concorde (http://collections.nasm.si.edu/code/emuseum.asp?profile=objects&newstyle=single&quicksearch=A20030139000), and the prototype of the Boeing 707, the Boeing 367-80 (http://collections.nasm.si.edu/code/emuseum.asp?profile=objects&newstyle=single&quicksearch=A19730272000), affectionately known as the Dash 80. I first saw the Dash 80 when it was in storage at the Air Force boneyard in Tucson back in 1984. That's where I first heard the story of the famous barrel roll. Can you imagine rolling a plane of this size? Here's a video clip with an interview of the pilot who did it:

CVzRaliTuks

This one shows the plane a little better:
3IV9PZW1N9U

I dunno if you guys noticed when I mentioned it early on in this thread, but all of these planes are operational. They FLY them! That's what impresses me so much... Yes, the Jenny actually has been airborne in the last month. The Bamboo Bomber flew in to the airfield and is ready, right now, to fly again... :)Most of the airplanes at Tillamook, and IIRC most at Evergreen are airworthy as well. I think that's really cool.

Alright, poll time. If you could fly or ride in any aircraft you wanted, whether it reached production or has been retired, what would it be?Hard to pick just one, but I'll go with the North American X-15 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-15) rocket plane, which was launched from a B-52 mothership. My Dad was a B-52 crew chief, so I have great affection for the BUFF.

One of the B-52s used in the X-15 program is on display at the Pima Air Museum (http://www.pimaair.org/) in Tucson. It's appropriately nicknamed "The High and Mighty One."

http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/Gallery/Photo/X-15/Small/EC88-0180-4.jpg

http://www.nose-art.net/Nb-52na.jpg

I also got to see the museum's expanded facility near Dulles. On display there is the Enola Gay (http://collections.nasm.si.edu/code/emuseum.asp?profile=objects&newstyle=single&quicksearch=A19500100000), the Boeing B-29 Superfortress which dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, an Air France Concorde (http://collections.nasm.s.edu/code/emuseum.asp?profile=objects&newstyle=single&quicksearch=A20030139000),


Below are some of the pictures I've taken over the years. Including the AF Concorde when it came into IAD. Enjoy.

This is my old Catera and the UAE 747 VIP
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b362/Hackett285/Aviation/P8060286.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b362/Hackett285/Aviation/catera01.jpg

A380
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b362/Hackett285/Aviation/IMG_0321.jpg

The new tower at IAD in the background.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b362/Hackett285/Aviation/IMG_0315.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b362/Hackett285/Aviation/IMG_0342.jpg

Concorde
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b362/Hackett285/Aviation/P6120043.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b362/Hackett285/Aviation/P6120045.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b362/Hackett285/Aviation/P6120046.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b362/Hackett285/Aviation/P6120047.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b362/Hackett285/Aviation/P6120055.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b362/Hackett285/Aviation/P6120058.jpg

I took my Dad and one of his friends out to see it
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b362/Hackett285/Aviation/P7210002.jpg

Airbus 320 flt deck
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b362/Hackett285/Aviation/TacafltDeck01_edited.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b362/Hackett285/Aviation/P5190118.jpg

This is one of my favorites... this one inbound on a flt from SAL
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b362/Hackett285/Aviation/IMG_0244.jpg

Hope you enojyed!

Below are some of the pictures I've taken over the years. Including the AF Concorde when it came into IAD. Enjoy.

...


Airbus 320 flt deck
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b362/Hackett285/Aviation/TacafltDeck01_edited.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b362/Hackett285/Aviation/P5190118.jpg

This is one of my favorites... this one inbound on a flt from SAL
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b362/Hackett285/Aviation/IMG_0244.jpg

Hope you enojyed!

Wow... the last time that I went out on the ramp (and it was just by myself) to take pictures, one of the douches up in Admin pissed and moaned. Hell, they piss and moan if you want to show a buddy some aircraft. This is TVC too, it's not huge. Apparently the SIDA badge doesn't mean shit.

I've also got good stories involving TSA as well...

A320 pics... damn. Air Wisconsin ground handles northwest in TVC now and I had to work those bastards all summer.

Wow... the last time that I went out on the ramp (and it was just by myself) to take pictures, one of the douches up in Admin pissed and moaned. Hell, they piss and moan if you want to show a buddy some aircraft. This is TVC too, it's not huge. Apparently the SIDA badge doesn't mean shit.

I've also got good stories involving TSA as well...

A320 pics... damn. Air Wisconsin ground handles northwest in TVC now and I had to work those bastards all summer.

Nothing worse for rampers then a A321 going out full. Great aircraft but such a pain to load and offload. TSA was a great concept when it started but now it's just a joke. I keep getting offered jobs from them and keep turning them down. Everyone who's worth a damn working for them is leaving. If you think airport screening is bad now just wait about 6 months... I've got a lot more pics and a vid of a fire at IAD on the ramp about 50 feet from an aircraft. That was a sight. I'll upload the vid later if I'm able and post it.

You need to experience an aircraft carrier flight deck during launch time. You have sound suppression over your ears but you couldn't hear anyone anyway over the noise. You constantly have to be aware of spinning props, huge jet intakes under power or exhausts as they turn to taxi to the catapults. I've seen more than one person take the 50'+ plunge into the Pacific because they weren't paying attention. I think we got an extra 50 bucks a month of hazardous duty pay. I wouldn't have traded the experience for the world!

http://pages.prodigy.net/fremin/Garage/images/Wind/VMCJ1_613_3X5.JPG

You need to experience an aircraft carrier flight deck during launch time. You have sound suppression over your ears but you couldn't hear anyone anyway over the noise. You constantly have to be aware of spinning props, huge jet intakes under power or exhausts as they turn to taxi to the catapults. I've seen more than one person take the 50'+ plunge into the Pacific because they weren't paying attention. I think we got an extra 50 bucks a month of hazardous duty pay. I wouldn't have traded the experience for the world!

http://pages.prodigy.net/fremin/Garage/images/Wind/VMCJ1_613_3X5.JPG
Another refugee from the brown shoe navy. Us black shoes didn't launch aircraft, we shot'em down with missiles. I spent a couple of days on an ASW carrier(Yorktown) and it was quite an experience. A cat shot in an S-2 topped off the visit.

Another refugee from the brown shoe navy. Us black shoes didn't launch aircraft, we shot'em down with missiles. I spent a couple of days on an ASW carrier(Yorktown) and it was quite an experience. A cat shot in an S-2 topped off the visit.

Actually, I was in a Marine squadron attached to the USS Midway. We were based in Iwakuni, Japan. When the boat sailed from Yokosuka, we came along for the ride. This is a picture of one of our VMCJ-1 recon birds.

Nothing worse for rampers then a A321 going out full. Great aircraft but such a pain to load and offload. TSA was a great concept when it started but now it's just a joke. I keep getting offered jobs from them and keep turning them down. Everyone who's worth a damn working for them is leaving. If you think airport screening is bad now just wait about 6 months... I've got a lot more pics and a vid of a fire at IAD on the ramp about 50 feet from an aircraft. That was a sight. I'll upload the vid later if I'm able and post it.

Actually, back when I started my blog (named appropriately enough - Random Rants From An Airline Employee), I did a little thing on TSA.
http://www.rrfaae.com/serendipity/archives/2-TSA,-its-funding,-and-why-it-shouldnt-exist.html

Nice!! I flew in one of those:

http://www.sleeperse.com/Gearhead43/BiPlane%20Flight/1.jpg

http://www.sleeperse.com/Gearhead43/BiPlane%20Flight/2.jpg

http://www.sleeperse.com/Gearhead43/BiPlane%20Flight/fino.jpg

http://www.sleeperse.com/Gearhead43/BiPlane%20Flight/view01.jpg

http://www.sleeperse.com/Gearhead43/BiPlane%20Flight/view02.jpg

http://www.sleeperse.com/Gearhead43/BiPlane%20Flight/view03.jpg

http://www.sleeperse.com/Gearhead43/BiPlane%20Flight/view04.jpg

http://www.sleeperse.com/Gearhead43/BiPlane%20Flight/view05.jpg

http://www.sleeperse.com/Gearhead43/BiPlane%20Flight/view06.jpg

http://www.sleeperse.com/Gearhead43/BiPlane%20Flight/view07.jpg

http://www.sleeperse.com/Gearhead43/BiPlane%20Flight/view08.jpg

http://www.sleeperse.com/Gearhead43/BiPlane%20Flight/view09.jpg

http://www.sleeperse.com/Gearhead43/BiPlane%20Flight/view10.jpg

http://www.sleeperse.com/Gearhead43/BiPlane%20Flight/view11.jpg

http://www.sleeperse.com/Gearhead43/BiPlane%20Flight/view12.jpg

http://www.sleeperse.com/Gearhead43/BiPlane%20Flight/view16.jpg

http://www.sleeperse.com/Gearhead43/BiPlane%20Flight/view17.jpg

http://www.sleeperse.com/Gearhead43/BiPlane%20Flight/view18.jpg

http://www.sleeperse.com/Gearhead43/BiPlane%20Flight/view19.jpg

http://www.sleeperse.com/Gearhead43/BiPlane%20Flight/view20.jpg

I want to see an A-380 in person looks pretty close to the same size.

I see them every day. Very impressive. I work for Airbus in Hamburg and Toulouse!
I even flew in it once. Again, very impressive!

http://www.pichotel.com/pic/3273LP0k7/120209.jpg

http://www.pichotel.com/pic/3273LP0k7/120218.jpg

http://www.pichotel.com/pic/3273LP0k7/120222.jpg

http://www.pichotel.com/pic/3273LP0k7/120225.jpg

http://www.pichotel.com/pic/3273LP0k7/120226.jpg

http://www.pichotel.com/pic/3273LP0k7/120219.jpg

http://www.pichotel.com/pic/3273LP0k7/120221.jpg

http://www.pichotel.com/pic/3273LP0k7/120227.jpg

http://www.pichotel.com/pic/3273LP0k7/120236.jpg

http://www.pichotel.com/pic/3273LP0k7/120223.jpg

http://youtube.com/watch?v=VKtuVq-Scds

I see them every day.
http://www.pichotel.com/pic/3273LP0k7/120236.jpg


I've been hearing about these digital charts. Anyone have the skinny on em? Do they auto calc headings and shit adjusting for wind and magnetic declination and shit?

Too...many...pictures... ... ...computer...old...and...crusty!

First commercial flight of the A380

http://www.samchuiphotos.com/SQ380/SQ380.html