From Kitty Hawk to the moon

The Museum of Flight, near Seattle, Washington, deserves to be on your list of places to visit

FEATURE

Man's conquest of the skies has played a major role in the course of the 20th century. That famous flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, spawned a new era in the history of humanity. Few lives have not been touched, in some way, by the development of aviation.

Fortunately, the rich and colorful history of man's love affair with flight has been recorded and preserved for this and future generations at the Museum of Flight near Seattle.

The history of flight unfolds to museum visitors as they walk among some of the actual airplanes that played major roles in this history. From the dreams of Icarus and Daedalus to the space age, the history of flight is one of failed efforts that led to great accomplishments. The fruits of many of these accomplishments have been restored and have taken their place in one of the finest aviation museums to be found anywhere in the world.

On display at the Museum of Flight, which is situated adjacent to Boeing Field/King County International Airport just south of Seattle, are some of the most important and memorable aircraft that ever flew. All are in mint condition and, thanks to an army of volunteers, most are capable of flight.

A recent addition to the museum that is capturing the attention of nearly every visitor is the first jet airplane to be designated Air Force One. Built by Boeing, Air Force One was put into service in 1959, during the Eisenhower Administration. Until it was retired in 1996, the airplane known to air controllers as SAM (Special Air Mission) 970 served Presidents Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon, as well as other world leaders. But only when a president is on board does any airplane bear the designation Air Force One

Like Air Force One, each of the more than 50 airplanes on display at the Museum of Flight has a history of its own. One of the most significant is what is believed to be the only existing flyable B-1 7F that became known during World War II as the Flying Fortress. This particular type of aircraft dropped more than 640,000 tons of bombs on European targets. In peacetime operations, this airplane has added authenticity to the movies Twelve O'Clock High, Tora! Tora! Tora! and the remake of Memphis Belle. This B-17F always attracts a crowd when it is flown to and from a nearby airfield where it continues to undergo restoration.

Sitting side by side are a U.S. F-4C Phantom II and a Soviet MiG-21 PFM Fishbed, fighter jets that were adversaries during the long years of the Cold War. The Phantom on display has three MiG victories to its credit.

Dominating the ground level of the gigantic museum is an SR-71 Blackbird, a spy plane that remains the fastest and highest-flying, air-breathing aircraft ever built. The Blackbird is capable of traveling faster than a bullet fired from a highpowered rifle. Secured to the top of the Blackbird is a D-21 Drone, a tiny airplane that was designed to be launched, during flight, from the Blackbird, operated by remote control for aerial reconnaissance and destroyed while in flight. A launching accident scrubbed the program.

Other aircraft on display on ground level and suspended from the ceiling in what is called cloud level are a replica of the Wright Brothers' glider, a single-engine airplane built for Edgar Bergen and a Ryan M-1 that served as the basis for the Spirit of St. Louis, which was flown over the Atlantic Ocean by Lindbergh.

Also on display are an Aerocar III, a hybrid airplane that converted to an auto for commuting, and an experimental airplane that is so tiny that it looks more like a model, but was registered with the Federal Aviation Administration and actually has been flown. In the Apollo Exhibit area is a command module that was used for training.

A new addition to the Museum of Flight is a full-size air traffic control tower that is authentic down to the last detail, allowing visitors to manipulate maps, look up weather data and test their skills. Visitors to the tower can hear the actual conversation taking place between the controllers at Boeing Field and pilots of the steady stream of airplanes landing and taking off.

The museum building is, on its own, worth visiting. The great gallery, where most of the airplanes are displayed, is enclosed by 90,000 square feet of glass and soars to 77 feet at its highest point. Many of the airplanes on display are suspended from the ceiling as though in flight.

Adjacent to the museum is a building affectionately known as the "Red Barn." It was in this wooden building, which once housed a boat-building operation, that Bill Boeing launched a business that continues to dominate the field of aviation.

Seattle's Museum of Flight attracts visitors of all ages. From youngsters, who can climb into the planes on display in the hangar area, to veterans of the century's wars that were fought in the air, the displays bring home the tremendous accomplishments that have changed our lives forever.

Copyright T L Enterprises, Inc. Apr 1999
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved