WASHINGTON DC to GETTYSBURG – discoveries to battlefields

Wednesday – Today is our last day in DC and personally I will say that I am sorry to leave this wonderful city.  If you have never been, then get yourself off that couch and go!  The museums, memorials, parks and everything else make it a trip worth the taking.

We have a light breakfast and then Kylie and I head off to collect our rental car from Avis.  We know where to go this time so that’s a plus for us!  We are given something that resembles a Toyota Landcruiser – plenty of room to say the least and we are very happy.

After the necessary paperwork has been completed we drive back to the hotel where Tyler is waiting with the bags so time to once again load the car and head out for more discoveries.

We have a 40 minute drive to our first stop – the Smithsonian Institution Air & Space in Virginia – otherwise known as the Steven F Udvar Hazy Centre.  It is home to the Discovery Space Shuttle, Concorde, Enola Gay and many, many more flying machines of which I will speak at a later point in this journal.

After parking our car we head up the long walk to the Centre which is just like one huge aircraft hangar.  There is the usual security scans and of course being a Smithsonian, there is no entry fee.  We do however, make a small donation for the guide map.  The people at the information booth are most knowledgeable and have either flown or had something to do first hand with the exhibits.  A very interesting chat ensues where we are told that there are also guided tours that last for about 90 minutes.  There is no booking – you just rock up to the designated spot and then the large group is broken into smaller groups and away you go.  We decide that this is a good idea but we still have some time before the tours so we will have a look around.

Through the main entry you cannot help but gasp at the amount of aircraft that are either hanging from the ceiling or standing on the ground.

One that catches our eye is Lope’s Hope a Curtiss P-40E Warhawk, painted in memory of USAAC/USAF pilot and World War II ace, former Deputy Museum Director Donald S. Lopez.  There are also many wartime aircraft from Germany and Japan but I am sure these will all be covered in our tour.

Time to have a quick look at the major drawcard – the Space Shuttle Discovery. It has its own section which is to one side of the main pavilion.

Before you even get close up you know it is HUGE.  One of the great mysteries to me is how on earth something that big and heavy can get off the ground let alone stay in the sky.  You can talk all you want about scientific reasons but I am still mystified.

We are dwarfed big time as we walk towards the nose and then take time to walk around.  The black part is all small tiles and each tile is numbered so if it needs to be replaced they know exactly what tile they have to manufacture.  Please forgive me for going into more details – but both Discovery and you can take it.

HISTORY LESSON : When the maiden flight finally took off, at 8:41 a.m. on 30th August 1984, Discovery blasted the American space program to new heights. It flew 39 times over the next 27 years – more than any other shuttle vehicle. Many space history firsts occurred on board this 6,870-pound vehicle: it took the first Senator to space in 1985 and it flew the oldest man into space, 77-year old John Glenn.

The Space Shuttle programme, however, was not always marked with rosy achievements  – the Challenger disaster of 1986 left seven astronauts dead and the world heartbroken. President Reagan assured the nation that the US would go back to space.  “The future doesn’t belong to the faint-hearted, it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew is pulling us into the future and we will continue to follow them,” Reagan said to the nation from the Oval Office.

Just two years later, making its true mark on history and sending shock waves of exhilaration through the American public, Discovery became the return-to-space vehicle.

“America is going to space again and we are going there to stay,” Reagan said at the Johnson Space Centre outside Houston on 22nd September 1988. “Because in the next century leadership on earth will come from the country that shows the most leadership in space.”  In 2005, Discovery was at it again: returning the US to space following the Columbia disaster in 2003.  But just five years later, the programme was retired – and Discovery along with it. 

Her last mission was to land at the Smithsonian National Air and Space museum’s annex in Virginia, where we see her today. 

Have a go at those engines.  The three big main engines provide thrust which accelerates the Shuttle from 4,828 kmh to over 27,358 kmh in just six minutes to reach orbit.  Now that’s travelling – not even time to have the usual inflight beverage service!  If you want to read more, and let me tell you there is plenty more to read – just do a bit of web surfing.  You will be at it for hours!

Time to move on to our guided tour.  There are only a couple of us here and our guide is a lovely retired gentleman who was heavily involved with aircraft.  Please forgive me for not remembering his name – but I do remember how knowledgeable and  wonderful he is and after all I think that is more important than a name.

He gives us a talk about the Museum, how it came to be and how they keep on improving their exhibits and of the different types of aircraft we will see and then it’s off to explore.

Our first stop – well, that’s a surprise – the Shuttle Discovery – but I have already bored you enough with that.  There are also many, many other space items that are in this section so I’ll bore you with those instead!

This Mercury Capsule is the only one of two left showing the complete spacecraft.   The silver and black striped part at the bottom is the retrorocket package used to slow the capsule for return to Earth and the nose section contains the parachutes.

Alan Shepard, the first American in space hoped to fly this in 1963  but the programme was cancelled so that NASA could concentrate on the next human spaceflight project – Gemini .  Time to leave this section and move back into the main part.

When space travellers from the moon returned to Earth it was not known if they brought back any little ‘lunar nasties’ with them so they had to go into quarantine.   This Mobile Quarantine Facility was one of four built by NASA – its purpose was to prevent the unlikely spread of lunar germs by isolating the astronauts from contact with other people.  It contained living and sleeping quarters, a kitchen, and a bathroom. Quarantine was assured by keeping the air pressure inside lower than the pressure outside and by filtering the air vented from the facility.

This one was used by Apollo 11 astronauts Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins immediately after their return to Earth. They remained in it for 88 hours, while being flown from the aircraft carrier Hornet to the Johnson Space Center in Houston and were allowed to leave once scientists were sure they were not infected with ‘moon germs.’

George (above left) is the unlikely Allied nickname for the best Japanese naval fighter produced in quantity during World War II. The official Japanese name and designation was Kawanishi N1K2 Shiden (Violet Lightning). This outstanding land-based fighter sprang directly from a float plane fighter design, the N1K1 Rex and is only one of three remaining today.

The Arado Ar 234 B Blitz Lightning (above right) was the world’s first operational jet bomber and reconnaissance aircraft. The first Ar 234 combat mission, a reconnaissance flight over the Allied beachhead in Normandy, took place on 2nd August 1944. With a maximum speed of 735kmh, the Blitz easily eluded Allied piston engine fighters. While less famous than the Messerschmitt, the Ar 234s that reached Luftwaffe units provided excellent service, especially as reconnaissance aircraft.  This Arado is the sole survivor of its type.

Whilst in a war-time frame of mind – our next stop is the Enola Gay.  As I stand here in front of a bright, shiny aircraft it is hard to imagine the role that it played in WWII.  I also think of the movie starring Robert Taylor as the pilot – Colonel Paul Tibbets.

Boeing’s B-29 Superfortress was the most sophisticated propeller-driven bomber of World War II and the first bomber to house its crew in pressurized compartments. Although designed to fight in the European theatre, the B-29 found its niche on the other side of the globe. In the Pacific, B-29s delivered a variety of aerial weapons: conventional bombs, incendiary bombs, mines, and two nuclear weapons.  On 6th August 1945, this plane dropped the first atomic weapon used in combat on Hiroshima, Japan.  Along with all the other atrocities of WWII it was yet another tragedy the human race had to endure.

We now turn into the section where Boeing have some memorable aircraft.

The Boeing 307 (above left) was first flown in late 1938, and was the first airliner with a pressurized fuselage. It could carry 33 passengers in great comfort and cruise at 6,096 metres, while maintaining a cabin pressure of 2,438 meters.  This enabled the Stratoliner to fly above most bad weather, thereby providing a faster and smoother ride.

Above right – in 1954, a graceful, swept-winged brown and yellow aircraft, powered by four revolutionary new engines first took to the sky above Seattle. Built by the Boeing Aircraft Company, the 367-80, better known as the Dash 80, would come to revolutionize commercial air transportation when its developed version entered service as the famous Boeing 707, America’s first jet airliner.

Time for another incredible flying machine – The Concorde and please forgive me as I could not get a close up full frame photo.  It was the first supersonic airliner to enter service, flying thousands of passengers across the Atlantic at twice the speed of sound for over 25 years.

In 1976 Air France and British Airways jointly inaugurated Concorde service to destinations around the globe.  Carrying up to 100 passengers in great comfort, the Concorde catered to first class passengers for whom speed was critical. It could cross the Atlantic in fewer than four hours – half the time of a conventional jet airliner. However its high operating costs resulted in very high fares that limited the number of passengers who could afford to fly it. (Even if I saved for 10 years I would not have been one of them).  These problems and a shrinking market eventually forced the reduction of service until all Concordes were retired in 2003.

From supersonic flights to the ‘Who’dathoughtit’ section.  The Wright brothers (remember we saw them at the other Smithsonian) and the influence of their invention is beyond measure.   The transport by air of goods and people, quickly and over great distances, and the military applications of flight technology have had vast economic, geopolitical, and cultural impact around the globe.  The Wrights helped fashion a radically new world which, years later, allowed me to travel to the other side of the world in relative comfort – thanks Orville and Wilbur – much beholden.

Here are two early machines on display.   I will not write about them, instead I will provide a link and then you can learn about them in a more relaxed state.    Above left is the Langley Aerodrome A and on the right – the Caudron G-4.

The first glimpses of what that world would become are reflected in the pioneer aircraft of the first decade after 1903 and the airplanes of World War I, when human flight began to come of age.  In less than two decades, the airplane was transformed from an exciting new invention to a machine of practical utility, primed to become the defining technology of the 20th century.  Can you imagine what it was like in those days when you didn’t have any flight at all and then you did.  I imagine it would be rather scary to see these things in the air for the first time.

From early flight and war machines to WWII – and then to the Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird.

No reconnaissance aircraft in history has operated globally in more hostile airspace or with such complete impunity than the Blackbird, the world’s fastest jet-propelled aircraft. The Blackbird’s performance and operational achievements placed it at the pinnacle of aviation technology developments during the Cold War.

This Blackbird accrued about 2,800 hours of flight time during 24 years of active service with the U.S. Air Force. On its last flight, March 6, 1990, Lt. Col. Ed Yielding and Lt. Col. Joseph Vida set a speed record by flying from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., in 1 hour, 4 minutes, and 20 seconds, averaging 3,418 kmh – now that’s fast – considering it took me about five and a half hours!  When they arrived they landed at Washington-Dulles International Airport and turned the airplane over to the Smithsonian.

Time to move forward – the Korean War, Cold War and Vietnam.  War planes certainly had advanced in such a short time.

The MiG-21 was the Soviet Union’s first truly modern, second-generation jet fighter. Becoming the standard Soviet clear-air interceptor and with the addition of radar, more powerful engines, and other modifications, it became a multi-role fighter. More than 6,000 MiG-21s of 12 types were flown by over three dozen nations. This MiG-21F-13 was displayed in a Soviet military hardware exhibit at Bolling Air Force Base, Maryland, as part of a “Soviet Awareness” training program – its service history remains unknown.

The U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps and the air forces of 12 other nations have flown the multi-role Phantom II.  In this aircraft, then a Navy F-4J, on June 21, 1972, Cmdr. S. C. Flynn and his radar intercept officer, Lt. W. H. John, spotted three enemy MiG fighters off the coast of Vietnam and shot down one MiG-21 with a Sidewinder air-to-air missile. This Phantom also flew combat air patrols and bombing missions during the Linebacker II bombing campaign that same year.

The Grumman F14D (R) Tomcat – the plane was made even more famous by the movie Top Gun.  The F-14D(R) Tomcat is a supersonic, twin-engine, variable sweep-wing, two-place strike fighter manufactured by Grumman Aircraft Corporation. The multiple tasks of navigation, target acquisition, electronic counter measures (ECM), and weapons employment are divided between the pilot and the radar intercept officer (RIO). Primary missions include precision strike against ground targets, air superiority, and fleet air defence.

The National Air and Space Museum’s Tomcat (BuNo. 159610) was built as an F-14A-85-GR and was one of the few Tomcats that was modified as an F-14D(R) in the early 1990s. It is credited with one MiG kill which was earned on 4th January 4 1989, near the coast of Libya.

Now that we have seen the Tomcat – (Kylie is extremely happy) it is time to finish our tour.  A tour that was supposedly 90 minutes has turned into about 2 and a half hours and Kylie, Tyler and I are the only ones left in the group.  Our guide was so happy that we showed interest in everything he showed us – not like some of the other tour members that departed long ago.

What a great experience this has been.  Saying goodbye to our wonderful guide we head for the exit and yep – another little look at the Shuttle Discovery.  We climb the stairs once again and take more photos of course.  You can get a great view of the Enola Gay and some obscured views of the Concorde.  I like the idea that you can look down on most of the exhibits – it gives you another perspective on just how big or how small and frail they are.

We are now heading North on the I15 – destination Gettysburg, the scene, in 1863, of a most devastating battle during the American Civil War.  It is only about an hour and a half drive so we can take our time.

The trees are beginning to change colour – not as much as I would have liked but it is only early yet.  We cross back into Pennsylvania and it is not long before we arrive at our overnight lodgings – the Quality Inn at General Lee’s Headquarters.  It is right in the middle of the battlefield and as we have a really big day tomorrow we are glad that we do not have to drive very far.  Once we front up to check in we discover we have been given our own house – The Inn of Seminary Ridge.  This is not in the main part of the Hotel but across the road.  Needless to say we are pretty chuffed with this decision and are most grateful.  We are staying here for two nights so we are keen to unpack, shower and rest after our mega hike through the Smithsonian.

It is a Civil War building from 1863 – we have the single storey part which in reality is two storeys – I take the downstairs bed and K&T have upstairs.  This is my bed – very high that you need a set of steps to get into it – but once in – oh so comfy.  I also have my own bathroom with a jacuzzi and a shower with special low lighting.  Just too classy.

Time to climb the stairs into bed – it is so quiet – and I am soon asleep.

Highlight of the day – spending time with such a knowledgeable and enthusiastic man at the Smithsonian and of course Shuttle Discovery.