Museum
 

I went to the RAF museum near my house after work today, didn't get much time but I got to go round the Battle of Britain hall, and I saw the only intact Bf110 in the world. And a Ju88 radar plane that defected to the British. Unfortunately, the hangar that had an ME-262 in it had closed by the time we got out

Just thought I would say that

I want to go visit the Imperial War Museum in London. It's one of my goals in life to accomplish without haste etc.

Yeah that one is also pretty good. This one is the RAF museum in London

If you find yourself in the United States, you should plan a visit to the Pensacola Naval Air station in Florida. The US Naval Air museum is on base and is awesome!

I think the Chino Air show/museum is better :P I only live a couple hours away!:cool:

There is always the NationalAir and Space museum in DC. They gave a 109, a Zero, a Folgore, A mustang, and a Spit all in the same room.

I really want to go to the other location they have in MD where there is an
He-219 undergoing restoration...and even an AR-234.

And also your run of the mill Allied planes.

That just might be worth the hostile and angry US border control threatment, if you find a non hostile person working at JFK passport check/border controll you better take a picture/video... you my friend have found a Dodo.

You know what I was wondering was, why dont some enthusiast just build new models of classic aircraft liek the Spitfire. Surely all the design specs and engineering blueprints are easily had nowadays. The hard part would be crafting the tools required. The engine would be a bit troublesome since they dont get made anymore but Im sure some enterprising chaps could probably make one.

I have been to the National Air/Space museum in DC as well. It too is enjoyable...

Considering that so few examples of these planes exist, how common do you think the blueprints are?

USAF Museum at Wright-Pattersen AFB in Ohio is simply awesome. ME109, FW190, JU88 or HE111, Spit, Mustang, P47, P38 all in one hangar.

Trey

The National Air and Space is fantastic but they only dispay about 20% of their true collection. The real gems are locked up in a whare house due to lack of display space. Pensacola is amazing!! I moved to Texas :( a few years ago and have found a couple of gems. There is (or used to be) one down in Galveston (Lone Star Flight) that was pretty amazing. All of their craft are flight worthy. I just hope Ike didn't get them. They also have the home of the Confederate Airforce and the USS Lexington down in Corpis. It has to be the only plus of living here; during the summer there are airshows left and right!!

A few companies do build replica's but to re-tool and start building the originals from scratch would be one heck of a task. Alot of the parts and equipment just aren't made anymore. What's worse is the parts to make those parts...and the parts that make the parts that make the parts. Let alone someone qualified to operate the machinary. Most of the parts would have to be machined by hand. Basiclly take the price it took to originaly develope the plane and convert that to it's modern equivilent. Even if you had the plans everything else would have to be done from scartch. You could hunt and salvage a few pieces but most of those are used in restoration work. And even if you had the parts we haven't built aircraft like that in 60+ years. We just do not know the technology anymore.

There is a company the builds replica ME 262's (http://www.stormbirds.com/project/index.html) for a couple of mil. Read the history of their development. I also remember a place that built 3/4 scale 190's but don't remember where I saw it.

I hope to visit that museum soon. :cool:

If you are ever near Seattle, WA check out the Boeing Museum of Flight. They have several great displays from WWI and WWII. There's for sure a Zero, ME 109, Corsair (HUGE lol!), P-38 and a few others in the WW wing. Fascinating place, you can spend hours and hours in there. Took the kid a few months ago (he's eight) and he's been on a WWII airplane kick ever since ;)

http://www.museumofflight.org/aircraft

Great place, and right on Interstate 5 at Boeing Field. You can even get rides in a biplane, some random warbirds, and even the B-17 when it is in town!

That place is very cool. Growing up in Ohio, we went there quite a bit.

I've been to the National Air/Space museum. Unfortunately we were in a rush and had to leave pretty fast. It was cool but I would have liked to look around a lot more.

Ah, but they have some on display at the Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Center in Chantilly,VA. You will find one helluva collection including the Enola Gay
the only surviving Heinkel He 219 Uhu, the only surviving Arado Ar 234,one of three surviving Bachem Ba 349 Natters,the only surviving Nakajima J1N1 Gekko,one of four surviving Northrop P-61 Black Widows and more.

Check out Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_...ar-Hazy_Center

That is in Chantilly,Va, not Maryland.

That's the great thing about WWI replicas. It's all wood & fabric and you can build one yourself in a garage for less than $10,000 if you scrounge a little. I'm planning on building an SE5a eventually.

Now I'm going to start working on my Fokker DVII.:cool:

The RAAFA museum in Perth has a Spit, a Lanc and a Catalina, which is amazing. I'd love to visit the War Memorial museum in Canberra someday soon.

China Air Museum has almost everything you could want. P-47, F4U Corsair, F3F-2 Flying Barrel, F4F-3&4 Wildcat, FM2 Wildcat, P-38 Lightning, P-51A-B-D, and even a Yak-3 being restored!!!! They've got quite a few bombers as well, and some sweet post WW2 planes like a Bearcat, P-80, F-86, MiG-15 (real one, not a replica.) and many more. It's the best on the West Coast in my opinion. :cool:

My apoligies for the mis-information. I had myself convinced it was in MD. Thanks for the correction! I cannot wait to go and see them!

Got enough cash? sure you can get a spitfire built ;) they make them in southampton. Pretty penny though.


As for museums......

Hawkinge airfield (ring any bells?) is now a museum, it houses MANY spitfires/hurricanes/109's and memerobilia from the battle of britain.

Its extremly eery though in the fact that it also has ALOT of wrecks throughout the museum and who they belong to, and where they were stationed, how they were shot down and either taken POW or killed. Quite freaky. Would highly recommend it.

Spent two days there last year and still wasn't satisfied, so much to see.

2 years ago I went with my Grandpa to PanzerMuseum Munster in Germany (a tank Museum, for who aren't that clever) and He founded out that they Got a vehicle (SDKFW251/D) from His Unit. Was a Fantasic day.

BTW it's also nice to see Tank and Aircraft enthousiast on one place. even if this is an aircraft game..?

BF109 and Panther all the way!!

The Panther had so much potential (if not for reliability problems), I would love to see one in person!

All we have on display around the states are stupid Shermans, well at least the places I have been.

The Germans were simply too good at building tanks that the King Tiger (I'm not entirely sure though, could be something else) was simply too expensive to manufacture because of all the expensive systems installed in it.

You had me at P-61.:-D Seriously, I think the reason these great birds aren't reproduced is because who would teach folks how to fly them? The wing loading and power/weight ratio on them is sooo different from what the average civillian pilot is used to. Don't get me wrong I'd love too see more of them in the air but but between this and the cost for what is basically a one-off is so high as be really prohibitive.