I'll explane my North American Trip

[jastel]

I have posted this in the Aviation Museum Thread last week but did not include any pictures...so I will try to add some in here and make it a trip report. We all know pictures are better. Its my first report on here so apologies in advance for any stuff ups.

Aviation museums

Historical Aircraft Restoration Society Incorporated (HARS) video by Fletch (via Shannons) ~ 30minutes Fletch produces a video on collectable cars. Over 700 videos. On TV Channel 044 (C31) 19:30 Thursdays...

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

I have an interest in aircraft, my grandfather was in Bomber Command In WW2 and lots of my travels have been following where he went in the war etc. I have been to USA a couple of before so was not too worried about visiting the main tourist sites again.

I flew QF11 from SYD to LAX, paid for PE but got an upgrade to J. It was an old type Skybed A380 but flight was normal enough, arrived on time, immigration was not crowded out in about 15 mins and walked to the Sheraton LAX. Got lucky here and could check in at 7am so had a powernap for a few hours, then walked to the busstop and went to -

California Science Centre

California Science Center | The California Science Center

Los Angeles, California, USA

A general purpose science museum, a few space probes and capsules but the Shuttle Endeavour is the big item. It is amazing to get within feet of it, and see the scorch marks on the thousands of tiles from re entry etc. It is closing soon to be rehomed in a vertical position with boosters and the last ever fuel tank as if launching…so go back in 2025. Public Transport available, Expo Park E Line Metro or buses.




This is next to the museum, it will be the George Lucas Storytelling Art Museum.







Space Shuttle ENDEAVOUR, the replacement for the CHALLENGER, named by schoolchildren in a competition, Capt Cooks boat had the same name, and coincidentally is the same length at 122ft. I actually saw this on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Centre ready for its last mission back in 2011, I had hoped to watch the launch but it was delayed.



Some nice gardens outside







Then bussed down to Santa Monica Pier for a look around as it was such a nice day.

 

[jastel]

The next morning it was a short walk back to LAX, breakfast in the Admirals Lounge and a short AA flight to Seattle SEATAC. Arrived about lunchtime and got my rental car and drove 4 hours south to McMinnville, Oregon. Some pretty scenery and some big traffic jams around Portland. Stayed at the Red Lion Inn which was the closest hotel to where I went the next morning -


Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum

Home - Evergreen Museum

McMinnville, Oregon, USA – 1 hour South of Portland, 4 hours South of Seattle.

The One and Only wooden Sprucegoose, and many other planes and rockets. Very good museum with a plane hall and another hall across the parking lot with Space stuff including a Titan Missile Launch Bunker and a SR71 Blackbird. On the outskirts of McMinnville a smallish town of 30000 people. A Comfort Inn and small shopping complex is next to it. Suggest Rental Car.








The Hughes H4 Hercules, commonly known as the Sprucegoose, (or Birch cough if you didnt like it). An amazing machine since its mostly wood and was the worlds largest airplane up until 2019, the B&W pic is the only time it ever flew on its first taxi run Howard Hughes himself was Pilot and he took off and flew for 1 mile about 50ft above the water to prove it could fly. It never flew again and as the war was over it was not needed anyway,




Inside tour costs extra and must be booked.



Notice all the testing instruments



Looking into the wing, mechanics could crawl through here to get at the engines



Seats for the press and VIP's



The APU's to start the main engines were on board.

 

[jastel]

Let's GO!!



Out coughpit window



Looking back at Tail



Flight Engineers 8 engines



Size of the coughpit, the large windows on the right side were put in at Long Beach so visitors could see inside, you were not allowed in back then.



The "Hold" or cargo area, it is free to visit down here in a glass room, you need the coughpit ticket to exit the room and head upstairs, or wander around like I am doing here...the room is behind me.

 

[jastel]

Titan Missile Control Room




Missile



Sea KIng Chopper rescuing Apollo 17 Capsule



CH37B Mojave Chopper




VC-9C Air Force Two - basically a fancy DC9




SR71 Blackbird with engine and avionics exposed

 

[Flyfrequently]

Great topic and photos for TR @jastel

My uncle (my Dad's older brother) a WW2 Pilot was shot down over Germany in a Blenheim. He had been seconded from the RAAF to RAF in 1938.

We have been to the Australian War Memorial and the Royal Military Club in London with Bomber Command Memorial over the road, but my sister visited his grave. Very moving.
Some great websites around to get information.

 

[jastel]

Finished the Evergreen Museums about 3pm and drove back up to Seattle, got a side of the freeway hotel near here and the next day went to -

Boeing Future of Flight

Boeing Future of Flight Aviation Center & Boeing Tour 30 mi N of Seattle

Paine Field, Seattle, Washington (State), USA – 1 hour North of Seattle.

Boeing Factory Tour, (must book online in advance) is the main attraction and had just reopened. Mostly Boeing History and future plane projects, movies etc. in the “Museum” part...no planes, but has a walkthrough International Space Station Module. Can also go up on the roof and watch whatever is happening at the airport that day. If you are buying a new Boeing aircraft this is where you pick it up.

Tour was interesting…after a movie they drive you around the factory in a bus (max 30 people currently), show you the various plants etc, whatever aircraft that are awaiting delivery etc., then you go into the main assembly building to see the assembly line. No photos allowed on the tour…they provide lockers for bags and cameras, phones etc. before you get on the bus.

This is basically in a suburb of Seattle and has several accommodation places nearby. Public Transport is available, as well as tour buses etc. Like most US cities it is spread out so some walking may be needed to the public transport. I had the car still.



The Museum - the factory tours start from here so you must go in.



Aerial Map on floor from balcony



Inside is movie theatres and displays on history and future projects...no planes.



On the factory tour you go inside here, where the planes are made.



A bunch of 777 freighters awaiting painting. ATM moment they are making mainly 777's in there. there were 6 planes being assembled inside when I was there.




Planes awaiting delivery. These pics were from the roof of the museum, across runways and freeways so buildings and planes are a few kms away...phone zoom is not good enough. I have DSLR zoomed pics but they are too big to attach.



Hard to appreciate the size...the green thing are planes, 3 of them go in a line behind each coloured door. The doors open on Sunday and the finished planes roll out. No workers on Sunday, if you have been at Boeing 25 years you can park in front of doors, if you are a newbie you gotta park further away and get a bike or bus. There is a freeway going lower down between grass and factory, Boeing owns the bridge and they tow the planes back to this side, where the runway is, for painting and finishing,

 

[jastel]

Been to London Bomber Memorial, Lincoln Bomber Command Centre Memorial and many others. Been to Reichswald too. Have been lucky enough to meet some vets who flew with Grandad, one is still alive at 100 in UK. Plenty of stories from them.

The WW2 stuff will be coming up later...

 

[Flyfrequently]

Have been lucky enough to meet some vets who flew with Grandad, one is still alive at 100 in UK. Plenty of stories from them.

The WW2 stuff will be coming up later...

That would be amazing to hear their stories. My uncle would be 105 now, sadly Dad didn't talk about it much and his parents, particularly his Mother, never really got over it
Looking forward to the WW2 part of your TR.
Happy travels @jastel

 

[jastel]

Finished the Boeing Museum about 13:00 and then drove a few miles to here -

Flying Heritage and Combat Armor Museum

Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum | Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum

Just around the corner from the Boeing Future of Flight, same airport but other end.

Has many flying and fully operational aircraft and tanks/artillery. Lancaster Fuselage. They run them on certain days, mainly in summertime naturally. Most things are to a very high standard as it has lots of $$$ from Paul Allen ex Microsoft.



Sherman Tank driving around


The Mosquito is also made of wood. One of the fastest planes of WW2 it was used as a bomber itself or also as a target marker for the larger Lancaster and Halifax Bombers, They would arrive first, find the target and drop coloured flares to show the big bombers where to aim.

 

[jastel]

This is a very good WW2 museum, but it closed and I was thrown out...
Drove about 30 mins south and got a freeway motel ready for tomorrow.

 

[jastel]

Woke up, fueled the car up and returned it to SEATAC, stored my bag after a short arguement that I HAD to have an outbound flight on my paperwork despite the fact I wasnt flying anywhere...I wrote down QF12 and she was happy...let the TSA work that one out!
Bought an Orca card and got the Metro to Tukwilla and then the 124 bus to -

The Museum of Flight

Home | The Museum of Flight

King County International Airport, Seattle, WA, USA – about half way (30 mins) South of Seattle CBD and SEATAC, (one hour) the main Seattle passenger airport. Easily accessed by Public Transport from the city or SEATAC, use Bus 124, stops right out front, it goes often.

This one is a must do, has many aircraft inside and out doors, hanging from roof etc. It has a Concorde, an SR71 Blackbird, the first ever 747, a Presidential Jet, the third 787 Dreamliner and hundreds more. The main hall is indoors and has the SR71 along with many other planes around it and hanging from the roof. There is a darkened Space Exhibit section with some genuine stuff and other models promoting the lunar landings.

It has relocated William Boeings Original Red Barn Workshop that was a few miles away. Another building is basically a World War I and II aviation summary complete with most American and some Jap/German planes.

Across the road via bridge outside is an open air hangar with the Dreamliner, Concorde, B17, B29 and Stratojet etc. A building here has an ex NASA Space Shuttle Trainer full size Mockup as well as more kiddie type space stuff. In a Memorial park behind it is a real B52 Vietnam Memorial.

SR71 in Main Hall



Boeing model 80A1 - popular in the wilderness as tough plane



Amelia Earharts Lockheed Electra Replica - Linda Finch made this airplane as close as possible to Earharts original and retraced her around the world route as close as possible in 1997.

Rocketdyne F1 Engine for Saturn V...this one engine is more powerful that EVERY plane in the museum combined...and a Saturn V had 5 of them.

 

[jastel]

The World War 2 Section





William Boeing's Original red Barn was located about a mile away. It was moved here and reconstructed when the airport expanded. Inside is woodworking type machinery used to make the planes bodies and another Boeing History lesson upstairs. I am on the overpass bridge to the other half of the museum. Bus stop in lower right corner.



A real NASA space shuttle training simulator...it is full size and has all buttons and controls et the same as the real one. This building is geared towards kids with lots of hands on stuff.

 

[jastel]

The Outdoor part



B17 Flying Fortress



B29 Superfortress Bomber





WB-47E Stratojet





The City of Everett, the first Boeing 747



All the test gear onboard

 

[jastel]

Concorde BO-AG







The Third 787...started a fight on here when I said I preferred the A380!



A Vietnam War Memorial Park with a B52 Bomber behind.

 

[jastel]

Back to SEATAC get my bag and Metro it into Seattle proper and find my hotel,
Spent a day in Seattle. Seems like a reasonable place so long as the weather is OK...only downside was all the Cannabis shops and homeless types, but thats pretty much everywhere now.



Space Needle



Bruce and Brandon Lee's graves.



Jimi Hendrix Statue





People having Dick's for lunch...I wasn't hungry.



Bubble Gum Wall



Pike Place Market



Lucky Pig

 

[Cossie]

That would be amazing to hear their stories. My uncle would be 105 now, sadly Dad didn't talk about it much and his parents, particularly his Mother, never really got over it
Looking forward to the WW2 part of your TR.
Happy travels @jastel

Similar here, mums older brother was killed in a training accident in Kenya, I went past his burial place the first time I went to Kenya in 1980. In 1989 I visited the cemetery, quite small, also casualties from WW 1 buried there, Kisumu on Lake Victoria.

Coincidently he was also in a Blenheim as per the post by @Flyfrequently earlier in the thread.

People

Plane was a Blenheim IV Z7679 which crashed attempting a forced landing near Kisumu and was destroyed by fire. Four crew were lost.

www.1wags.org.au

I was given Everett as a middle name and of course I have been there, but everything was closed due to it being a holiday, so still yet to get to the factory.

Thanks for all the links, I have a lot of reading to do.

By the way, with the DSLR shots being too large, I open mine in a viewer then do a print screen or use snipper, much smaller file and you don’t loose too much definition.

 

[TheRealTMA]

Back to SEATAC get my bag and Metro it into Seattle proper and find my hotel,
Spent a day in Seattle. Seems like a reasonable place so long as the weather is OK...only downside was all the Cannabis shops and homeless types, but thats pretty much everywhere now.

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Space Needle

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Bruce and Brandon Lee's graves.

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Jimi Hendrix Statue

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People having Dick's for lunch...I wasn't hungry.

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Bubble Gum Wall

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Pike Place Market

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Lucky Pig

The best place in Seattle is

Shuckers Oyster Bar - Fairmont Olympic Hotel, Seattle luxury Hotel

Shuckers Oyster Bar - Discover Fairmont Olympic Hotel, Seattle, hotel in Seattle (United States) and enjoy the hotel's spacious, comfortable rooms in Fairmont Hotel. Feel welcome to our elegant and luxurious hotel where we will make your stay an unforgettable experience.

www.fairmont.com

 

[Seat0B]

Mr Seat 0A would just love to do this trip. I will book mark it and come back later. He’s likely to go to Oshkosh in 2024 so we could add on. Have already done the Boeing Factory but I bet he’d do it again

 

[jastel]

Most of us have some War history stuff in the closest somewhere...
Was he training over there?

Yeah I'm aware that I can shrink them etc but couldnt be bothered...
The ones you are seeing are from the phone I used for Facebook.
If anyone wants a specific larger size you can ask...I have about 8000 pix to get through.

Not eating any sea snot...thanks anyway TMA.

 

[jastel]

Next morning up early and walked in the dark down to the docks, waking up the homeless with the clickety clack of the bags wheels on the poor excuse for a footpath. At Pier 69 I checked in and paid for my bag and waited to board the ferry to Victoria, on Vancouver Island in Canada. The weather was overcast but not rough and the 3 hour trip went as expected, some nice scenery but not the greatest weather. Arrived in Victoria Harbour in a rain shower, as I had bags and was not on a US/Canada Passport, I was in the second batch to get off the boat and do customs...no worries I was not in a hurry.

Walked a few blocks to my Best Western Hotel, too early to check in so left my bag and went for a look around. After walking the harbour area I ended up at the Tourist Centre and booked my ferry/bus back to Vancouver for tomorrow...I was hoping to do a seaplane flight back but the weather was not complying. Then I booked a ticket to Butchart Gardens, got advice on how to catch the bus there and paid $5 for a return bus ticket. Very helpful staff...they should be as both were from Brisbane and awaiting the snow season.

The Gardens were nice, even though that is not normally my thing...box ticked. It was sprinkling a bit and it was not as crowded as I feared, but didnt get too wet.
Bussed back and went and checked in to the hotel, quick powernap then out again to find some dinner and drinks at an Irish Pub.

Victoria Harbour



Parliament House - Victoria is the capital of British Columbia.



Butchart Gardens






Fairmont Empress - one of the famous Canadian Pacific Railways Hotels



Parliament at Night