Museum of Flight

Capt. Sullenberger and Amelia Earhart at the Museum of Flight

Air traffic control, Air Travel, aviation, Aviation history, Celebrities, Exhibits, History, , ,

Monday evening I was fortunate to be in the audience at Seattle’s Museum of Flight for a  presentation by the recently retired Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, the now-legendary pilot of US Airways Flight 1549 who was able to successfully land a plane in New York City’s Hudson River.

He began the evening by showing the NTSB’s animated version of the US Airways 1549 flight path (below) and then went on to talk a bit about his family, his upbringing, his training as a pilot, the importance of preparation and teamwork, and his philosophy of work and life. After he was done, some of the kids in the audience got to ask a few questions as did some of the aviation geeks from our high-tech community.

(Here’s a link to a more detailed report on the evening by SeattlePI.com aerospace reporter Aubrey Cohen)

Before Captain Sullenberger’s speech, I spent some time in the Amelia Earhart exhibit, which will be at the museum until May, 2010. In addition to photo panels and film clips telling Ms. Earhart’s life story, there’s a section showing some of the products she endorsed to help pay the bills, including Amelia Earhart luggage and Lucky Strike cigarettes.

All in all, quite an inspiring evening.

13 million cranberries, Dusseldorf Airport’s Ski jump, and Amelia Earhart

Air Travel, Airplanes, Art, Exhibits, Fun Stuff, Getting around, , , , , , , ,

This weekend would be a good time to have as my superpower the ability to travel anywhere in the world and be in several places at once.

If I could, I’d stop first in Richmond, British Columbia, a short SkyTrain ride away from the Vancouver International Airport to watch 13 million (!!) locally-grown cranberries get dumped into the Fraser River in front of the Richmond Olympic Oval to form a  giant floating version of the maple leaf, rings and flame that make up the Canadian Olympic Committee logo.

Then I’d head over to the Dusseldorf International Airport to see if they finished trucking in enough snow (and turned the temperature down low enough) to make the world’s first indoor ski jump in an airport.   When they sent this photo, they were just waiting for the snow to arrive.

It would be fun, too, to stop at New York’s Albany International Airport (ALB), where the newest art show, Material Witness, is now underway.

And it might be interesting to touch down in Wichita, Kansas.  The Wichita Art Museum is one of the 100 or so museums around the country where Bank of America account holders can get free admission this weekend as part of the Museums on Us program.  And look what the Wichita Art Museum is using to promote an exhibition of works of paper.


(Robert Cottingham, Wichita (1985)

But, alas, the ability to be everywhere at once is not my super power.

So instead, I’ll stick close to home this weekend and pay a visit to the Museum of Flight, just up the road from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where there’s an exhibit titled  In Search of Amelia Earhart.

This exhibit includes many of Earhart’s personal artifacts,  including a suede jacket she wore on her 1932 solo transatlantic flight, two flight suits, a helmet,  a scarf,  newsreel footage and photos.

Amelia Earhart and her Lockheed L-10E Electra NR 16020 c. 1937. | The Museum of Flight


Cool gift to make sure you’re never stuck at the airport again

History,

If you have an extra $3.5 million hanging around and you’re wondering what to get for that special frequent flier this year, consider snapping up the Aerocar Model One Flying Automobile.

aerocar-photo

Invented by Moulton Taylor in Longview, Washington in 1949, the Aerocar was a “roadable” airplane certified for use as both a plane and an automobile.  The coolest feature: if you’re driving the Aerocar you can tow its wings and tail like a trailer. Then, if traffic gets bad, you can transform the vehicle from a car to an airplane in about 15 minutes.

One prototype and four Aerocars were produced. One was destroyed.  Two are in permanent museum collections. This is one of two aerocars in private ownership – and it’s for sale.

If no one ponies up $3.5 million to buy you the aerocar that’s for sale, you can visit this Taylor Aerocar III at the Museum of Flight in Seattle.

taylor-aerocar-iii-3_p1

(Courtesy Seattle’s Museum of Flight)

Cheap, car-free, airport side-trips

Museums, , , , ,

Airline route cuts and drastic schedule cutbacks mean you’re probably going to be spending a lot more time hanging around the airport waiting for a flight.

You could use that time to snooze, eat, or work. Or you can head out for one of the cheap, educational, car-free side trips I list in my most recent At the Airport column on USATODAY.com.

For example, the Louis Armstrong Museum is a short bus ride away from New York’s LaGuardia Airport; the movie theaters, theme park, and other attractions at the Mall of America are a ten minute light-rail ride away from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport; and the Museum of Flight, home of the Aerocar (below), is a short bus ride from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

(Photo: courtesy Museum of Flight)

Have you discovered a great airport side-trip destination? Add a comment below.

Free museum admissions this weekend & Sept. 27th

History, Museums, , ,

You can get free admission to selected museums in 18 states this weekend if you have a Bank of America check, ATM or credit card – or are friends with someone who does.

As part of the Museums on Us program, participating museums in 18 states (so far) offer free admission on the first weekend each month.

If you’re on the road, it’s a great way to stretch your travel budget. If you’re home, it’s a good excuse to stop by a local cultural mainstay and see what’s new.

If you get the museum bug, keep in mind that Saturday, September 27th is Smithsonian magazine’s Museum Day, when hundreds of museums and cultural venues nationwide offer free or reduced admission. You’ll need this free, down-loadable card for this program.

Several aviation museums, including the Museum of Flight in Seattle, the American Airpower Heritage Museum in Midland, Texas, and the San Diego Air & Space Museum are on the list.

An Aerocar – courtesy Seattle’s Museum of Flight

Fear of flying …objects

History, , , ,

Former Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart has a message for us:

Duck!

Next Monday (June 30th) is the 100th anniversary of the Tunguska Event. On that day in 1908 an asteroid or maybe a comet – nobody really knows what – fell from the sky and devastated about 800 square miles of Siberian forest.

You can see photos and maps of the site and learn more about the ‘event’ here.

Can it happen again? You bet, says Schweickart. “Near-Earth objects have been impacting Earth episodically for the past 4.5 billion years. They don’t hit often, but when they do they are a serious threat to life and property. Ask the dinosaurs… they lost it all.”

Can the earth be saved? Schweickart is working on it. He’s the chair of the B612 Foundation, which plans to change the orbit of an asteroid by 2015 and prove that humankind can protect the Earth from future asteroid impacts.

It may sound like a Twilight Zone episode, but just in case, I’m heading over to Seattle’s Museum of Flight Saturday afternoon (June 28) to find out more. Schweickart will be there to talk about what astronauts, cosmonauts and experts from around the world are doing to make sure we are ready.

And while we’re talking about objects from outer space, earlier this week Dave Demerjian over at Wired’s Autopia wrote about the news that a police helicopter crew from Cardiff, Wales reported being chased recently by a “flying saucer-shaped vehicle.”

Aerospace Art at Seattle’s Museum of Flight

Art, Museums

Seattle’s Museum of Flight, just up the road from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), is a pretty cool place to spend an afternoon or a long layover. In addition to the first jet Air Force One and a British Airways Concorde, the museum is home to an incredible collection of historic aircraft, spacecraft, and aerospace artifacts.

Starting this Friday, June 13th, the airport will be hosting a major exhibition of aerospace art. The American Society of Aviation Artists 2008 International Aerospace Art Exhibit features more than 50 paintings and sculptures and runs through September 14th.

(A great time to visit might be this Sunday, June 15th – Father’s Day – when dads get in free.)

Here are some images from the show:

museumofflightanderson_steve_twilightofthejagdfliegers.jpg

Above: “Twilight of the Jagdfliegers,” by Steve Anderson.

museumofflightvosburg_stan_lightning_lady.jpg

Above: “Lightening Lady”, by Stan Vosburg

lmuseumofflightindbergh_erik_timecapsulerocketship.jpg

Above: “Time Capsule Rocketship,” by Erik Lindbergh, (grandson of Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh)