posted 12-28-2003 07:42 PM                  

Now that's a PROWLER!

Summer before last, 13 prowlers were in the Dulles Car Show and some of us saw the world's largest glider in the warehouse - here is is moved to it's new home:

Fastest coast-to-coast - LA to NY in 64 minutes:

Most famous and most controversial:

the "cirle-R" on the right is the tail of the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped The Bomb. There have been protests over it's being here. The hanging plane in the front was the first one developed by the military, which had two dismal test flights off of a houseboat and into the water.

I STRONGLY suggest that anyone coming to the DC area visit the Dulles Annex of the Air and Space Museum. It's HUGE and interesting (and ALMOST has a prowler - it's actually an A6E Intruder, a variant to the Prowler).

If we had 13 prowlers here just for a car show, imagine what we could have this year if we arrange a group tour?

posted 12-29-2003 04:24 PM                  

quote:

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Originally posted by Bob Miller:
Great photos!!! I have not made it to the Air & Space Annex at Dulles, but it's on my list of things to do... I was in the USAF 26 years, so I'm certain I'd find it very interesting. By the way, the SR-71 "Blackbird," one of which you show in your photos, flew so high that the crew had to wear space suits. A colleague, who worked with Blackbirds, relayed a story to me in the early 70's about a Blackbird that experienced engine trouble as it was crossed the eastern seaboard, returning from a mission. It made an "emergency" landing at an AF base in Utah rather than return to its base in California!

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Bob,

Great story - "First exit after East Coast - UTAH!"

You'll enjoy this story from the tour guide:

To set the coast-to-coast record on it's retirement flight, the SR-71 ran it like a "flying mile" a car would do. It took off from the West Coast flying away over the Pacific, turned around and refueled in the air, and then came up to supersonic speed with the clock starting when it passed over LA. It continued over NY at full speed to stop the clock 64 minutes later. It then slowed down over the Atlantic and refueled for the landing. I wouldn't be surprised if the total distance was at least double the coast-to-coast mileage.

Some suggestions for your visit:

1. The tour is well worthwhile. It's 2 hours, no charge (just like the exhibits, our only expense was the $12 parking).

2. I don't know if this is all the time, but the 1:00 tour we took was the last one of the day.

3. When you drive in, there's 3 lanes up to the parking booths, just like a toll plaza. There was a half-mile backup in the left lane, there is nothing improper about driving right up to the booth in the right lane.

4. I wouldn't plan on buying food there - the cafeteria isn't built yet and I estimate that the line to vending was over an hour, possibly two.

GRReat experience, I'd recommend it to everyone. I'll pass on any info I receive about the Dulles Car Show this Summer.

-GRROWL

Here's another FAST and LARGE plane: