Pictorial Travelogue: Seattle's Museum of Flight

This summer I was fortunate enough to see

(Seattle)

and while there I went to

(Museum of Flight (link: http://www.museumofflight.org/))

Whether you are a geek for aircraft or not, this museum has amazing exhibits.

You'll see aircraft (or life size models) from every time period

and a number of things you may have only seen in newsreels.

I was particularly moved by the Flying Tigers

(If you don't know about the Flying Tigers, it's worth a Google or Baidu!)

and was strangely jealous of this guy.

If you happen to be in Seattle, I strongly recommend it. Seeing these aircraft gives a reality to some of the things you have learned, and it is always fascinating to compare what is with what was.

Other moments included coming to tears over a cross section of a 1970s airliner (leather seats, so widely spaced and with such leg room!), laughing at HUMOD, a humanoid figure used for testing ergonomics in aircraft, watching a high school summer program learn piloting skills, and yelling with delight in a 3D simulator that allows you to do barrel rolls.

More eye candy:

The P-47 - a massive engine and a scrawny cockpit

Some grim icons from the 60s