Korean memorial

This is the brilliantly designed Florida Korean War Memorial a few blocks from the capitol. The information here is from the state Department of Veterans' Affairs Website.

The designer said of the memorial:

The main entry to the Memorial occurs at the corner of Gaines Street and Suwannee Street in Tallahassee. The concrete walkway, which meanders through the existing trees in Cascade Park, provides an approach where one will catch glimpses of the memorial area through the trees. It reveals the Memorial in small pieces or frames, and refrains from disclosing the entire Memorial until the visitor has fully arrived. At the terminus of the approach, one crosses a threshold marked distinctly by a change in the walking surface.
The focal point of the memorial plaza is a large vertical circle that represents the purity of life through perfect geometry. This the "Circle of Life." The top of the circle is broken, signaling an interruption in this purity. A broken fragment that would complete the circle is lying adjacent to the large circle and has become embedded in the ground. The names of those killed in action are etched on the inside of the broken fragment which once completed the "Circle of Life."
The Memorial represents those who have fallen and shows that the Korean War interrupted the lives of all involved, including family, friends, and those of all services who fought there. This interruption in the "Circle of Life" left an indelible mark on our nation, a mark that will never be replaced -- a point in history.
The visitor will find a large map of Korea located on the ground of the Memorial. The map is divided into two parts by the "Circle of Life" element. The Demilitarized Zone shown on the map is what guided the placement of the circle.
The final major component is the timeline. Upon entry, the visitor will be able to walk around the outer edge of the Memorial and experience a timeline that chronicles the War. Along the timeline are rough-hewn markers that give a brief story of the war and its major battles. Markers are placed in relation to the time of the occurrence.
-- Shawn Bliss, Designer

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Korean War Veterans' Memorial was on December 2, 1998 at Cascade Park in Tallahassee. The dedication was December 11, 1999, and was attended by about 1,000 people from all over the state. The keynote speaker was Governor Jeb Bush. Among the dignitaries attending were Harley Coon, National KWVA President and Kwang-Sok Ryu, the Korean Consul General.

Here are the names of the 583 Floridians who gave their lives in the war.

A ceremony was held on Saturday, June 24, 1 pm marking the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the war. Attending were Lt.Gen. Bob Milligan, USMC (Ret.), Comptroller, State of Florida; Edward Magill, National 1st V.P., Korean War Veterans' Association; Lt.Col. Robin Higgins, USMC (Ret.), Executive Director, Florida Dept. of Veterans' Affairs; Scott Maddox, Mayor, City of Tallahassee; and Frank Brogan, Lieutenant Governor, State of Florida

Boneyard part 1

Ok, this is the Pima Air and Space museum, my favorite aviation museum in the US (and I have been to a lot!) This massive museum is the world's largest non-government funded, boasting over 250 aircraft on 80 acres with a truly unique blend of Air Force, Navy, Army, even foreign aircraft. It all began in 1976 when local enthusiasts became concerned with all the aircraft going into storage at nearby Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, and started the museum with the surplus aircraft. Now the base serves as a unique source that gives the museum its ecclectic and massive collection. This is one of my most difficult posts because of having to pick from so many amazing aircraft and photos. So these are my absolute favorites, and all of the photos are on my Dropshots account. Please visit to see all the great plane photos, and if you happen to be in Arizona, and like airplanes or history, you really need to stop by! And don't forget you can click the photos on here to make them bigger! We kick off with the group photo above, including from left to right an OV10 Bronco, A7 Corsair 2, A4 Skyhawk, A6 Intruder, F14 Tomcat, and F105 Thunderchief.
In the first hanger we find this beautiful example of an S3 Viking.
This is my favorite noseart that I've seen. It's just so well done!
PBM Mariner
Two of my favorites in one shot: The A10 Thunderbolt 2 and SR71 Blackbird.
The rare F107 fighter
This lineup would make any aviation enthusiast (or museum) drool. From left to right AV8 Harrier, YF4 Phantom 2, F11 Tiger, F3 Demon, F8 Crusader, and F6 Skyray.
Another impressive lineup left to right F101 Voodoo, F102 Delta Dagger, F104 Starfighter, F105 Thunderchief, F106 Delta Dart, and A4 Skyhawk.
Super Guppy transport
This unusual craft is an AEW3 Gannet, A British airborne early warning and control plane developed after WW2.

The YC14 prototype, one of two competitors in the 1970s to replace the C130 Hercules. Although the YC14 and 15 were both very succesful, niether went into production.
The main helicopter collection, from left to right OH58 Kiowa, two UH1 Hueys, HH43 Huskie, HH52 Seaguard, HH3 Pelican, H37 Mojave, H21 Shawnee,HUP3 Army Mule, H19 Chickasaw, H5 Dragonfly, HO3 Dragonfly, and HTL7 Sioux.
The Avro Shackleton bomber, built after WW2 as the last British piston engine bomber. It entered service in 1951, and served as a bomber in several small conflicts around the globe. This particular example retired in July 1991 and is the only one in flying condition left in the world.
The massive B36 Peacemaker, the giant intercontinental bomber built following WW2.
Two other now rare aircraft, an extended wing Canberra used for research by NASA, and a Skycrane helicopter.

The RB1 Conestoga built by the Budd (hey that's me!) Company out of Philadelphia. Designed at the begining of WW2, it was made of welded stainless steel due to fears of alluminum shortage. The Army and Navy placed orders for the plane, having its first flight on Oct 31, 1943. But poor flying characteristics as well as construction delays doomed the project. By this time, aluminum had become plentiful and other aircraft had begun to fill the need for cargo transports. This caused the orders to be cancelled and only 17 were delivered to the Navy. Some flew for civilian companies for a short time after the war, but several crashed and they were soon discontinued in favor of more popular designs such as the C47.
Another rarity, the F7F Tigercat.
A British Bristol Blenheim bomber
A B23 Dragon, developed to replace the B18 Bolo bomber, but inferior to other bombers of the day, so only a handful were made and none saw combat.

This is great. Three B52 bombers, an A, D, and G model, all sitting next to each other. Looks like a force to be reckoned with.
The elusive and ahead of its time B58 Hustler supersonic bomber
A trainer version of the F102 Delta Dagger
Where else in the Western World will you see this? A Mig 19 Farmer, two Mig 15 Fagots, two Mig 17 Frescos, and a Mig 21 Fishbed. превосходный!
A Constellation transport, by the name of Columbine 2. Those who are familiar with the more prestigous Air Force Museum might wonder why this is here. Because this plane was General Eisenhower's plane during WW2. President Eisenhower's plane, Columbine 3, also a Connie, is at the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio.

Wings over the Piedmont

Ok, so this is the Carolinas Air Museum, an amazing little gem of a museum in about the last place you would expect to find one, just west of Charlotte, NC. My dad and I found this by accident on the way back home from Cowpens. While its collection is small, in relative terms, it is certainly bigger than you would expect for a rural little airport museum, and it has some real treasures you would never expect. For example, this beautiful example of a DC3. I am in love with this plane! I really like the DC3/C47 in general because they look so classic and elegant, but this one is just so nice! By the way, it is also in flying condition and does regularly fly to shows. For this post, I have only put up my favorite pictures and the most interesting stuff, but almost all of my photos from the museum are on my new Dropshots account. <---Click the link if you want to see them. It's easier than putting them on here. Also, luckily for me, they weren't really busy, and one of the museum staff (a former Air Force pilot) walked us around, telling some of the aircraft's unique stories and showing things most people don't see. So to start, a few photos of this amazing DC3, including two of the inside, just one of the things our guide showed us.

This strange looking critter is a 1962 Gyrodyne remote controlled anti-submarine helicopter. Note the torpedoes slung underneath.
This is a real rarity, a Douglas Skystreak, one of only three built (and one of them crashed.) It was built in 1947 as a joint venture between the Navy and NACA (predecessor of NASA) to test high subsonic flight speeds. Sorry the picture is not great, the plane is kind of crammed in the back and difficult to photograph.
Another unique find is this small flight simulator form the 1930s (?). Well before anything electronic came along.
A gorgeous example of a PT17 Kaydet Navy WW2 trainer

Everyone loves a Tomcat, right? This one is my dad's favorite, but he also worked on them for many years. I also included it because of its story as related by our guide. When the pilots flew it up to the Charlotte airport for the museum, they knew it would be their last time to do anything in the Cat, so they got permission from the tower, and buzzed the airport a few times. The people in the terminals loved it! When they landed and the plane was brought to the museum, they also signed the crew ladder and had their photo taken (below.)

A nice C47 painted in DDay colors, but in need of restoration. This one actually is a war veteran, but not of DDay. It flew with the Royal Canadian Air Force out of Burma in WW2. Since then it had a colorful military and civilian career, until it had a landing accident in 2000 at the Charlotte airport. Shortly after, Saber Cargo Airlines, which had been operating it, went bankrupt, and the plane became part of the museum.
Just a nice overall picture including the museum hanger. Aircraft tails visible left to right are the A7 Corsair, AV8 Harrier, F14 Tomcat, F101 Voodoo, and F102 Delta Dagger.
This Sea Knight helicopter is a true piece of history. Because its story is worth being told in full, here it is from the museum website: "The Museum's CH-46 is extreamly historic. On January 31st, 1970, US Marine Corps Pfc. Mike Clausen, Jr. earned The Medal of Honor, this country’s highest honor, for his conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in Vietnam at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Pfc. Clausen was a crew chief of a CH-46 helicopter named “Blood, Sweat and Tears.” While participating in a helicopter rescue mission of a Marine platoon that had inadvertently entered a mine field south west of Da Nang (the "Da Nang Barrier" mine field) while attacking enemy positions. Pfc Clausen skillfully guided the helicopter pilot to a landing area cleared by one of several mine explosions. On the ground, 20 Marines were surrounded – 11 of them already wounded.
Clausen repeatedly left the safety of the chopper to get them home alive. Despite the ever-present threat of further mine explosions, he continued his valiant efforts, leaving the comparatively safe area of the helicopter on 6 separate occasions to carry out his rescue efforts. Clausen was the only enlisted member of Marine Corps Aviation to win the Medal of Honor during Vietnam.Now this historic helicopter resides at the Carolinas Aviation Museum. This helicopter not only saw combat in Vietnam but in Iraq also. It received combat damage in Iraq and was considered uneconomical to repair. Because of the historic significance of this particular aircraft, the U.S. Marine Corps would not abandon it in Iraq. With the assistance of a US Air Force C-5A crew, it was taken apart and flown back to Cherry Point Marine Corps Base, North Carolina."

Helicopter row including left to right a Sikorsky Dragonfly, Kaman Huskie, Bell Cobra, and Sikorsky Jolly Green Giant.
This oddity is a Fogle Skycat. Built in 1982 and first displayed at the Dayton Air and Trade Show in Ohio, it never actually flew, but was built to displat the tiltrotor concept that would later be part of the V22.
A small towed anti aircraft gun
A Sheridan tank used by airborne troops
The museum's A4 Skyhawk and Regulus missle greet visitors to the museum, along with the flags of the US, South Carolina and North Carolina, and the view of Charlotte in the background.

US Army Aviation Museum

Ok, so this post has a loooott of pictures, so if it takes a while to load I apologize, but there were so many neat things here, despite it being small by aviation museum standards. The museum has several things that while common, are rare simply because they don't find their way into most museums or airshows the way Navy and Air Force planes do. It also has a few things that you may not find anywhere else or even seen before. I will say that before coming here, I considered myself to be fairly knowledgable when it comes to aircraft. Now I have my doubts. So I will do my best here, but I will be honest when I have no clue about something. If you find you know something I don't, please feel free to let me know so I can add the information (and give you credit of course.) Anyway, above is the museum's centerpiece UH1 huey, recreating a famous photo from the Vietnam war of the "Bravo Blues" 1st of the 9th Cavalry.
This is an AH56 Cheyenne. Aparently this odd craft was the forerunner to the well known Apache, though I had never heard of it. Note the unusually long wings, and if you can see them, the two tail rotors, one on the side and one facing back.
A Caribou. Used as a transport during Vietnam.
This display recreates a Louisianna Maneuvers scene. The concept allowed Army field commanders to use Piper aircraft as artillery spotters.

Cessna L19 Bird Dog, another spotter plane.

H19 Chicksaw. Korean era transport.
Apparently, this particular Choctaw copter was once Army One (Presidential copter).
CH37 Mojave
CH47 Chinook

Below we see a couple of what I call Banana copters (I think you can see why). The first is a H21C Shawnee and the second is a H25 Mule. Below that are some small unmanned recon aircraft, followed by a UH60 Blackhawk, made famous in Desert Storm and "Blackhawk Down." And I don't know what the heck is going on with the caption format in this post, but the site is being stupid. So please forgive.



The famous AH64 Apache

A nice pair of AH1 Cobras
A Korea era transport copter, I want to say it's a Sioux.
This display shows an actual UH1 that was shot down in Vietnam, and another copter coming to rescue its crew. Below it is a display showing a Korean era medevac.
A copter and plane fitted with strechers for medevac use.

Below:A group of Hoverfly and Dragonfly copters

Sopwith Camel (one of only two replicas in the museum.)
Some WW1 aircraft.
A Wright B Flyer (the only other replica), a Jenny, and a couple other early aircraft.
U1 Otter Vietnam era transport

Below: CH54 Skycrane, a large copter with little internal space, but carried items slung beneath it.

OV1 Mohawk, Vietnam era observation plane. I really have no idea what this strange jet is, or why the Army would have it. Any ideas?
Um, this looks like a Chinook with a large wings attached. Anyone know anything about this guy?
An Army Neptune.