New England Air Museum – Overview

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I’ve always been fascinated by old aircraft so when my friend, Ken suggested a trip to the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks, Connecticut I enthusiastically agreed.

According to its website the Museum is:

…committed to presenting the story of aviation, the human genius that made it possible and the profound effects that it has had on the way in which we live.

We achieve this by:

Preserving and presenting historically significant aircraft and related artifacts
Engaging our visitors through high-quality exhibits that help them understand aviation technology, history and the stories of the men and women who built, flew and made history with these famous machines
Inspiring students through our innovative and hands-on education programs delivered on-site and in schools that allow them to discover and reflect on aviation technology and history and its ties to social studies, science, geography and technical advancements

A History section describes the museum as follows:

The Connecticut Aeronautical Historical Society, the parent organization of NEAM, was founded in 1959 and the Museum has been at its present location since 1981.

That year, the first of the Museum’s existing six (6) buildings (Civilian, Military, 58th Bomb Wing Memorial, and Restoration Hangars and two storage buildings) was erected after a tornado destroyed the Museum’s former location along Route 75 in 1979.

Today, the Museum houses one of the world’s most outstanding collections of historic aviation artifacts: more than 80 aircraft and an extensive collection of engines, instruments, aircraft parts, uniforms and personal memorabilia.

Within this collection are the last remaining four-engine American flying the Sikorsky VS-44A, donated by its previous owner, actress Maureen O’Hara and restored to original condition; an expertly restored B-29 Superfortress; Silas Brooks Balloon Basket (1870) believed to be the oldest surviving aircraft in the United States; the Bunce-Curtiss Pusher (1912), the oldest surviving Connecticut-built airplane; the Sikorsky S-39, the oldest surviving Sikorsky aircraft; and a Kaman K-225 helicopter, the oldest surviving Kaman-built aircraft.

It certainly has a large collection of vintage aircraft and in all we spent a very pleasant 2-3 hours there. The picture above was taken with a Sony RX-100 M3 in the Museum lobby. Once upon a time, when I was a child, my bedroom looked something like this.

2017 Favorites – Color

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And now 10 favorites from 2017 in color. Above Christmas tree in two bridges park near Childrens Beach on Roaring Brook Lake.

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Got pork? Taken at the Hudson Valley Ribfest, August 2017.

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Building on Chemin Vert, Pinchat, Geneva, Switzerland.

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Iris in my daughter’s garden, Geneva, Switzerland.

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Blue Angels, NY Airshow, Stewart Airport, July 2017.

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Your repetitive View by Olafur Eliasson on the Peekskill Riverwalk Park.

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Corvette. Film photograph taken in Brewster, NY.

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Fall landscape. Roaring Brook Lake.

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Lights on Broadway, March 2017.

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Shadow of a cross. Croton-on-Hudson, July 2017.

Putnam County Veterans Memorial Park – Bell AH-1 Cobra

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After the 4-H Fair we went down to adjoining Veterans Memorial Park, where they have a number of exhibits, memorials, an outdoor gymnasium and a small museum. Above, one of the exhibits: a Bell AH-1 Cobra.

Military-Today.com the has this to say about the Bell AH-1 Cobra.

In 1965 Bell flew the prototype of the world’s first dedicated attack helicopter. This machine was specially designed as an escort for troop carrying helicopters to meet a US Army requirement. The whole development was completed in very short terms. Eventually this machine was a turning point in the development of helicopter technology and its application. This armored gunship was a step forward from the previous transport helicopters, that carried only defensive weapons. It opened a new era in warfare.

Based on the Bell Model 204 (UH-1D) utility helicopter, the Model 209 introduced a new slim fuselage with a fighter-type cockpit. The pilot sits high in the rear with a co-pilot/gunner lower in the front directing the fire of a wide range of weapons mounted on lateral stub wings or under the nose. The US Army liked this machine and the first order was placed in 1966. The new helicopter was designated as the AH-1G. Production commenced during the same year. The Cobra first saw service in 1968. Over 1 000 AH-1Gs were delivered in the first four years. This helicopter is often called the Huey Cobra. It saw extensive service in Vietnam. Furthermore it was one of the most valuable US weapons during that war.

Even though the AH-1 is based on the UH-1 Iroquis, little in the appearance of the Cobra shows off its roots. Engine and transmission were borrowed from UH-1. The original version of the Cobra was powered by a single Lycoming T-53-L-11 turboshaft engine, developing 1 100 shp. This helicopter has a narrow fuselage and was specially designed to be as small target as possible to enemy ground fire. Due to the streamline shape and lighter weight, the original version had a top speed of nearly double that of the transport helicopters that it escorted. Also this gunship was extremely maneuverable. This helicopter had simple but tough landing skids, rather than complex retractable undercarriage.

Under the nose there was a turret, that could mount miniguns, cannons, or grenade launchers. The turret could pivot to both sides of the helicopter, as well as up and down. The turret was controlled by the gunner, seated at the front. Also the pilot in the rear could fire the turret, if it was locked in the forward position. Early Vietnam models were armed with single or twin 40-mm automatic grenade launchers, or twin 7.62-mm miniguns. On second-generation models it was replaced by a harder-hitting 3-barrel rotary cannon.
The Cobra could carry 998 – 1 360 kg of weapons on its stub wings. Early production helicopters were fitted with up to four pods with 70-mm unguided rockets. These were effective against unarmored targets and light vehicles. The helicopter could also carry BGM-71A TOW anti-tank guided missiles, as well as other weapons. During the Vietnam War, the AH-1 took over the role of assault helicopter and tank killer from the UH-1D. It was flying anti-armor mission and was often used to ambush enemy columns.

The pilot sits in the rear seat, which is slightly elevated above the front seat of the co-pilot/gunner. The front seat also has a full set of flight controls. The cockpit is surrounded by a light armor protection.
Soldiers on the ground contact the pilots via radio and coordinate the enemy positions.

Initially in the mid and late 1960s the US Army planned to obtain a proposed Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne attack helicopter. So only a relatively small number of the Huey Cobras was obtained. But when the Cheyenne program was cancelled Bell started work on improved models of the Cobra. Improved models were fitted with two engines. The US Army eventually retired its AH-1 helicopters in favor of the Boeing AH-64 Apache.

Overall Bell produced more than 1 600 first generation, single-engined Cobras, including variants. Later models were progressively improved in the key areas of engine power, performance and armament. In the 1970s twin-engined versions replaced the first generation, single-engined Cobras. Both single- and twin-engined Bell Model 209s have been widely exported. This helicopter was license-produced in Japan by Fuji-Bell.

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New York Air Show 2017 – Heritage Flight

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From top to bottom: F35 Lightning II; P-51 Mustang; F-16 Viper.

According to Wikipedia:

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole fighters. The fifth-generation combat aircraft is designed to perform ground attack and air superiority missions. It has three main models: the F-35A conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) variant, the F-35B short take-off and vertical-landing (STOVL) variant, and the F-35C carrier-based Catapult Assisted Take-Off But Arrested Recovery (CATOBAR) variant. On 31 July 2015, the United States Marines declared ready for deployment the first squadron of F-35B fighters after intensive testing. On 2 August 2016, the U.S. Air Force declared its first squadron of F-35A fighters combat-ready.

The F-35 descends from the X-35, the winning design of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. An aerospace industry team led by Lockheed Martin designed and manufactures it. Other major F-35 industry partners include Northrop Grumman, Pratt & Whitney and BAE Systems. The F-35 first flew on 15 December 2006. The United States plans to buy 2,663 aircraft. Its variants are to provide the bulk of the crewed tactical airpower of the U.S. Air Force, Navy and the Marine Corps over the coming decades. Deliveries of the F-35 for the U.S. military are scheduled until 2037 with a projected service life up to 2070.

The United States principally funds the F-35 JSF development, with additional funding from partners. The partner nations are either NATO members or close U.S. allies. The United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, Canada, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Turkey are part of the active development program; several additional countries have ordered, or are considering ordering, the F-35.

The program is the most expensive military weapons system in history, and has been much criticized inside and outside government, in the U.S. and in allied countries. Critics argue that the plane is “plagued with design flaws”, with many blaming the procurement process in which Lockheed was allowed “to design, test, and produce the F-35 all at the same time, instead of… [identifying and fixing] defects before firing up its production line”. By 2014, the program was “$163 billion over budget [and] seven years behind schedule”. Critics also contend that the program’s high sunk costs and political momentum make it “too big to kill”.

New York Air Show 2017 – Blue Angels

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F/A 18 Hornets of the Blue Angels demonstration team. It must be about 50 years since I’ve seen a jet demonstration team (I think the last one I saw was the Royal Air Force Red Arrows when I was in my teens. In those days they were flying the Folland Gnat).

According to Wikipedia:

The Blue Angels is the United States Navy’s flight demonstration squadron, with aviators from the Navy and Marines. The Blue Angels team was formed in 1946, making it the second oldest formal flying aerobatic team (under the same name) in the world, after the French Patrouille de France formed in 1931.

The Blue Angels’ six demonstration pilots currently fly the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet, typically in more than 70 shows at 34 locations throughout the United States each year, where they still employ many of the same practices and techniques used in their aerial displays in their inaugural 1946 season. An estimated 11 million spectators view the squadron during air shows each full year. The Blue Angels also visit more than 50,000 people in a standard show season (March through November) in schools and hospitals. Since 1946, the Blue Angels have flown for more than 260 million spectators.

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