Sean's USAF Museum Excursions

[SOC]

Re: USAF Museum Trip

As an aside, does anybody know where the YF-22 went? It was briefly inside the R&D hangar after the F-22A was added to the main museum, but now it is nowhere to be seen. Did somebody else usurp the jet?

 

[Stargazer]

Re: USAF Museum Trip

SOC, thank you SOOOO much for the photographs! I guess not everyone is allowed to have such close access to the displays, you are one fortunate man!
The exhaust areas are of particular interest because I'd never seen them before, let alone in such detail!
Two questions here:
1°) If the light gray prototype sports the name "Gray Ghost" in the nose wheel fairing, does the dark gray prototype sport the name "Black Widow" in the same place?
2°) Whatever became of that second prototype, anyway? (sorry if the question's already been answered on this forum already...)

 

[flateric]

Re: USAF Museum Trip

Sean, just thanks, thanks, thanks. Buuunch of thanks!

 

[flateric]

Re: USAF Museum Trip

1°) If the light gray prototype sports the name "Gray Ghost" in the nose wheel fairing, does the dark gray prototype sport the name "Black Widow" in the same place?

Nope. 'Spider'.

2°) Whatever became of that second prototype, anyway? (sorry if the question's already been answered on this forum already...)

just a few posts before we were talking about PAV-2

PAV-2 was at a museum in Hawthorne, CA, the Western Museum of Flight, but was repatriated by the Northrop guys down the street and restored.

http://www.f-16.net/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=3010&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=yf23&start=75

PAV-2 also appears in its current state for a moment in recent 'Hitler's Stealth Fighter' NatGeo documentary in Northrop El Segundo drive-through scene

 

[flateric]

Re: USAF Museum Trip

As an aside, does anybody know where the YF-22 went? It was briefly inside the R&D hangar after the F-22A was added to the main museum, but now it is nowhere to be seen. Did somebody else usurp the jet?

I remember reading some kind of Q&A at USAFM site - need to check it out - it either was moved to permanent museum storage with no access for public. Or transfer it to another museum - the still didn't have final decision at the moment AFAIR. main reason was kinda why do we need YF-22 while we have brand new F-22. Or space restrictions - kinda these.

 

[SOC]

Re: USAF Museum Trip

SOC, thank you SOOOO much for the photographs! I guess not everyone is allowed to have such close access to the displays, you are one fortunate man!
The exhaust areas are of particular interest because I'd never seen them before, let alone in such detail!

Actually, my trick is to arrive at the museum shortly before it opens, so I can get on the first bus over to the R&D hangar. Most of the early risers tend to be elderly visitors who for some reason are far more interested in the Presidential aircraft on the other side of the R&D hangar. So, I get the R&D side almost completely to myself! Hence, no other people crowding a lot of my shots, and nobody looking at me funny for lying on the floor between the main landing gear. This is also a good idea for shooting in the museum itself. I usually head right to the Modern Flight or Cold War hangars with specific targets in mind, while most people go through the whole museum starting with the WWI/WWII hangar.

Two questions here:
1°) If the light gray prototype sports the name "Gray Ghost" in the nose wheel fairing, does the dark gray prototype sport the name "Black Widow" in the same place?
2°) Whatever became of that second prototype, anyway? (sorry if the question's already been answered on this forum already...)

Flateric answered #2, but as to #1, you've got the color schemes backwards. PAV-2, at the Northrop facility in California, is the lighter grey aircraft. PAV-1, at the USAF Museum, is the darker colored of the two.

Eventually I'll repost a list of everything I've photographed over the years here, so people can request other shots if needed.

 

[SOC]

Re: USAF Museum Trip

Here be everything relevant I've shot over the past few years, since I went digital:

Hampton Roads Air Power Park - 2005
AIM-4D
F-86D
F-89
F-101B
F-105
NIKE-AJAX
NIKE-ZEUS
RF-4E
XV-6A Kestrel

Langley AFB Open House - 2007
A-10
B-1B
B-2A
C-130
F-15C
F/A-18F
F-22A
F-35A mockup
F-86
F-117A
US Air Force Heritage Flight: A-10, F-15C, F-22A, F-86
US Air Force Thunderbirds
US Navy Heritage Flight: F/A-18F, F4F

Langley AFB Open House - 2008
A-10
B-1B
RAF C-17
C-130
E-2C
F-4E
F-15C
F-15E
F-16
F/A-18F
F-22A
F-35A Mockup
KC-10A
T-45
RAF Red Arrows
RAF Red Arrows and USAF F-22A
US Air Force Heritage Flight: F-4E, F-15E, F-22A

Langley AFB Open House - 2009
ATAC A-4
ATAC F-21
B-52H
C-17
F-4E
F-15C
F-16
F-22A
F/A-18C
KC-135R
P-51
Sea Harrier FRS.2
T-33
US Air Force Heritage Flight: F-4E, F-15C, F-22A, P-51
US Air Force Thunderbirds
US Navy Heritage Flight: F/A-18C, F4F

McConnell AFB - 2003
C-130
KC-135R
Saab Gripen

McConnell AFB Open House - 2003
A-10
B-1B
B-17
B-25
B-52D
C-17
CF-188
CP-140
E-6A
F-16
F/A-18C
F-117A
M-109 Paladin
MiG-15UTI
MLRS
Tornado IDS Luftwaffe
T-38A

McConnell AFB Open House - 2004
A6M Zero
AT-6
B-1B
B-2
B-17
B-25
Canadian Air Force Snowbirds
DC-3
F-15
F-16
KC-135R
Learjet 23
P-51
Pearl Harbor Display Flight: A6M, P-51
US Air Force Heritage Flight: F-16, P-51

McConnell AFB Open House - 2006
US Air Force Thunderbirds

McGuire AFB BOMARC Site - 2007

McGuire AFB Open House - 2007
A-10
F-4E
US Army Golden Knights
US Air Force Heritage Flight: A-10, F-4E, P-51
US Air Force Thunderbirds

National Air And Space Museum Udvar Hazy Annex - 2006
707
AGM-76A
AGM-86A
AGM-86B
AIM-120
ASM-135 ASAT
B-29 Enola Gay
Concorde
Corona capsule
Do-335A
F-4
Ho-111h
Homing Overlay Experiment
MiG-21
Reinochter R-1
RIM-8J Talos
Ruhrstahl
SA-2
Silkworm
Space Shuttle Enterprise
SR-71A
X-35B
XAAM-N-3 Sparrow II
XV-15

USAF Museum - scans of old photos
AIM-4A
AIM-4C
AIM-4D
AIM-4F
AIM-4G
AIM-7
AIM-9
AIM-26B
AIM-120
AIR-2
B-1A
CIM-10
MiG-23MLD

USAF Museum - 2003
A-10
A-37
AC-130
ADM-20
AGM-28
AGM-86B
AGM-129
AGM-131
AIM-4A
AIM-4D
AIM-4F
AIM-4G
AIM-9M
AIM-26B
AIR-2
AN/TPS-1B
Apollo capsule
B-1B
B-2 Iron Bird
B-29 Bock's Car
B-58
Bird Of Prey
BLU-82
C-45H
C-54C
C-118
C-121
CIM-10
D-21B
EF-111A
F-4G
F-15
F-16 AFTI
F-16 Thunderbird
F-100D Thunderbird
F-101B
F-102A
F-105
F-106
F-107A
F-111A
F-111F
F-117A
Fritz-X
GBU-15
Gemini capsule
J-3C-65-8
LANTIRN
MiG-21
MiG-23MLD
Mercury capsule
Model 24 C8F
NT-33A
PA-48
P-51D
P-59B
P-80R
R-13 Atoll
RF-4C
RQ-1
RQ-3
RQ-4
SA-2
SR-71A
T-39A
TACIT BLUE
TACT RAINBOW
Tornado GR.1 RAF
U-4B
UH-13J
V-1
V-2
VC-6A
VC-137A
VC-140B
X-1B
X-3
X-4 Ruhrstahl
X-4
X-5
X-10
X-15
X-24A
X-24B
X-25A
X-29
X-36
X-45
XB-70 Valkyrie
XC-142A
XF-84H
XF-85
XF-91
XF-92
XGAM-63
XH-20
XV-6A
YF-12A
YF-22A
YFH-84H
ZPU-2
ZPU-4

USAF Museum - 2004
AIM-4A
AIM-4D
AIM-4F
AIM-4G
AIM-120
B-2 Iron Bird
B-47
B-57
B-58
BGM-109
D-21B
EF-111A
F-16 Thunderbird
F-101B
F-117A
GBU-24
Mark 41
MiG-23MLD
RF-4C
SR-71A
TACIT BLUE
TACIT RAINBOW
Tornado GR.1 RAF
X-45

USAF Museum - 2005
A-7
ADM-20
AGM-28
AGM-129
B-26K
B-66
CF-100
CGM-13
D-21B
EC-121
EC-135E
Fat Man device
F-4G
F-84
F-100
F-111F
EF-111A
F-117A
MiG-17
MiG-19
Minuteman RV test shape
NKC-135
Peacekeeper railcar
RF-4C
SA-2
SICBM TEL
SR-71A
U-2

USAF Museum - 2007
AGM-129
AGM-131
B-2 Iron Bird
Bird Of Prey
CBU-58
D-21B
DH.89 Dominie
F-16 AFTI
F-102A
F-107A
GBU-12
LoFLYTE
MiG-19
SR-71A Blackbird
TACIT BLUE
X-10
X-13
X-29
XB-70 Valkyrie
XF-91 Thunderceptor
XH-20
XV-6A Kestrel
YF-12A Blackbird
YF-22A
YQM-94A

USAF Museum - 2009
AC-130A
AGM-129
AGM-131
Avrocar
Bird of Prey
C-119J
C-141 Hanoi Taxi
D-21B
EC-135E
F-4G
F-16 AFTI
F-22A
F-106A
F-107A
F-117
Ju 52
MiG-29
NC-131H
NKC-135
Peacekeeper Railcar
SA-2
SICBM TEL
SR-71A
TACIT BLUE
TACIT RAINBOW
Tornado
X-29
X-36
X-40
X-45
XV-3
YC-125B
YF-23

USS Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum - 2005
A-4
A-6F
A-12 Blackbird
AGM-84
AV-8A
BGM-109
Concorde
Dassault Etendard IVP
F7U
F-4
F-8
F-14B
Gemini capsule
IAI Kfir F-21A
Mb-339
Mercury capsule
RGM-6
Standard SM-1
T-72

Virginia Aviation Museum - 2005
SR-71A

 

[SOC]

It looks like I'll be heading over to Ohio in two or three weeks, and I intend to revisit the museum. I can't do one of the behind-the-scenes tours as I teach on Fridays, but that will be done at some point. No research visit yet, I haven't gotten a response back. Anyway, I have no real plans other than to wander around and eat cheeseburgers. Haven't just done that in a good long time! The camera will, of course, still be going with me, so if anyone wants some photos of a specific exhibit, let me know.

 

[Stargazer]

Re: USAF Museum Trip

1°) If the light gray prototype sports the name "Gray Ghost" in the nose wheel fairing, does the dark gray prototype sport the name "Black Widow" in the same place?

Nope. 'Spider'.

The photo speaks for itself... but what to make of this piece of information, then? If "Spider" is the nick name of aircraft #1, does it mean that "Gray Ghost" is just a nickname for aircraft #2? And in that case does it mean that both aircraft sported the name "Black Widow" officially?

 

[flateric]

err, I thought we have fixed it many years before. yes, you are right. Black Widow II to be correct, and this is official statement from Bob Sandusky