This
‘borrowed photo’ shows the front of the Strategic Air Command (SAC) and
Aerospace Museum. (I don’t know what happened to my front view of the complex!)
In any case, this museum focuses on aircraft and nuclear missiles of the United
States Air Force.
Originally located at
the Offutt Air Force Base near Bellevue Nebraska, it was relocated to this new
complex in 1998. Laurie and I had
visited the previous location many years ago.
One positive is that most of the planes are now on exhibit indoors where
they can be cared for and preserved.
When
visitors enter the SAC Museum, they are immediately confronted by an attention
grabbing suspended Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird.
This long-range, high-altitude strategic reconnaissance aircraft
operated at speeds above Mach 3 and it’s held the world record for the fastest
air-breathing manned aircraft since 1976.
At its upper range for example, it could fly from Los Angeles CA to
Buffalo NY or from San Francisco CA to Cleveland OH in an hour.
This
plane was so fast that if a surface-to-air missile launch was detected, the
aircraft’s standard evasive action was simply to accelerate and out fly the
missile. A total of 32 Blackbirds were
built and the aircraft served with the US Air Force from 1964 until 1998.
FYI, the 300,000
sq. ft. Strategic Air Command museum cost $29,500,000 to build. The glass atrium is constructed of 525 glass
panels. The complex also features 2
attached aircraft display hangars, a traveling exhibit area, a children’s
interactive gallery, a 200-seat theater, a museum store, a snack bar and an
aircraft restoration gallery.
This is a
Grumman HU-16 Albatross. I was surprised
to learn that this large twin-radial engine amphibious flying boat was
primarily used by the US Air Force…but also by the US Navy and the US Coast
Guard. A total of 466 Albatross aircraft
were built. The plane served the Air
Force from 1949 – 1961 and the last one was retired from the US Coast Guard in
1983.
The
HU-16’s primary role in all cases was as a search and rescue aircraft. During the Korean War its combat rescue
efforts gained it a reputation as a rugged and seaworthy aircraft. This aircraft also saw extensive combat
service during the Vietnam War. Later in
its useful life these aircraft were utilized by the USAF’s Aerospace Rescue and
Recovery Service.
The
General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark is a supersonic, medium-range interdictor and
tactical attack aircraft that also served as a strategic nuclear bomber, aerial
reconnaissance and electronic-warfare aircraft.
It first entered service with the USAF in 1967 and then with the Royal
Australian Air Force in 1973. The last
USAF Aardvarks were retired in 1998 but the RAAF continued to fly them through
2010.
A total
of 563 F-111 Aardvarks were built. These
aircraft could fly as high as 66,000 feet and reach a top speed of 1,650 mph. Their terrain-following radar allowed them to
operate as low as 200 feet above the ground at speeds of up to 552 mph. They saw service in Vietnam, Libya and in
Iraq during Desert Storm. In the latter
they were credited with the destruction of over 1,500 tanks and other armored
vehicles.
This
aircraft pioneered several new advancements including variable-sweep wings, after burning
turbofan engines and that terrain-following radar. It was the only aircraft in USAF history that
never had an official name while in service.
It had been given the nickname ‘aardvark’ by its crews due to its talent
for hunting in the dark with its nose to the ground. RAAF crews affectionately called it ‘the pig’
for the same reason. It was officially
designated as the “Aardvark” when it was retired.
It may look like a killer shark but the
AQM-34L Firebee was developed in the late 1960s as a low altitude photographic
reconnaissance drone. Launched and
controlled from a ‘parent’ C-130 aircraft, they saw a lot of service over North
Vietnam. Once the mission was completed,
these drones would be directed to a safe area over water where the engine would
be shut down and a large parachute would deploy. They could travel at speeds up to 645 mph and
they had a range of 750 miles.
Two
methods of recovery were used. First, the
drone could be recovered directly from the water but if possible this method
was avoided due to the damage salt water would do the Firebee’s systems. The preferred method was for a helicopter to
snatch the 3,200 pound drone out of the air with a special hook system. That had to be a bit challenging…
This
Boeing EC-135 was behind glass in the restoration gallery at the SAC
Museum. The Boeing EC-135 was a command
and control version of the Boeing C-135 Stratolifter… Both were based on the
same prototype that led to the introduction of the Boeing 707 airliner.
The
EC-135 is best known as having been modified to perform the ‘Looking Glass’ mission…where an EC-135
was always in the air 24-hours a day for over 29 years in order to serve as a
flying command post for SAC in the event of nuclear war. They served this mission from 1963 until
1990. At least 11 EC-135C command post
aircraft were provided to the Commander in Chief, SAC, and were based at
various locations throughout the USA.
This is
an overview of one of the impressive large hangar display areas at the SAC
Museum. It was taken from the stairs
down to the hangar floor. An elevator is
available…
The
Piasecki CH-21 'Workhorse' or 'Shawnee' was commonly called ‘the flying banana’ or
“Amblin’ Annie”. It was a multi-mission
helicopter, outfitted with wheels, skis or floats. Originally developed as an Arctic rescue
helicopter for service, the CH-21B could carry 22 fully equipped infantrymen or
12 stretchers and 2 medics in the medevac role.
It was used to maintain and service the DEW (Distant Early Warning) line
of radar installations that were in place from the Aleutian Islands all the way
to Iceland.
Only 707
H-21s were built, but they not only served with the American military, but also
with French, Canadian, Congolese, Japanese, Swedish and West German
forces. There is only one flight worthy H-21 remaining in the USA and its part of the collection at the Classic Rotors
Museum located in Ramona California.
This is a
Fairchild C-119G “Flying Boxcar”. It was
a military transport aircraft used by SAC, the US Army, Navy and Marine
Corps. It was designed to carry cargo,
personnel, litter patients and mechanized equipment as well as to drop cargo
and troops by parachute. Production
began in 1947 and ceased in 1955. Due to
its cargo-hauling ability and unusual twin-boom (tail) configuration as shown in the second picture, it acquired
its nickname, ‘Flying Boxcar’. It was a
popular aircraft, with 1,183 manufactured in 9 years. In addition to the USA, these aircraft were
utilized by the United Nations and 13 other countries.
There
also was a variant of the C-119, the AC-119G “Shadow” gunship. It was fitted with 4 six-barrel 7.62 x 55mm
NATO miniguns, armor plating, flare launchers and night-capable infrared
equipment. A later version, the AC-119K
“Stinger” was made even more deadly with the addition of 2 General Electric M61
Vulcan 20 mm cannons.
Note: On August 19, 1960, a C-119 recovered film
from the Corona space mission, code-named Discover 14. This was the first recovery of film from an
orbiting satellite and the first aerial recovery of an object returning from
earth orbit.
The
Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter was a strategic tanker aircraft. Outfitted with a flying refueling boom and
loaded with fuel, this 4-engine, propeller-driven airplane could fly fast
enough to match the minimum speed of B-47 or B-52 jet propelled bombers. Fighter jets were also refueling customers
for the tankers. This particular
aircraft was built by Boeing in Seattle and delivered to the USAF in April of
1955. It was delivered to the SAC Museum
in September of 1964.
Except
for the whale-like ‘double-bubble’ fuselage, the KC-97 closely resembles the
B-29 bomber, the aircraft on which the KC-97 was based. Most of the 880 KC-97s built were tankers
despite the ‘Stratofreighter’ name. They
could carry about 46 tons of cargo or fuel.
Other than the USA, only Spain and Israel included this aircraft in
their inventory. Several of these
aircraft later served as air water tankers to fight forest fires…
The
Sikorsky H-19 'Chickasaw' was a multi-purpose helicopter that was used by all of
the American military services as well as about 28 other nations around the
world. The Air Force version of this
helicopter was used primarily for search and rescue missions. They were introduced to US forces in 1950 and
they were retired from service in 1969.
A total of 1,728 H-19s were produced by Sikorsky and by licensees in the
United Kingdom, France and Japan.
The H-19B
was called the ‘Whirlybird’ by the Air Force.
It was severely tested by the US armed forces throughout the Korean War,
especially the Marines. These aircraft were
very durable and their use completely changed the way troops and equipment are deployed
on today's battlefield. They could carry 10
soldiers or 8 stretchers.
I’ll end
this post with an aircraft that wasn’t built in the USA or that served in the American Air Force. This is the Russian designed and built
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21F. (NATO designated name, “Fishbed”) It is a multi-role
fighter and interceptor aircraft that has been used by roughly 60 countries
over 4 continents…and it’s still flying in a few air forces around the world. No wonder so many are still in service. With 15,000 built, more MiG-21s have been
produced than any other jet aircraft in aviation history.
This
single-seat fighter has a cruise speed of only 284 mph…but it can reach a top
speed of 1,373 mph and it has a range of 1,400 miles. It does have one weakness of note. When in afterburner mode, the engine operates
very close to its surge line and the ingestion of even a small bird can lead to
an engine surge/seizure and flame out.
Nevertheless, many American aircraft, especially F-4 Phantoms, fell prey
to North Vietnamese pilots flying these smaller, more nimble aircraft
throughout the War in Vietnam.
I’ll be
spreading them out but there will be 2 more posts about our visit to the
Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum…
Just
click on any of the photos to enlarge them.
Thanks
for stopping by for a visit!
Take
Care, Big Daddy Dave
