Galleries

The Ventures

The Ventures came from northwestern United States, and were key influences on Seattle sounds to come. They were famous for playing Mosrite guitars, which were built in Bakersfield, Calif. This display is part of a tribute to Northwest artists at the Experience Music Project.

The worst kind of metalwear

I love this over-the-top display honoring the metal band Rain at Experience Music Project. That's a combo bass-guitar on the left and "sexy boots" on the right. Paging George Clinton....

The guitar tree

The top part of the "If VI was IX: Roots and Branches" aka the Guitar Tree, at the Experience Music Project

If VI was IX

"If VI was IX: Roots and Branches" aka the Guitar Tree, at the Experience Music Project. The interactive scultpure features more than 500 musical instruments

Lots of open space

The view from the 10th floor of the Seattle Public Library main branch looking down a few floors

High-tech design + utility

High-tech design and open space is a common sight at the Seattle Public Library. The 6th through 10th floors are slightly inclined so that you can walk up or down four floors without actually climbing any stairs.

The view from above

The view from, I believe, the 10th floor of the Seattle Public Library main branch, looking to a nice greenscape on a building across the street

The library as pyramid

The main branch of the Seattle Public Library is an architectural wonder. Lots of angles give the interior and exterior an everchanging feeling.

Automated book-return system

The main branch of the Seattle Public Library features an automated book check-in system (you can see it above the people, running from outside the building to inside the library). Books and other items are taken by rollers, then automatically checked in by computers, then sorted onto carts designated for specifics spots in the library. Cool stuff.

Old meets new

Old meets new in the main gallery at the Museum of Flight

Dark Star

Another view of the main gallery at the Museum of Flight. That's the flat nose of the Lockheed Martin RQ-3A Dark Star unmanned vehicle at the far left.

The drone

Lockheed D-21B Drone sits atop the SR-71 Blackbird at the Museum of Flight. The drone was used for autofilmed reconnaissance missions. After completing filming, the drone would return to "international airspace" and eject the film cannister via parachute (which would then be picked up by American forces either mid-air or via ship). The drone then would self-destruct

One mean beast

Goodyear F2G-1 Corsair (built under license from Chance-Vought) at Museum of Flight. The Corsair, whose wings folded up so they would take up less space on aircraft carriers, is my favorite American fighter of World War II. It's a beast in person.

Gull wing

Another view of the Corsair that shows where the so-called "gull" wings fold. Also note the roomy cockpit, which allowed pilots good vision above and behind. As seen at Museum of Flight

MiG 15

Korean War era MiG 15 at the Museum of Flight

Main gallery

The main gallery of the Museum of Flight is an amazing sight. This photo doesn't capture the breadth or the size of the room

The Futura

The plane in the center in the this shot from the Museum of Flight is a Lear Fan 2100, aka Futura, a two-engine pusher-prop/jet plane.

Tri-motor biplane

Boeing 80A tri-motor biplane at Museum of Flight. Planes back in the day had some nice paint schemes

MiG 21

MiG 21, as seen in the Museum of Flight. The dummy to the left is on a North Korean pilot who defected to South Korea with the MiG, a prized possession at the time. He was paid a $100,000 reward.

Nose to nose

The sharp nose of a MiG-21, as seen in the Museum of Flight

Big power

The engines on the SR-71 Blackbird were enormous, and needed to be to drive the airplane at supersonic speeds. The engines are a separate exhibit alongside the SR-71 at the Museum of Flight

Expansion joints

The frame of the SR-71 expanded in flight because of the high heat generated by friction. This display at theMuseum of Flight has dummy engines in the actual plane

Flying car

The Museum of Flight features a Taylor Aerocar from the 1950s. The transformation from car to plane took about 15 minutes. The plane engine was 143 horsepower.

V-1

Fieseler V-1 rocket that Hitler used to terrorize London. From the Museum of Flight

F-104

The main gallery of the Museum of Flight has a wide variety of aircraft and spacecraft, including a NASA F-104C Starfighter

Aged Alaska

I love the old Alaska Airlines Douglas DC-3, in the distance in the main gallery at the Museum of Flight

Charred satellite

Resurs 500 space capsule, which served as a Soviet satellite for years. It fell to Earth in 1992 (note the re-entry burns on the skin) and was recovered in the Pacific Ocean.

Sputnik

The amazingly small Soviet Sputnik 1 communications satellite that set off the space race, as seen at Museum of Flight. When I say small, it has a diameter of 2 feet.

Explorer One

A scale model of the Explorer One communications satellite, the first American satellite, created in haste in the wake of Sptnick's launch, and sent into orbit in 1958. It served until 1972. As seen at Museum of Flight

Beautiful after all these years

Concorde sporting British Airways colors on display at Museum of Flight. What an awesome, beautiful aircraft

Clean lines

The Concorde is 40 years old which makes the cleanliness of the wing design all the more impressive. The engine boxes are very pedestrian looking, but the design served a functional purpose. As seen at Museum of Flight

Air intakes

Huge air intakes on the Concorde's four jet engines. As seen at Museum of Flight

Sleek design

Sleek design; note the variation on a true delta wing. The Concorde on display at Museum of Flight

Massive engines

Massive engines = high speed. The Concorde on display at Museum of Flight

Big tail

The tail of the Concorde is enormous, but needed to help guide the plane at high speeds. As seen at Museum of Flight

Stuff is big

Huge engine bay and landing gear under a Concorde on display at Museum of Flight

Spitfire

Supermarine Spitfire, the top British fighter plane of World War II, at Museum of Flight

Oscar

Nakajima Hayabusa, aka "Oscar." This is a re-creation at Museum of Flight. It's difficult to find original Japanese planes from the era because so few survived the war (they weren't known for being durable) or they were scrapped as part of reconstruction.

Yaketty Yak

Yak 9 fighter used by the Russians in World War II, from Museum of Flight

War paint

Some of the interesting nose art everpresent on World War II planes. From Museum of Flight

Mustang

P-51 Mustang at Museum of Flight. So elegant.

ME 109

Messerschmitt BF 109E-3, the leading German fighter of World War II. It's boxier than I would have thought from seeing pictures as a kid. From Museum of Flight

Dead 262

Cool painting at Museum of Flight showing a P-51 Mustang passing over a downed ME-262, my favorite World War II aircraft.

Ahead of its time

Really cool Italian plane called the Caproni, which is considered the world's first fighter plane. It was built in 1914 and featured a wing-mounted machine gun. The low lighting at Museum of Flight makes it hard to make out some of the detail, but the craftsmanship is amazing considering the time

Albatross

Slick reproduction at Museum of Flight of a World War !-era German fighter called the Albatross D.Va. Not sure you'd see planes called "Albatross" these days

Stratojet

Boeing WB-47 Stratojet at Museum of Flight

Moroccan MiG

MiG-17 painted in the colors of the Moroccan Air Force at Museum of Flight

Tail end of the V-1

Tail end of the V-1 rocket, as seen at Museum of Flight

What's this say?

German wording on V-1 elements at Museum of Flight. I tried to translate the first line using Google Translator but got no results. Anyone have any idea what this says?

Hanging by a thread

Lots of power hanging by what seems like a thread, on this Boeing 747 at Museum of Flight

747 engines

Big-ass 747 engines, minus the cowlings, as seen at Museum of Flight

Bendable nose

Nose of the Concorde in the upright position, as seen at Museum of Flight. Upon landing approach, the nose was lowered to improve pilot visibility

Giant rudder

A longer look at the huge rudder on the Concorde, at Museum of Flight

Subtle canards

Thin canards underneath the Concorde cockpit improved stability at high speeds. As seen at Museum of Flight

Fokker triplane

German Fokker triplane from World War I, as seen at Museum of Flight

Balancing act

B-47 landing gear, as seen at Museum of Flight, looks precarious for such a large aircraft