Man, I wonder if anyone at the Smithsonian stopped to consider that the name of the newish center near Dulles seems vaguely rude. Like something out of a disgustingly clinical high school sex ed book.
If you haven’t been, and you’re in the neighborhood, it’s worth the trip. Free, like all the Smithsonian joints, they don’t seem to consider it odd to soak you twelve bucks for parking. Hidden taxes and fees be damned!
This is only one-third of the place:
Bloody gi-normous.
Aircraft are arranged more or less chronologically and grouped by type. Starting to the left you have early aviation and World War I, World War II stuff in the center of the main hall, Korea/Cold War stuff to the right and Civilian aviation to the far left. Straight back there’s a separate section for space and missile technology. Most of the gear on exhibit comes from the old Garber Restoration facility which I’ve toured once. I’ve a personal connection with a lot of the planes on display but to protect the guilty I’ll spare you all the gory details. Ask me sometime after you’ve bought me an expensive frosty beverage.
Today we’ll do World War II.
After the war, the Army swiped everything it could get its hands on relating to the advanced German, and less advanced, Japanese aeronautics industries. A lot of this stuff ended up rotting in open fields and was eventually donated to the Smithsonian. So, for instance, you have an unrestored Japanese Kawasaki Ki-45 Kai Hei “Nick” night fighter sitting out in its naked state with the US Army Air Forces stenciling still on the side.
The centerpiece of the collection is the restored and reassembled Enola Gay.
That plane blows my mind everytime I see her. Hell, you can still see the brush strokes from where the name Enola Gay was painted on at the last minute before she headed out on her historic mission.
My favorite shot of the day is probably this:
Any unsuspecting citizen of Hiroshima who saw this view in 1945 is currently either a charcoal briquette or a shadow on superheated concrete. It’s a hell of a sobering thought.
Then there’s this:
A Japanese Kawanishi N1K2-Ja Shiden Kai “George” fighter with a German Arado Ar 234B-2 Blitz bomber in the background and towering over both, the circle-R of the 6th bombgroup, the Enola Gay’s disguise: the two weasels who started the scrap and the big dog that finished it.