CAF Museum in Midland - Visit

[tshelfer]

I took a nice little drive (in the Acura - left the VStrom home) out to Midland to visit the Commemorative Air Force Museum in Midland. I've been there several times. But my good friend Bob Bohannon, who is retired from 40 years in the air service industry (Pan Am, Emery, American) had never been there. So it seemed like a great time for nice little diversionary trip west.

If you've never been there, it's a worthwhile trip either for airplane nuts or WW2 buffs. When you walk through the museum, you are essentially walking through the chronology of the war. I took my dad (Solomon Islands 1943-45) 10 years ago and parts of it brought tears to his eyes.

Watching a video about Pearl Harbor.


A view of an open area in the museum.


Cockpit of a C54.


Part of the D-Day display.


More D-Day. This is what's left of a glider (see the wing roots?) carrying a Jeep as cargo.


This flag was flown on a landing craft on D-Day.


Obviously, close to the end of the war. There's Little Boy and Fat Man (disclaimer: not actual A-bombs), and a bigger-than-life picture of Leslie Groves & Robert Oppenheimer in the background.


At the end, we come to my favorite part: the Wall of Honor, where many families have chosen to have the names of WW2 veterans displayed for posterity.


And what am I pointing proudly at?


My dad. My brother and I donated that plaque for my dad's 80th birthday - 10 years ago.


There's an amazing gallery of nose art, possibly the best in the world. These are not reproductions; they're from WW2 combat aircraft, mostly B24s and B17s.


I only took one close-up.....

...because you're not actually supposed to take pictures in the nose art gallery. But my finger might have accidentally slipped on the shutter.

Some WW2 vets love bikes, too. One donated this.


Moving to the hanger, now. You never know exactly what aircraft are going to be there on any given day.

This is a Russian fighter, an I-16.


Fiesler Storch.


Here's a Mig 17. Yeah, it really flies.


Messerschmitt ME-108.


Cessna O-2 Skymaster.


I'm pretty sure this is an AT-6 Texan.


This is one of the planes that was "repurposed" into a Zero for 'Tora Tora Tora'. It also appeared in several other films including 'War and Remembrance', 'Midway', 'Baa Baa Blacksheep', 'The Final Countdown' and 'Empire of the Sun'.


No idea what this is. Help!


C47 in D-Day paint scheme.


Fairey Swordfish. It amazes me that they chased the Bismarck with this kind of technology.


I forget what this is. Redpill & I saw it at the Cold War Museum in south Dallas last year.


Here's a VW Kubelwagen. Basically, Nazi Germany's Jeep.


Check this cool Daimler - probably a staff car - sporting a license plate from Muelheim.




I spotted this sitting over in a corner of a taxiway. An F-111, I think.


Outside at the Viet Nam memorial, I saw this F4,


And this old F105 with a lot of "mission stripes",


And an ancient F100. Yup, many century-series aircraft saw action in Nam.


And this is my friend Bob, who was an avionics engineer before eventually moving up to executive management. Bob had a very distinguished career. Remember Eastern Airlines Flight 401? The L1011 that "flew into the ground" in the Everglades in 1972? In the aftermath of that crash, there was a need for an avionic device that would basically "shout" at the pilot if a plane got too close to the ground. Bob invented Ground Prox, or Ground Proximity Warning System. Pam Am gave the technology away to other airlines and it soon became an FAA requirement.


Well, all done. Time to hop back into the RSX. And 5 1/4 hours, nine gallons of gas, and one DQ Blizzard later, we were back in Arlington.

[Fourplay]

Great road trip. Thanks for the report. I did not know about this museum. I would like to visit. My Dad flew B-24s during WW2.

[jqueen]

The petroleum museum in Midland is pretty cool too if you're looking for that kind of thing to do in the area.

I know why there would be a petroleum museum, but I have no idea why there is so much airplane stuff in Midland.

[tshelfer]

Everything has to be somewhere. It's what used to be known as the Confederate Air Force. Originally it was located down in Harlingen. About 20 years ago, they moved it to Midland to get the planes away from moisture and corrosion.

[focus frenzy]

Originally Posted by tshelfer

I'm pretty sure this is an AT-6 Texan.


This is one of the planes that was "repurposed" into a Zero for 'Tora Tora Tora'. It also appeared in several other films including 'War and Remembrance', 'Midway', 'Baa Baa Blacksheep', 'The Final Countdown' and 'Empire of the Sun'.


No idea what this is. Help!

.

first picture is actualy a Navy SNJ-5 (Navy version of the AT-6)

second picture is in fact a real Mitsubishi AGM Zero with a Pratt & Whitney engine in it

third: mystery plane is a De Hailland DH-94 moth minor

[achesley]

Thanks for the pics and now I gotta make plans to go there.

[BornAgain]

third: mystery plane is a De Hailland DH-94 moth minor

Didn't they give them nick name Chipmunk?

[scottie]

The chipmunk was a different, but similar machine. I flew in a Chipmunk as a member of the UK's Air Training Corps (ROTC equivalent I think). We used to go to the local RAF station about 3 times a year for an "air experience flight". This involved being strapped into a parachute that wouldn't let you stand upright, then you waddled out to the chipmunk (Engine started by a shotgun shell !!) and the climbed into the back seat (along with your barf bag). You then spent the next 30 minutes doing whatever sorts of flight maneuvers you could convince the pilot to do.

Oh and yes they are aerobatic capable.

De havilland chipmunk

[vc_slim]

Was just watching the "Bridge to Far" segment of Ken Burns' "War" documentary and there was a short clip of rescue efforts of an augered-in Waco glider. The pilots were pinned by the shifted cargo.

Added to my list of destinations. Great pics. Thanks.

[tshelfer]

Originally Posted by scottie

Oh and yes they are aerobatic capable.

De havilland chipmunk

Not with me aboard.

[tshelfer]

Two of my military brat friends saw these pictures on FB this morning, and told me about the Warbirds Museum in Florida, and the Mighty Eighth Museum in SC. Road trip!

[gixxerjasen]

Here's the one I plan on visiting next time we see the family in Florida.

http://www.fantasyofflight.com/collection.htm

One of the few places with a B-26 that I've found. That's the one my grandfather served as a navigator in during WWII, so I'm interested to see one in person.

[tshelfer]

Very cool, Jason. I've definitely got to get down to the SE sometime.

I've had a ton of messages, from my brat classmates, just since last night, talking about the nose art on "my dad's B24" or "my dad's P-38." Because of my age and background, nearly 100% of my classmates' fathers fought in WW2. It's really interesting to post something like this on my high school site and a few minutes later, somebody will be reminiscing about "when my dad was a POW....."

[The Bruce]

Very cool. If I'm ever in Midland I'll have to plan a visit. Nice dry climate to keep the old birds.

[fortbriscoe]

Originally Posted by tshelfer

Very cool, Jason. I've definitely got to get down to the SE sometime.

I've had a ton of messages, from my brat classmates, just since last night, talking about the nose art on "my dad's B24" or "my dad's P-38." Because of my age and background, nearly 100% of my classmates' fathers fought in WW2. It's really interesting to post something like this on my high school site and a few minutes later, somebody will be reminiscing about "when my dad was a POW....."

Great story. The Fredericksburg Nimitz Museum and the Museum of the Pacific War are worthwhile, also. My dad was also in the Solomon Islands— 2nd Marine Division duty as a Navy Corpsman, 42-44

[Ayers Garage]

(referencing first post)....Why does the CAF not allow pictures of the nose art gallery ?

[tshelfer]

Originally Posted by Ayers Garage

(referencing first post)....Why does the CAF not allow pictures of the nose art gallery ?

They're copyrighted.

[tango]

Fantasy of flight rocks. Went a couple of years back


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk when i should have been doing something useful

[tshelfer]

We need some TWT field trips to some great flight museums.

[TwoLane]

Yeah I know of some in the Metroplex, but I can see a scooter trip now to the Midland one. Went through there on the IBA ride but lacked the time to see the CAF!