NMUSAF gets a F-22A

[Pat Carry]

According to the e newsletter I received today, the Natl Museum of the USAF is getting a F-22A. Whats happens to the YF-22 now on display?

[mustangdriver]

I was wondering the same thing. I guess the more historic ariframe is the one that just came in. I wonder if they will keep both.

[jaybird]

I only wish they had a YF-23 next to the YF-22. I wonder what happened to the two -23 prototypes? Do they still exist? I always thought it was an incredible looking airplane.

[CorsairFreak]

I believe they have one of the YF-23s in their restoration hanger.

[Pat Carry]

CorsairFreak is right. The YF-23 is in the restoration hangar. Check a few photos of the YF-23 in restoration at www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/photos/index. ... leryID=535

[Warbird Mechanic]

Yes, we have the F-22A Raptor and its not going to be on display in the main museum complex until the end of this year. However you can see it in Restoration by going on a "Behind the Scenes Tour," that are held each Friday, but you must sign up for these tours in advance. The F-22A needs a lot of work before it will be ready for display in the main museum building. All of the top secret RAM material has been removed from the aircraft and the skin surface is very rough as a result. We are in the process of fabricating new leading edge components out of fiberglass for the wings since the originals were damaged in a crash. Even the nose section will need to be fabricated from scratch as the original one was badly damaged in the crash. I imagine it will be painted and marked as an active duty F/A-22 Raptor by the time its put on display in the main museum complex. As for the YF-22 it will remain on display in the Modern Flight Gallery, but it may eventually be moved to the Research & Development, Flight Test Hanger where the XB-70 Valkyrie is now, located next to the Presidential Hanger in Area B. We do have the Northrop-Grumman YF-23 in Restoration, but it won't be placed on display anytime soon. We also have the Boeing X-34A Joint Strike Fighter in Restoration. Not sure when either of these restoration projects will be completed. We have way too many projects and not enough hours in the day to complete everything as fast as we would like to. Right now the aircraft that have top priority are the Kawanishi N1K-2 George 21 fighter, B-17F Memphis Belle, Fisher XP-75 Eagle fighter and the MiG-29 Fulcrum.

Jim

[mustangdriver]

Hey Jim, any word on ground breaking on the new building? I was also wondering if it has been determined if the B-70 will be in there as well.

[hahnej]

Prided itself on the authenticity of its restorations? - I'd rather see the real YF-22 than a fiberglassed-up bogus F-22.

Why don't they just make a fiberglass X-1 and hang it from the ceiling....

[mustangdriver]

Both will be on display, but what other museum has an F-22 on display let alone an F-22 and a YF-22?

[Randy Haskin]

Prided itself on the authenticity of its restorations? - I'd rather see the real YF-22 than a fiberglassed-up bogus F-22.

What? It's not a FAKE F-22A.

[Warbird Mechanic]

Mustangdriver,

I have not heard anything certain about the ground breaking for the new Space Gallery and Education Center yet. I have heard rumors that it may take place sometime before the end of the year. The only thing I know for certain is that they plan to have the Space Shuttle Discovery displayed there eventually. They may have to display the Shuttle in the Cold War Gallery until the new building is finished. The Shuttle is approximately about the size of a DC-9 airliner so we will most likely have to move some aircraft in the CWG to make room for it. Like all the space stuff we have, it all has to be on display at all times or otherwise we will lose it to another museum, since the Smithsonian is in charge of all the space stuff we have. Far as I know, the XB-70 will remain exactly where it is now with all the other experimental aircraft, which is technically where it belongs. We will have to wait for the museum to raise enough funds to build another hanger building to house all the experimental aircraft we have in our collection. Especially when the Convair XC-99 is completely restored. We estimate its going to cost between 6 to 8 million dollars in sheet metal materials alone just to restore the XC-99 to static display. With this kind of money invested in the XC-99's restoration, I seriously doubt if our Museum Director will allow this big plane to sit outdoors like it did for the past 60 years. I do know they already have the money for the new USAF Convention Center, which is where the Memphis Belle will be displayed eventually, but I am not exactly sure where they plan to build it in relation to the main museum complex. I'm sure there is a master plan somewhere showing where all these buildings are going to be built.

hahnej,

The YF-22 we have on display is mostly made up of fiberglass. What do you think interlaced carbon fiber composite material really is? Its basically oriented fiberglass made of carbon fibers and not the kind of fiberglass you would find at an autobody supply store. F-22A will be very authentic by the time we finish with it because we are using the same materials used on the F/A-22 fleet. The only thing ours will not have is the highly classified RAM material, but thats it. As for a fiberglass replica of the Bell X-1, we really don't need one because we already have a very real Bell X-1B on display in our Research & Development, Flight Test Hanger.

Jim

[mustangdriver]

Thanks for the great update man. I would love to do more in restoration, I wish I lived closer!

[APG85]

When will the XC-99 be completely moved up to Ohio from Kelly AFB?

[Warbird Mechanic]

When will the XC-99 be completely moved up to Ohio from Kelly AFB?

Not sure when we will recieve the rest of the XC-99. We have about 85 percent of it already moved up here to Dayton. The top sections of the fuselage, wings, engines, horizontal stabilizer, elevators, vertical stab, rudder, props are already here awaiting restoration. We are waiting for the lower fuselage sections, then we should have everything. They pretty much chopped up the XC-99 into sections so it can be transported by C-5A Galaxy.

Jim

[Pat Carry]

Jim, Thanks for all the great info about the museum. I'm looking forward to my visit there in Sept. Lets hope that when the new construction is completed the folks in charge will have the sense to TURN SOME LIGHTS ON so we can see the planes!