Warbird Information Exchange

We here on the WIX brought up these same type of concerns when the retired shuttles were assigned to their respective museums. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationn ... york-.html Maybe its time to start the process all over again!

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Ain't no sunshine when she's gone!

While I am not thrilled with the shuttle decisions the LA Times Blog is a bit biased. I saw an article last week that mentioned the Intrepid wanted to purchase the land across the street from the pier that currently houses a parking lot and build a display building there rather than on the pier. So they are not planning on letting the Enterprise sit in a parking lot.

http://online.wsj.com/article/APa7c7d83 ... ae961.html

Looking in the news it looks like Houston is really ramping up the PR machine in pursuit of the Enterprise.

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Share your story: Rutgers Oral History Archive http://oralhistory.rutgers.edu/

In my totally biased opinion, Enterprise should be housed in a purpose built enclosed facility at Ellington, near the NASA flight center and the 'coming in the near future' Lone Star Flight Museum facility. Lots of tourists, lots of exposure, a viable heritage link, and a large annual airshow.

Let me add my biased opinion. The NMUAF with it's 1.3 to 1.5 million visitors a year has more exposure than any ... a large annual airshow at Dayton, Int'l ... free admission and free parking ... a one day's drive for more than 50% of the taxpayers who footed the bill ..
and perhaps most of all ..... the musem's motto "We are the keepers of their story" ... starting with WWI, and on to WWII, Korea, Southeast Asia (Vietnam), the Cold War and now the tributes to our newest heroes from the Persian Gulf, Iraq and Afghanastan.

As a veteran, I personally find it an insult to by-pass those who are paid tribute in the Museum .... "Freedom isn't Free"

Finally, I mean no ill to any WIXer's who have their own personal preferences ... that's what freedom is about ...

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Jerry
S/Sgt. - USAF Radio Operator '52-'56
C-119 "Flying Boxcar" - Korea & Japan

Volunteer: National Museum of the US Air Force (2007-2016)
LTM 381st Bomb Group Memorial Association

Very well stated Jerry! We are about a month away from Veterans day but I just want to say thanks for your service.

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Ain't no sunshine when she's gone!

I think that one should go to Texas, and the other to the NMUSAF. If for no other reason than for preservation sake.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Director

The Enterprise might have a history with Vandenburg and Edwards, but it's a NASA craft, not USAF. Waving the patriotic flag and stating it should be at NMUSAF doesn't change the history of the glider test bed. IMHO, a better suited shuttle would be one that actually flew DoD missions. Atlantis or Discovery would make more sense.

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F-84F Simulator Project
www.f-84f.org

Yes.....that's what freedom is about....

29 Oct 1944: Intrepid hit by kamikaze-damage slight but 10 killed and 6 wounded.

25 Nov 1944: Intrepid hit by 2 kamikazes, 1 abreast aft end of bridge, 1 slightly further aft. Bomb from 2nd detonated in the gallery deck starting fires which were extinguished 2 hrs later. Casualties were 69 dead and 35 injured...the ship was seriously damaged, and unable to continue flight operations.

16 Apr 1945: Intrepid hit by kamikaze and seriously damaged-hangar set on fire but extinguished, casualties 8 killed and 21 wounded. She was able to recover her a/c but had to retire to Ulithi for temporary repairs prior to sailing to the West Coast via Pearl Harbor for refit.

Early in the next year Intrepid began preparations for a vital role in NASA's first manned Gemini flight. On 23 March 1965 Lt. Comdr. John W. Young and Maj. Virgil I. Grissom in Molly Brown splashed down some 50 miles from Intrepid after history's first controlled re-entry into the earth's atmosphere ended in the pair's nearly perfect three-orbit flight. A Navy helicopter lifted the astronauts from the spacecraft and flew them to Intrepid for medical examination and de briefing. Later Intrepid retrieved Molly Brown and returned the spaceship and astronauts to Cape Kennedy.

So.....to stand on the deck of the Intrepid, you stand in the footsteps of two great American heros who also stood on her deck.

The first American to fly the very first shuttle, and the other who was tragically lost on Apollo 1. Still think it should not go to NY????

How odd this should come up. This morning the CEO of the MoF was on Seattle morning news talking about this. A bit of searching into the selection process seems to suggest that some of the selection criteria presented to the selection committee may have been heavily shaded and skewed to make certain selections seem more desirable than others and ignored or minimized other factors concerning other sites not selected.
It was pointed out that MoF is the only facility entered in the competition that has a completed and ready facility to house a shuttle, other selected sites are, like L.A. trying to find available dirt to begin construction on.
While the NMUSAF seems like a natural facility to house a shuttle, again, the shuttle was a civilian project, and aside from the military 'borrowing' it a couple of times for 'stuff' done in space without oh, horror of horrors! not spending acres of money and years of development for a two or three operation separate system. So, being a CIVILIAN project, displaying one in the NMUSAF could then be used as a lever to have the Spirit of St. Louis sent there, or SPACSHIP 1. It never was a military system so it has no more place in the NMUSAF than the CURTISS NC-4 needs to be moved from Pensacola to Ohio or displaying one of Dale Earnharts race cars in the NMUSAF.

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Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

Yup. The Intrepid Museum Director publicly stated minutes before they were given a shuttle that they were having trouble just maintaining the aircraft they already have.
The USAF helped fund the Shuttle and the men and mojority of the men and women that crewed the shuttle were from the USAF.
Let us not forget those interesting goals museums had to hit in order to be considered for a shuttle. They had to have the money in hand for a facility or the room to display a shuttle indoors. Neither the museum in LA or NYC meets those standards.
If you don't think politics played a part in the decision over where the artifacts will be best kept, you are kidding yourself.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Director

It's all about who has the money to house them. I think the folks who have "won" may not ever see a shuttle and those who "lost" may see them on their doorstep. It ain't over yet.

None of them should go to locations where they will sit out in the weather and rot. None of them should go to sit in a vacant parking lot next to a strip club (if indeed that is the case). I've been to the Intrepid, and its great that it is there. However, it is not a good location to preserve aircraft. Right on the water, out in the open - look at what happens to the aircraft on her deck, and to the Concorde next to her.

How well is the shuttle experior going to react to staying out in the sun, rain, and snow? It's not exactly your standard aircraft aluminum skin, is it? What will it look like after a couple of NY winters? How will the museum afford to care for it, to keep it in top notch condition?

Oh, come on.. relax.. after a couple of coats of good ol NYC gangster graffiti paint she'll be "tagged" and sealed up tighter than a bug in a rug!

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S.

Having worked 24 years at 120 Broadway ('60's, '70's & '80's,) your graffiti remark made my day! thanks ..............

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Jerry
S/Sgt. - USAF Radio Operator '52-'56
C-119 "Flying Boxcar" - Korea & Japan

Volunteer: National Museum of the US Air Force (2007-2016)
LTM 381st Bomb Group Memorial Association

Enterprise to Houston great idea!

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You can't see me!!