Road Trip Warbirds and Museums - Photo Heavy

[kalamazookid]

I recently completed a road trip to do some hiking out west and was able to stop to see a couple warbird museum and gate guards on the way. Figured I'd post a few photos since I haven't seen too many pics of these places posted before.

My first major stop was South Dakota Air and Space Museum at Ellsworth AFB. I had no idea what the collection consisted of prior to stopping and was pleasantly surprised by the number of aircraft on display. I was impressed with the condition the aircraft and displays were in. The museum obviously puts a lot of effort into keeping the aircraft looking nice and has the resources to do so. The B-29, B-26K and C-131 were the highlights for me.

IMG_8996 by Matthew Vader, on Flickr

IMG_8998 by Matthew Vader, on Flickr

IMG_9015 by Matthew Vader, on Flickr

IMG_9018 by Matthew Vader, on Flickr

IMG_9022 by Matthew Vader, on Flickr

IMG_9033 by Matthew Vader, on Flickr

IMG_9039 by Matthew Vader, on Flickr

IMG_9066 by Matthew Vader, on Flickr

Complete set here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/124970884 ... 966752380/

[kalamazookid]

My other major stop was at Fagen Fighters WWII Museum in Granite Falls, MN. This was well worth going out of the way a bit for. Their collection is so much more than just aircraft, and the aircraft collection is superb. Unfortunately the Desert Shark P-40 and one of the P-51s were not present when I visited, but the rest of the collection was there and accessible. Seeing the newly-completed Jenny restoration was especially nice. Photography was difficult in the Fighter Hangar due to lighting.

IMG_0318 by Matthew Vader, on Flickr

IMG_0319 by Matthew Vader, on Flickr

IMG_0328 by Matthew Vader, on Flickr

IMG_0329 by Matthew Vader, on Flickr

IMG_0336 by Matthew Vader, on Flickr

IMG_0346 by Matthew Vader, on Flickr

IMG_0353 by Matthew Vader, on Flickr

IMG_0362 by Matthew Vader, on Flickr

IMG_0394 by Matthew Vader, on Flickr

The full set can be found here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/124970884 ... 143690082/

[kalamazookid]

I also stopped to see a couple gate guards and other aircraft on the trip.

These Harpoons are at the airport in Buffalo, WY. It appeared that the aircraft were on private property, so I wasn't able to get very close. Tanker 39 looks like it would make the basis for a nice restoration project. Not sure the other two would be able to contribute much more than parts or maybe make a static display.

IMG_9326 by Matthew Vader, on Flickr

IMG_9327 by Matthew Vader, on Flickr

IMG_9328 by Matthew Vader, on Flickr

IMG_9329 by Matthew Vader, on Flickr

IMG_9334 by Matthew Vader, on Flickr

This T-33 was on display at the Pioneer Museum in Glasgow, MT.

IMG_0164 by Matthew Vader, on Flickr

This T-33 was part of a nice Veterans memorial in Dickinson, ND and is very well cared for.

IMG_0310 by Matthew Vader, on Flickr

This F-86 is at the airport in Jamestown, ND. It's not in very good shape.

IMG_0315 by Matthew Vader, on Flickr

Thanks for looking.

[Ken]

You did great with the photos, thanks for sharing!

Ken

[Woodsy Airfield]

I enjoyed your road trip very much...

[Chris Brame]

Thanks for posting these, especially since Fagen just dodged that tornado!

[Warbird Kid]

Thanks for the shots! I just visited the SDASM too! You beat me to it! I was going to put my pictures up from my visit! I just got back from a two week bus tour through that entire part of the country. Of course being on a bus tour with 45 other people means you can't just pull off the road every time you see a plane and make detours. Glad somebody got the shots of the 2 and a half Harpoons in Buffalo. Our tour guide was from that town! Also saw a F-86 in Draper, Utah, just outside Salt Lake City.

[kalamazookid]

Thanks for the shots! I just visited the SDASM too! You beat me to it! I was going to put my pictures up from my visit! I just got back from a two week bus tour through that entire part of the country. Of course being on a bus tour with 45 other people means you can't just pull off the road every time you see a plane and make detours. Glad somebody got the shots of the 2 and a half Harpoons in Buffalo. Our tour guide was from that town! Also saw a F-86 in Draper, Utah, just outside Salt Lake City.

Sounds like a good trip! Glad you got to stop at SDASM. Cool place and way more aircraft than I expected! Were you able to take the bus tour of the base? I thought about it, but I had already spent more time than I had expected at the museum and wanted to get back on the road. Sounds like your route went farther south than mine did - my final destination was Glacier National Park.

I was hoping the Harpoons would have been on airport property and that I'd be able to talk someone at the FBO into letting me out to see them. That was not the case. They are not on airport property. Given the condition of the buildings they were around, the tall grass, and the fact that they were behind a barbed-wire fence, I wasn't too interested in getting much closer to check them out.

Thanks for posting these, especially since Fagen just dodged that tornado!

Looks like from the news coverage that they got very lucky. A direct hit would have been a real shame, and not just for the aircraft collection. The Fagen museum has an outstanding collection of vehicles, buildings, literature, aircraft parts and other displays. The control tower complete with period radio equipment was interesting to walk through. There are numerous other similar displays, including a WWII German boxcar, a mission-briefing hut, and a memorial to Ray Fagen's service during the D-Day landings.

One of the real poignant displays involved portraits of Holocaust survivors who are now Minnesota residents, complete with their story of how they were able to survive. If I remember correctly, this is a traveling exhibit that moves throughout Minnesota. Losing those displays to a storm would have been an absolute travesty.

I did also get a glimpse of the Helldiver project through an open door. Since it was in an area that was off-limits to the public, I didn't get a great look and didn't take any photos out of respect for the museum, but it appears work is moving pretty quickly. I didn't see wings anywhere, but the fuselage work seemed to be progressing well between the firewall and the tail surfaces.

[Thomas_Mac]

Great thread! Nothing better then a good road trip

[p51]

I spent an evening in the inn at Ellsworth on my solo cross-country PCS move in 1998 and hit the museum. It was pretty nice. There wasn't a B-1 on display at the time but plenty were flying that October day. Back then, they had the B-2-ish mockup made for a car commercial. I assume it's been scrapped since then?

Here's a commercial it was made for, and I remember seeing that on TV:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJfYikAEARk

[Warbird Kid]

Were you able to take the bus tour of the base? I thought about it, but I had already spent more time than I had expected at the museum and wanted to get back on the road.

Nah, my father and I only had limited time as well. Wanted to however. But we did see a few B-1s and F-18s land and take off! What I'd like to know is why the B-25 has been painted so..."creatively".

I was hoping the Harpoons would have been on airport property and that I'd be able to talk someone at the FBO into letting me out to see them. That was not the case. They are not on airport property. Given the condition of the buildings they were around, the tall grass, and the fact that they were behind a barbed-wire fence, I wasn't too interested in getting much closer to check them out.

Yeah we merely drove through Buffalo on I-90. Never did get to stop. I hope those Harpoons are saved one day. I know Attu Warrior came from there and was ferried out so anything is possible. Hey Taigh, want to create PV-2 Squadron?!

[bomberfan]

Matt, at Fagen Fighters, I asked Ron if I could see the Helldiver and he said "sure, just move the little yellow chain." You could've gotten closer, I think they just don't want hundreds of people in there at once. It looks outstanding up close.

[JohnB]

I might be headed to Wyoming again, Has anyone been to Greybull lately...anything there still to see?

[mazdaP5]

Fun trip! thanks for sharing

[Warbirdnerd]

I might be headed to Wyoming again, Has anyone been to Greybull lately...anything there still to see?

Still quite a bit there including a museum-
http://www.museumofflight.us/