The Seattle Museum of Flight is amazing

 
The SR-71 BlackBird
Originally uploaded by jeffclavier.

One of the treats of Gnomedex 6 was a visit and a cocktail party organized at the Seattle Museum of Flight. The huge exhinbit features a stunning display of airplanes from different periods - including one of the Concorde previously flown by British Airways and an old Air Force One. My favorite, and the subject of this picture: the Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird". You can see more pictures in this set, or better in the set shot by the amazing Scott Beale.

If you are visiting Seattle (or Redmond :-), and have a few hours to spare, do visit it - it is really worth it.

Comments

[BillyWarhol]

We saw that amazing Blackbird when at the Air Museum near Omaha, Nebraska! Awesome plane!

Also had the good fortune to go up on the Concorde!! Another Weapon of Speed & Design!

My Dad had called my one day in July & asked me what I was doing September 3, & would I like to go for Brunch that day. I checked my watch to see whether it was Martini hour at his place. ;)) He proceeded to tell me were were going for Champagne & Smoked Salmon brunch to the North Pole on the Concorde! I checked to see if I had mistakenly left a baggie of BC Bud at home! ;))

the Concorde was in Toronto for the Air Show that Labour Day weekend! Needless to say not being born with Led Zeppelin RockStar Hair or Guitar Slinger abilities I was thrilled to travel like Mick Jagger & his sidekick Keef Richards!

the plane Rockets U back in yer seat as U hurtle down the Runway. The pilot had a funny comment as we went up along the Ontario - Quebec border (Canada's 2 countries ;) & he said I guess we'll only scare a few Polar Bears now & took it up to Mach 2 or Twice the Speed of Sound!!

We could actually see the curvature of the Earth at the Pole & then proceeded to be back 3 hours later but not before the Pilot banked & the Concorde let out a huge Roar to the crowds thrilled below!

Thass one Ride & 1 Plane I will never forget!

BOOM DADDY!!*****************

;))

[Olivier Ezratty]

Yes, that's an amazing museum, hidden around the small Renton airport also used by one Boeing factory manufacturing short/mid range aircrafts like the B737. I enjoyed visiting the Air Force One used from the 60s to the 80s (a B707). I hope that the VC135A (747) currently used by POTUS will be open for visits in a while. We'll probably have to wait till 2030...

The other amazing place like this one is the Intrepid Museum in NYC. I visited it back in 1994. In one place, you can visit an (early years) nuclear weapon submarine, a destroyer, an aircraft carrier, an aircraft museum sitting on top and within the carrier (which also has an SR71). They also have a Concorde since 2003.

[Amit C]

I hope you got to try the 360 degree flight simulator, it is absolutely a great way to experience flight. I have gone to the museum just to retry it.

Ofcourse, do not eat maybe an hour before it and visit a Aerobatic website before it to note things to try out like
http://www.bruceair.com/aerobatics/aerobatics.htm

Amit