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Should've taken a group shot in the restaurant, but alas, my battery was dead and i left the spare in the plane (idiot...). But I went and grabbed it before we moseyed over to check out the Air Victory Museum... here's Mark and his First Officer, Gabriel, checking out the Grumman Hawkeye. Can you imagine landing this beast on a carrier?








I've heard of flying pigs, but a flying pig wearing a sombrero? that's too much.

     
     



Quite a collection of goodies crammed in here...the very well-informed caretaker in attendance told us the state was thinking of moving this museum, as well as a few other small ones, to one location... at Millville Airport, of all places. Seems smart on paper, but it seems just like a ploy to shut them down for good, because nobody except pilots will go to Millville. She told us school group attendance was way down as it is, thanks to budget cuts. History? Who needs history? Most US schools are also slashing sports and arts budgets... I guess they're spending all their money on IT and security.

Gabriel made a beeline to the play area, where there are toys and models left out for the kids to destroy at will. Worked very well- he was over there the whole time, so Mark could peruse the displays in peace, without worrying about the boy breaking any of the valuable stuff.

     



Well, let's enjoy this while we can. An A4 done up in Blue Angels livery: the A4 was a longterm Angels mount, but not this one- note the fuel probe.  The USMC officer who donated his Blue Angels jumpsuit for the display did so on the condition that they put his old plane number (2) on this aircraft... or so the story goes. Alas, I can't remember his name.





Now this is a surprise... can you believe this engine was rescued from becoming part of a landfill in Florida? Yes, it is in fact a Jumo 004, used on the Me262, among others. It's not exactly flight-ready, but all the moving parts still move.
     



Learned something new: there is a little gasoline starter engine inside; when the nose cone is installed, the pull-ring indicated by the arrow fits into the notch in the cone. A ground crewman would yank the starter cable, just like on an old lawnmower or chain saw... praying, of course, that the Jumo did not backfire on startup or explode outright. Crazy, but very convenient for field ops on the front.
     




     
Another bit of WWII Luftwaffe ingenuity: a RATO pod. this one is complete with its very rare original service carriage.







Four dollars to get in, folks... stop by if you can, before it's gone...

http://www.airvictorymuseum.org/





Next: part 5- more from the museum

Great pics Rotty-I totally forgot that VAY was the place I took my first (and so far only) passenger, we had lunch at the runway cafe.  Didn't get a chance to see the museum though, perhaps I'll have to go back.

Great shots in all your post, Sean!!

 Nice airport KVAY is and the museum is pretty cool also. Did you happen to see or hear the R/C club flying across the street?

 Glad you enjoyed my part of the world!!  :)

[quote]Great shots in all your post, Sean!!

Great shots in all posts Sean, it's always nice to see shots of people 'out & about'.

Thanks for posting 'em,

TSC.

Very interesting trip. It will be a crime if they let that museum die without a fight.

Very interesting trip. It will be a crime if they let that museum die without a fight.

they'll have quite a time with this one: the lady who apparently runs the place (our guide Sunday) is quite the tough ol' veteran Airport Lady... also has sons in the military and a husband who's an ex-Special Forces soldier (Vietnam combat vet). Probably ex-military herself, although I didn't ask and she didn't tell. I sure wouldn't want her mad at me.
If they come to lock the doors it could go down like something out of the Dorsai Chronicles...

But chances are they won't really do away with it, just conglomerate it with several other state-funded museums in Millville, where it will wither away unnoticed.