National Museum of Naval Aviation pics

[FastMover]

I went out to NAS Pensacola on Monday to visit the museum. It was my second visit there and I enjoyed it every bit as much as the first trip. It seems like they have one of everything there. I took a few pictures and thought you all would enjoy seeing them. Some of them aren't that great because the lighting inside is so low.

Bearcat

USS Cabot superstructure

Flight deck shot. The wood was taken from an actual CV flight deck.

VF-154 F-4

A-6E One side had VA-196 markings while the other carried those of VA-75

T-34 The script under the canopy rail reads DON'T STALL

Blues A-4s

Good looking T-28

This was a really cool looking little plane. IIRC it's an F-11 something or other.

Yours truly standing by an incredible F6F Hellcat. It had to be one of my favorites there.

Equally impressive SDB

SBD .30 cal

Beautiful VA-163 A-4 with Snakeye loadout.

I couldn't get this one to rotate but I'll still include it because I found it interesting. It's some type of NVA propaganda poster that was at the "When Hell Was in Session" POW exhibit. Notice the soldier is carrying M-16s and American steel pot helmets. There's also some type of crashed American aircraft in the background.

Panoramic shot of the main floor.

Another shot of the Arctic Warrior A-4 that we discussed a while back. I could barely make out "LCpl. XXXX" on the canopy rail.

VF-45 F-16N

TA-4J

Here's a particularly salty F-14 guy's jacket. I think it was Dan "Darth" Cain's. They actually had most of the jacket/patch display roped off because they were renovating it.

Here are some plaques from the NAS Cubi Pt. Officer's Club recreation. Lots of cool stuff in there!

I think that's everything. Enjoy!

 

[NozeMan]

The aircraft you have tagged as a T-34 is actually a T-6/SNJ


just busting your balls

 

[Swanee]

nice pics

 

[Schnugg]

That is a great museum.

I found 2 VF-114 squadron cruise plaques from the Cubi Pt O'Club on the wall in their "bar/restaurant" section. I stood staring over some people eating lunch when I found it, they wanted to know what it was I was looking for so intently.

Sadly they didn't buy me a Cubi Thermonuclear Special and a Cordon Bleu Burger...ahhhh...the good old days.

 

[Gatordev]

My favorite plane it the museum is the A-6. All the other planes look like they're sitting in a museum, but the A-6 looks like they could roll it outside, fire it up, and go downtown at any moment. Complete w/ the towels underneath to catch the leaking fluid that's still hanging on in the plane.

 

[FastMover]

Here's one that I missed. I believe that this one is a Ki-84...someone correct me if I'm wrong. Weren't those refered to as the Oscar?

It still had bullet holes in the sides of the fuselage from GIs who wanted to make sure there weren't any Japs waiting inside to take pot shots.

They are in the process of designing an LSO exhibit upstairs as well. There were meatball lights and other Fresnel Lens pieces laying around with various other tools, etc. It should be pretty good, hopefully I'll get to see it on the next trip.

I also noticed a few USAF WSO types having lunch in the Cubi Cafe. Perhaps they were some of the first CSOs....

 

[a_m]

The aircraft you have tagged as a T-34 is actually a T-6/SNJ


just busting your balls

Actually, that IS the old T34. The old T6 is about 30 ft to the left.

 

[Pugs]

Actually, that IS the old T34. The old T6 is about 30 ft to the left.

If you're referring to the the yellow radial engined one it is most certainly an SNJ and not a T-34.

 

[a_m]

If you're referring to the the yellow radial engined one it is most certainly an SNJ and not a T-34.

I know they were right next to each other and I always thought that they SNJ was not right next to the window. Of course, it doesn't help that both are painted the same style.

 

[Hozer]

That Vought F7U Cutlass is sweet. Can you still booze in there?

Just as good as Udvar-Hazy, and if you can booze too...well

 

[tk628]

You totally cut out quite possibly the best airplane in the museum. Right next to the USS Cabot superstructure is a F4U Corsair from VMF-214, as in the "Pappy's" World Famous Black Sheep... (on a side note one of the few remaining comes in about once a month to talk to guests, that was going on last I knew in May.)

Also the SNJ is next to the window the 34B is centered under the Blues. If you look closely in your pics, there is a little square cowl opening just left of center. No harm no foul

 

[brownshoe]

Thanks those were some very nice pictures. Some took me back a few years when I was still in the navy. The Phantom, the Intruder, the T-28 and of course the Skyhawk. (Scooter, Tinkertoy.) That 700 TA-4 from CNATRA was retired June 26 of 99. (According to the old newsletter from www.skyhawk.org I’d reread today.) The T-28 was an “open cockpit joy” we (VA-44) kept one in Yuma for spotting during bombing practice. I got many rides and had much fun.

Steve

 

[FastMover]

You totally cut out quite possibly the best airplane in the museum. Right next to the USS Cabot superstructure is a F4U Corsair from VMF-214, as in the "Pappy's" World Famous Black Sheep... (on a side note one of the few remaining comes in about once a month to talk to guests, that was going on last I knew in May.)

I did take some pics of the F4U, but they didn't turn out so I didn't post them. Same goes for my A-1 Skyraider pics.

I may have some good ones of those two from my previous trip. I'll put them up for ya'll later.

 

[FastMover]

All of my F4U pics were crap.

Here's one of a Corsair II

A-1 Skyraider

VF-213 F-14

 

[Xtndr50boom]

I thought VF-213's color bird (CAG jet?) had the 213 Modex. Am I missing something there?

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