1. Home to Holt, FL
On Tuesday May 27 we left home to begin our trip. Jackie
wanted to change bedding, towels etc. so we didn’t leave until the early afternoon. We drove to Chiefland, FL which is about 110
miles from home. We took SR 44 to SR 19 north of Crystal River SR 19 has very
little traffic. Here is a picture of the typical traffic. Many bugs (see the
spots on the windshield) make the ultimate sacrifice while playing on the road.
We are overnighting at the Chiefland RV Park.
Got a pull through site so I didn’t have to unhook the car.
So tomorrow we will see our niece and her husband who
live in Crestview FL.
Thursday May 29, 2014.
Arrived in Holt FL and our campground.
After we got settled we visited and had dinner with our
niece and her husband yesterday. Today, May
29, there is a big weather system hovering over this area and westward to New
Orleans & Baton Rouge and we had some heavy rain last night. The weather
system is going to hang around for the next couple of days so we’ll call it
liquid sunshine and go do some sightseeing. We decided on visiting the Air
Force Armament Museum at Eglin AFB. They have both indoor and outdoor displays
and since it was rain really hard, like a frog choker, we started indoors
first. What follows is just a sample of the pictures that I and Jackie took. If
you click on the following link it will take you to Shutterfly where all the
pictures are available. FL https://jackbarbic.shutterfly.com/6971
Before I forget, you can click on any picture to enlarge it.
The museum has planes, missiles, weapons and even a replica of one of the atom bombs dropped on Japan. Here is a Panorama of part of the museum.
The F-105 Thunderchief had a Gatling gun in it’s nose. I had thought the A-10 was the first aircraft to use it but I think the A-10 was the first plane that was designed specifically for ground support using the gun.
I thought this 30mm Revolver gun was unique
Here is Jackie with “The Fat Man”……. Yeah, yeah, I know you don’t see me in the picture. The Fat Man I’m referring to was the atom bomb dropped on Japan.
There was much information about WWII available for those that took the time to read all it all.
How about the “Bombardier’s Oath? These WWII guys were very
special people!
After a while the thunder stopped and it was time to look at
the planes outside. As you drive on to
the museum grounds you go passed several of the planes. It’s best to walk
around, you get closer that way.
How about starting with the fastest one? The SR-71
From the front, and
the back.
The B-52 entered service in 1954 . It still is in active
service having served in Desert Storm. Besides being able to drop more bombs
than any of Saddam’s troops could stand, 70,000 lbs, it also can be fitted with
cruise missiles. The B-52 has been the
longest-serving bomber U.S. military history.I was standing under
the SR-71 when I took this shot of the B-52.
Here is a notable C-130, which has been a workhouse for the
Air Force, hauling troops & supplies all over the world. Many
countries bought these aircraft and
Australia recently used one of theirs in searching for the Malaysian airplane
that went missing. This particular plane was modified as described in the
following picture. At least one of the plane, as modified, was known as “Puff
The Magic Dragon”.
I’m putting too many pictures in this but I have to include
this next one. It is a B-47.
Way back in time, like 1964, when I was a kid engineer I started
working at Pratt & Whitney. The company owned one of these plane and was
using it as a flying test bed for the JT-8D engine that powered the Boeing 727,
the MD-11, and some of the B-737s. The plant in East Hartford, CT has an
airport on site that the plane flew out of. The Engineering was just off the air strip
and before the company had the GE engines rebuilt, it was always exciting to
see it take off. The engine created a lot of smoke as it accelerated down the
runway, using just about all of it before it lifted off the ground. On hot days
it wasn’t much higher than the third floor of the building as it struggled to
gain altitude. Sometimes we would give a little cheer. Ah the memories from the good old days.
So, how ending this first installment with a BANG?
According to the info this is the GBU-43 MOAB. Now the AIR
Force definition of MOAB is “Massive
Ordnance Air Blast”, however, it better known by its nickname of “Mother Of All
Bombs”.
There are many more pictures on Shutterfly, if you like
planes, ejection seats, missiles, trainers, etc. follow the link.
