In Seattle at the

Microsoft MVP Summit 2003

...plus a day in Vancouver

MVP Summit sessions

MVP Word-ies

Australians and NZ MVPs

MVPs Partying

Seattle CBD

Around Seattle

Museum of Flight

Aeroplanes at Everett

Friends

Vancouver

Museum of Flight, Seattle

The world's first fighter aircraft: Caproni CA20

Caproni CA20, the world's first fighter aircraft. Italy, 1914. The Wright Brothers succeeded in the first powered flight in 1903. So it's just 11 years later that the world gets its first flying machine gun.

Early passenger aircraft

The early commercial use of aircraft in the US seems to have been about carrying the mail. This early passenger aircraft could take one passenger.


DC-3

DC-3, 1940. Everyone seems to love DC-3s (although I've never flown in one). This one was built in 1940 for American Airlines.

Corsair

Goodyear FG-1D Corsair. 1945. A navy fighter-bomber flown from aircraft carriers in late World War II and the Korean War.


Air Force One: The first jet used by US Presidents

Specially-built Boeing 707, 1958. The first jet airliner used as Air Force One. This plane was used to carry US presidents from Eisenhower to Nixon. The sophisticated 60s communications technology inside includes a telex machine and an electric typewriter.

SkyHawk

Douglas A-4F Skyhawk II, 1966.


Phantom

McDonnell F-4C Phantom II,  1964.

Phantom

McDonnell F-4C Phantom II,  1964. Note the "shark" painted on the radar-guided missile under the fuselage, and the shiny Sidewinder missiles under the wing. I was assured that, being in a museum, they aren't loaded.


Apollo Command Module

Apollo Command Module made by Rockwell, 1968. This one did not get into space: it was used for training.

Boeing Lunar Roving Vehicle

Engineering mock-up of a Lunar Roving Vehicle made by Boeing, 1971. At the risk of stating the obvious, no used Lunar Roving Vehicles are on earth.


No, I didn't remember all these details! I took some notes while I was there, but I garnered the rest of the information from the Museum of Flight.


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