Posted 19:06 by Tycho

Alright! Here are some select pictures (a few of the fifty or sixty I took) from the Smithsonian Institution's Air and Space Museum.


This is from the WW1 exhibit. This is a depiction of a British soldier killed as he was trying to cross the wire in no-man's land." The exhibit is extremely effective in conveying the slaughter that was characteristic of trench warfare, doubly effective because it takes the viewer by complete surprise. I'm not going to comment further...this one was a tough one to look at.


That silvery one is the epitome of "p\/\/3d!!!". To give some perspective on it, the base of the cartridge is a smidgeon over an inch in diameter. It puts holes in things. Big holes.


This is a .50cal General Electric Vulcan Cannon and has an output of about 6 200 rpm (just over 100rps). In addition to laying waste to things, it has been extensively used in the hentai-porn industry for years.


This here is a Skyhawk fighter with the name of "Bon Homme Richard". Since that massive bomb under the wing pretty much says it all, I'm now going to bore you all with a history of its name.

In 1779, John Paul Jones took command of the USS Bonhomme Richard (42 gun frigate). On 23 September 1779, it engaged the HMS Serapis (45 gun frigate) near East Yorkshire. Serapis delivered two devastating broadsides to Bonhomme Richard, cutting its mast and holing the ship below the waterline. At some point, Bonhomme Richard's ensign was shot off, and the British commander asked if Jones had struck the colors, whereupon Jones replied with the famous phrase "I have not yet begun to fight.". As evidence of this, Bonhomme Richard then rammed Serapis, tied to her, and a boarding party from Bonhomme Richard was sent aboard Serapis and captured her by force.


Japanese Zero. Most likely made of wood. Was a terror of the skies in '41-'42, but was a POS by the time '44 came around. In a single battle, more than 420 Japanese Zeros were shot down. This action was later called the "Marianas Turkey Shoot".


British Spitfire Mk. VII. 4x .303 cal machine guns, 2x 20mm cannons. Capable of kicking ass and taking names from 0 to 45 000 feet.


B-26 bomber. That's not a name I'd want to be flying with. Those red bomb shaped decals you see on the fuselage are a physical marker of the number of sorties/bombing missions the plane has conducted. You see reflections because it is in a glass display case (the back half is chopped off so as to give us a view into the cockpit and crewpit).

I'm too lazy to upload more now.

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