US Air Force Museum
and the
2003 WW1 Aero Fly-in
   For those of you that missed it, and I believe that includes most everyone, The WW1 Seminar and Fly-in was a total thrill.  To finally meet some of the authors of the many books on my shelves was an absolute treat!

  If you have never been to the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson field in Dayton, Ohio you owe it to yourself to make it there someday. From one of the Wright flyers to the SR-71 and F-117 Nighthawk the museum has something for your aviation interest!

  The WW1 fly-in is especially fun for those of us who love the old birds. The painstakingly reproduced aircraft, automobiles of the period putt-putting around and folks in period costume all enable you to catch just a glimpse of a by-gone era.  Also the many vendors booths selling all sorts of things WW1! ( I went home with a heavy suitcase and a much lighter wallet)

 

  Here are some photos I took during my trip. It takes awhile to get them just right so I will be adding them in batches.

  These first are from a special exhibit of the Art work of James Dietz, a world renown artist who delights in depicting WW1 scenes. I apologize if some of the photos are not all that good.  The lights were rather low in the gallery and using a flash just didn't work.  So I had to up the exposure time and a few are a tad blurred

 
     
         
         
Here are some shots of the WW1 section of the museum.
   
         
         
The Fly-in
         
More shots of these 2 planes in the air later. Diggler and Dxdxdx, a couple of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet in person.  Just don't run into 'em in the air! Note: Diggler was placed on KP duty that evening for being out of uniform  ie no PS hat! The boy can cook! Not sure who the clown in the red shirt is.... oh wait , that clown sure looks a lot like me... I skipped ahead to these 2 pix because I promised -cat- a couple of pix he could use for wall paper ( 1024x 768) Can't ya just smell the Castor oil?
There were several scale Nieuports at the fly-in   heh,  musta got his fuel pinged    
Diggler beside a Dr1 that didn't fly He just kept jumping in front of the camera, not letting me get a good shot of the tripe. Guess it runs in the family! 3/4 Fokker D.VIII reproduction. One of several SE5s
I didn't see this one fly. This Eindekker taxied around a lot but I never saw it get airborne   I told the owner that I was marveling at his realism.... " a Nieuport 28 with no fabric on the wings!!!"  
Hopefully we'll get to see this baby fly in 2005     One of the many vintage cars putt-putting around the show  
  There they go blocking the shot again!  LOL Prepping a Dr.I for start Listen to that baby purrrrrr..  
        I tried to hold the camera about eye-level
     
   

Batch #3

    
     
         
    The End