News Full Titan IVB now on display at AF Museum in Dayton, Ohio

[boogabooga]

The National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio has opened a new fourth hanger today. Of possible interest to orbinauts is the new Space Gallery, which features a full restored Titan IVB launch vehicle.

http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Up...he-us-air-force-fourth-building-now-open.aspx

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLAzyYGhMiaKxO0RxqgWalS0D7uAc-uCOy&time_continue=2&v=Y9pE9SQSGs8

 

[Andy44]

I've been looking for an excuse to get out there one of these days. A restored Titan IV might just do it.

 

[zerofay32]

I might be out that way this weekend, been looking forward to the new hanger for a while now. It will be nice to not have to sign up for a special bus to see the XB70 and the presidential airplanes. If I go, I'll take some pictures and post them. :thumbup:

 

[boogabooga]

I might be out that way this weekend, been looking forward to the new hanger for a while now. It will be nice to not have to sign up for a special bus to see the XB70 and the presidential airplanes. If I go, I'll take some pictures and post them. :thumbup:

The downside is we aren't going to get a C-5 or KC-135 for a long time now.

 

[zerofay32]

The downside is we aren't going to get a C-5 or KC-135 for a long time now.

I'm ok with that since these are both very active aircraft. If you're ever in the Columbus, OH area, KC-135s are always doing practice approaches and pattern work out of Rickenbacker Airport. I see C-5s every now and again when I'm flying for work (Saw one in Lakeland, FL this last January.)

I was getting fuel at an airport in upper NY state and there were three C-15s all doing pattern work and touch and go landings. That was a sight.

If you ever find yourself in Oklahoma City, they fly B-52s out of Tinker AFB. Always fun to look out the cockpit window and see 3 B-52 and a couple T-6 texan IIs in one stretch of sky. Its always fun flying down in the southern part of the country, but I always feel the need to bring an aircraft ID booklet. I Always see a new plane or two that I can't name off the top of my head.

 

[zerofay32]

Visited the museum last week. It's nice to see the XB-70 without having to ride a bus again. Attached is a image of the 'space gallery' side of the new 4th hanger. The Titan IVB is on the far right. I have more pictures that I'm still going through... :thumbup:

 

[zerofay32]

Here is a few more pictures of the Titan. And the Crew Compartment trainer.

 

[Dambuster]

Thanks; that just went on my must-see list :thumbup:

 

[Dantassii]

Visited the museum last week. It's nice to see the XB-70 without having to ride a bus again. Attached is a image of the 'space gallery' side of the new 4th hanger. The Titan IVB is on the far right. I have more pictures that I'm still going through... :thumbup:

XB-70 has been in Building 2 for nearly 25 years now..... They moved it to Building 4 and left it outside for 2 days so people could take photos of it from all sorts of angles. They had 2 cherry pickers out there hauling camera men all over the sky so they could get photos from above it at various angles. I work in Area B and got to watch the new building as it was constructed and then as they moved stuff into it.

Dantassii
HUMONGOUS IMS shipbuilder

 

[zerofay32]

XB-70 has been in Building 2 for nearly 25 years now..... They moved it to Building 4 and left it outside for 2 days so people could take photos of it from all sorts of angles. They had 2 cherry pickers out there hauling camera men all over the sky so they could get photos from above it at various angles. I work in Area B and got to watch the new building as it was constructed and then as they moved stuff into it.

Dantassii
HUMONGOUS IMS shipbuilder

Well, maybe it was in hanger two for a while but for the last 9 or 10 years at least it was in separate hanger space on the restricted access part of the base near the restoration hanger. (along with the other experimental aircraft and the presidential aircraft). EDIT: (Maybe this is what you mean by building 2?)

To see it you had to show up early to sign up on a list, bus over to the hanger then have about an hour to look at the aircraft before heading back to the bus. It was a bit of a pain and it was effected by the base status.

 

[boogabooga]

Zerfay32 is right.

I remember when XB-70 was in building 2, but IIRC, it was moved from building 2 to the annex in the early 2000s at about the same time that building 3 opened. At that time, most aircraft from the outside were moved indoors and the museum reorganized the displays into a coherent chronological order. Building 2 went from a sort of hodge podge of odds-and-ends to the Korea-SEA war gallery. So, Valkyrie had to go.

The annex situation was a real pain, especially after 9/11. Not only did you have to get there early to reserve a limited spot, but you only had about an hour of viewing time.
Then after sequestration stuff in 2013, the nation decided that it could no longer afford bus rides for people to see the multi-billion dollar airplanes it paid for.
Luckily, the tours were resumed at some point.

BTW, I am curious as to the fascination with the XB-70 in a hangar that also includes one of the original X-15s and an SR-71 derivative. :shrug:

 

[Andy44]

BTW, I am curious as to the fascination with the XB-70 in a hangar that also includes one of the original X-15s and an SR-71 derivative. :shrug:

What do you mean?

 

[MaverickSawyer]

-It's an aircraft that is literally worth more than its weight in gold.
-It's the SOLE surviving XB-70. (The other is a crater and debris field in the Mojave desert)
-It is the BIGGEST aircraft capable of sustained Mach 3 flight we'll see for quite some time.

 

[boogabooga]

-It's an aircraft that literally costs more than its weight in gold.

FTFY.

 

[Andy44]

I still don't get it. Does it not belong in a display with an X-15 and SR-71? Sounds like a natural. It's of the same era and tech level.

 

[boogabooga]

I mean this:

Visited the museum last week. It's nice to see the XB-70 without having to ride a bus again. Attached is a image of the 'space gallery' side of the new 4th hanger. The Titan IVB is on the far right. I have more pictures that I'm still going through... :thumbup:

I've seen others who have been there have similar sentiment.

Arguably, there are more interesting/significant/practical/better performing aircraft in that hanger that one would specify.


OTOH, the XB-70 looks very...Kerbal.

 

[Andy44]

I see, so your problem is that the XB-70 is a less popular tourist attraction than the X-15 and the SR-71.

Well, that's because the XB-70 is largely unknown by the general public. It never went into service or production. The SR-71, on the other hand, was in service until a few years ago and anyone who watched TV in the last 20 years has seen it, and they sell posters and t-shirts of it.

Too bad, I agree, but at least someone was smart enough to save one of the airplanes for us uber geeks to gawk at. I hope to visit it myself soon.

 

[zerofay32]

I see, so your problem is that the XB-70 is a less popular tourist attraction than the X-15 and the SR-71.

I think he means it the other way around.

Don't get me wrong, the X-15A-2 is THE coolest airplane, and it is a shame that the program was cut short to support 'spam in a can' capsule flights.

It's not a SR-71 in the R & D collection, its a YF-12A the 'older sister'. (which is actually cooler than the SR-71 IMO)

An SR-71 is in the Cold War Gallery. :thumbup:

For me, the draw to the xb-70 are all the aspects of its design and story. It's a cool looking airplane that had more possibilities than just a mach 3 bomber. It was used for early research in to the SST program, airborne space launch systems, and early space plane research. The rarity of it and the loss of her sister ship just adds to the appeal. It's just amazing to be able to get up close to aircraft like these. I feel the same about Discovery when I got a chance to see her shortly after being put on display.

One nice thing about when the aircraft were in the annex, there were no barricades around the planes. As long as you were respectful, you were allowed to get right up to the airplanes. It was fun to be able to stick your head into one of those XLR99 engines on the X-15

 

[dman]

Wonder if the Titan core stage is still operable ...??

 

[boogabooga]

I suspect the structural integrity was compromised when it got mounted to the display stand.

Other than that, it is a real Titan.