Museum Of Flight

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Boeing have set up a homage to the history of flight and it's own history and how it has grown and changed through the years. They really have done the complete subject justice.
There are two main halls, which contain 40 or so aircraft in each. Everything from a reproduction of the Wright brothers first aircraft to space shuttles.
In the first hall there are two flight simulators that cost $8 a person but are state of the art. You get locked in and it spins around to the way that you control the aircraft. There is also a small plane for the kids to have a go. It has a screen inside and it moves about as you move the joystick. Ellie really enjoyed it. There are also two cockpit sections of planes so that you can sit in with a comentary to explain what everything is for. It really give you a taste of what it is like.
In the second hall is the First and Second world war aircraft. I take my hat off to anyone that flew a plane in either of the wars. The plane that is credited with being the first fighter plane is Italian and came along in 1914. It looks scary to have flown, the wheels looked like they were off of a pram. Also don't forget that the Wright brothers managed 120 feet 11 years earlier!! There are two microsoft flight simulators in the world war two area that are fun to play on for a while.
There is also the original Boeing building. It is tiny in comparison to the rest of the museum let alone the complete site. Downstairs are some old wood lathes, bandsaws etc. with piped fake noises and wood on the floor. It really does give you small insight it the conditons that these gus worked in all those years ago. Upstairs is the history of the company.
Then on the other side of the road is the airpark. This contains Concord, SAM970 or VC137 (Air force one) and two othe boeing planes that were not open to look inside. Air force one, as the information read, is not an aircraft but a call sign for a plane that has the president on board. It becomes air force two if the the vice president is on board.
I have been on a prototype Concord at Duxford in the UK but it doesn't any seats in so doesn't give you any idea of scale. This one has the seats and stuff in and it is small, no wonder they charged so much to go on it.
It is an incedible place and well worth a visit, but don't make the mistake we did of having spent the previous day in the sunshine walking. Everyone was tired so we didn't get there till gone noon and it shuts at five. You really do need to get there at 10 when it opens especially if you have an interest in aircraft or engineering. If you are anything like me you will want to go again because there is so much to see and do.

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