Typical Deepika style on-the-go trip planning.. Was returning from Orlando after meeting my roomy's family, took a break at Cocoa FL -> tried my luck visiting Brevard Museum of Natural Science -> was closed -> new smartphone being put to use to search other events -> Warbird museum was open free for Memorial day.
The museum is located in the premises of Brevard County Regional Airport, frankly I didnt know such an airport even existed. Typically, local museums dont have a huge collection, but Brevard county has a unique place in History of Avionics thanks to the Cape Canaveral, and hence is called Space Coast. Initially, I just saw the indoor museum, which would fit the usual scene of any local museum (oversight :x). But thanks to some guy stepping out, I spotted the hangar. As soon as I stepped inside the hangar, some 20 aeroplanes awaited me.
Frankly, I dont know anything about the history of aeroplanes or flying except for Kitty Hawk, Bernoulli's principle, Newton's 3rd Law, Amelia Earhart and the MIGs. So my 1st round around the hangar was strictly appreciating the specs of the engines on display (oversight again!!) Some plane's description mentioned "bazooka"; on querying, the volunteer pointed it out to me. (In laymen terms, bazooka is a sort of missile launched from underneath the wing). There was another flight simulation plane, where we could marvel at all the instrumentation needed. Mostly it looks kind of straightforward, altimeter, radio tuning equipment etc. One of my ex-roomy's is a pilot and she had said, in normal conditions, flying a plane is like a driving a car, all the skill and training is how to handle emergency because there is no time to open a manual and read.
I was looking for a model plane for my friend, when I decided to take another look around. Round 2: I stepped outside hangar in the runway area, spotted more planes, and 2 special areas - 1. the Vietnam war memorial and 2. the restoration area.
The 1st plane was a propped up WW2 plane called Tico Belle. We could check out its interiors. I next went to the restoration area where the volunteer was just about to give a guided tour. He started with the history of Tico Belle, how they have confirmed its participation in various missions based on its number on its tail. One of its mission was to drop off the soldiers at night, the soldiers then laid directional radios to guide other planes flying in the next day. The other was a type of plane George Bush Sr was in. Another plane of the same type was the one lost in the Bermuda triangle with "x" crew members killed. The restored plane sports the number "x+1" on its tail as a homage to the x guys killed. There were several planes being restored, and the stark white aluminium of the yet-to-be-restored planes was a far cry from the colourful planes once restored .
Once me and my friend KC were discussing why there arent so many famous jadugars anymore. She said that we now know the trick behind the magic trick, so famous magicians like Houdini gain their fame by their performance and not by the tricks. The volunteer was a good example of how just adding a personal story can change the same plane from a machine to a museum exhibit.
The museum is located in the premises of Brevard County Regional Airport, frankly I didnt know such an airport even existed. Typically, local museums dont have a huge collection, but Brevard county has a unique place in History of Avionics thanks to the Cape Canaveral, and hence is called Space Coast. Initially, I just saw the indoor museum, which would fit the usual scene of any local museum (oversight :x). But thanks to some guy stepping out, I spotted the hangar. As soon as I stepped inside the hangar, some 20 aeroplanes awaited me.
Frankly, I dont know anything about the history of aeroplanes or flying except for Kitty Hawk, Bernoulli's principle, Newton's 3rd Law, Amelia Earhart and the MIGs. So my 1st round around the hangar was strictly appreciating the specs of the engines on display (oversight again!!) Some plane's description mentioned "bazooka"; on querying, the volunteer pointed it out to me. (In laymen terms, bazooka is a sort of missile launched from underneath the wing). There was another flight simulation plane, where we could marvel at all the instrumentation needed. Mostly it looks kind of straightforward, altimeter, radio tuning equipment etc. One of my ex-roomy's is a pilot and she had said, in normal conditions, flying a plane is like a driving a car, all the skill and training is how to handle emergency because there is no time to open a manual and read.
I was looking for a model plane for my friend, when I decided to take another look around. Round 2: I stepped outside hangar in the runway area, spotted more planes, and 2 special areas - 1. the Vietnam war memorial and 2. the restoration area.
The 1st plane was a propped up WW2 plane called Tico Belle. We could check out its interiors. I next went to the restoration area where the volunteer was just about to give a guided tour. He started with the history of Tico Belle, how they have confirmed its participation in various missions based on its number on its tail. One of its mission was to drop off the soldiers at night, the soldiers then laid directional radios to guide other planes flying in the next day. The other was a type of plane George Bush Sr was in. Another plane of the same type was the one lost in the Bermuda triangle with "x" crew members killed. The restored plane sports the number "x+1" on its tail as a homage to the x guys killed. There were several planes being restored, and the stark white aluminium of the yet-to-be-restored planes was a far cry from the colourful planes once restored .
Once me and my friend KC were discussing why there arent so many famous jadugars anymore. She said that we now know the trick behind the magic trick, so famous magicians like Houdini gain their fame by their performance and not by the tricks. The volunteer was a good example of how just adding a personal story can change the same plane from a machine to a museum exhibit.
