Combat Air Museum Photodump

"Viggen" (viggen37) 08/01/2015 at 21:29 • Filed to: Planelopnik, Airplanes, Aviation, Photodump, F-4 Phantom II, F-14 Tomcat

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Impulse decision I had late last night was to drive to Topeka today and visit the Combat Air Museum at Forbes Field. It’s a small museum, with somewhere in the range of 40 aircraft on site. While I was there I also decided to visit the Kansas National Guard Museum which is also at Forbes Field. Highly recommend anyone in the area makes the trip.

All pictures were taken with my Nikon Coolpix L820 I originally bought for Afghanistan but barely used, so I’m still getting used to how everything works. Also, I decided to play with black and white. Please bare in mind air museums are among the worst places when it comes to lighting and getting everything into shot, so unfortunatly, many aircraft have not been included in the dump.

So without further delay, let’s begin the photodump!

Sikorsky NCH-53A Sea Stallion:

Wait but Viggen, I thought it was a CH-53? Indeed yes, but this aircraft served as a permanant test aircraft, which is included into designation through the letter N.

Canadian Car and Foundry Harvard Mk IV (North American T-6J Texan):

McDonnell Douglas F-4D-29-MC Phantom II 66-268 ‘Wichita Lineman’:

You might say I’m something of a Phantom Phanatic so bear with me on this. F-4D 66-268 is a confirmed MiG killer. On October 12, 1972 the aircraft, flown by Captain John A. Madden and Captain Larry Pettit, achieved a manuever kill on a Vietnamese People’s Air Force MiG-21. What’s a manuever kill? Where you cause an aircraft you’re engaging to crash into the ground without the use of weapons. At the time, the aircraft was assigned to the famous 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron ‘Triple Nickle’ who’s represented on right side (nose on) of the aircraft.

While the aircraft was in service towards the end of her illustrious career, she was assigned to the 184th Tactical Fighter Group ‘Jayhawks’. It was there, during the 1980s, that she earned the name of Wichita Lineman after she was flown into power lines coming off target. After an emergency landing and minor repairs, she received the art on her noise gear door.

Republic F-84F Thunderstreak:

Grumman F9F-5 Panther:

Bridges of Toko-Ri anyone?

Grumman F11F-1 Tiger:

It’s popular for museums to paint aircraft that were of the same type flown by the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds to be painted in those colors yet never actually flown with the team. This Tiger however, actually did fly with the Blue Angels in 1968.

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21PF ‘Fishbed-D’:

Bell UH-1H Iroquois aka Huey

Curious how the UH-1 earned the nickname Huey? The UH-1’s original designation was HU-1 until 1962. Second picture of it is the main rotorhead. As a rotary wing aviator myself, I found it interesting.

Lockheed EC-121T Warning Star:

The aircraft is currently undergoing a much needed restoration. Folks, the money you spend to visit an air museum or donate to a museum allows restoration projects to happen. It’s how we can save history and allow younger generations to see these aircraft and learn about the people who made the ultimate sacrifce.

Right next door to the museum is a part of the Kansas Army National Guard, specifically a UH-60 Blackhawk unit. Now, I see these everyday, but you guys don’t. The third aircraft in was undergoing pre-flight when I was outside. Dustoff!

While I was outside, a Cessna 172 also happened to take off.

Now moving on to the second hangar.

Douglas C-47D Skytrain ‘Kilroy’

McDonnell F-101B Voodoo:

It was impossible to get an angle on it.

Grumman US-2A Tracker:

Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star:

North American F-86H Sabre

This aircraft is undergoing restoration, but the current state allows a rare and unique look into how it was built. I would have taken more pictures, but the heat in the hangar was unbearable.

Grumman F-14A Tomcat:

Ok folks, go ahead and get Danger Zone and all your Top Gun quotes out of your system now, because this aircraft can out do you there. F-14A BuNo 161615 ended her career at the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center (NSAWC), otherwise known as Top Gun! And she didn’t serve as something any old stud from the fleet flew, no, 161615 was an aggressor aircraft. She was actually flown directly from NSAWC to the museum in 2003 after twenty years of service. Any time, Baby!

That concludes the Combat Air Museum portion. The remaining pictures were taken at the Museum of the Kansas National Guard.

Starting with, another Phantom! No, you’re spared from another F-4 history lesson, for the moment.

Martin EB-57B Canberra:

2010 Mazda6:

Wait what? How’d that end up there. Ok, I happened to look back at my car as I was shooting the F-4D and it just looked so photogenic right then.

Republic F-105D Thunderchief

Boeing KC-135E Stratotanker:

McDonnell Douglas F-4D-29-MC Phantom II 65-0801:

I decided to end with this aircraft for a special reason. Like ‘Wichita Lineman’, 65-0801 is a confirmed MiG killer. Like ‘Wichita Lineman’, 65-0801’s kill was made in 1972. Specifically May 31, 1972. And again, like our other F-4D, she was assigned to the 555th TFS. However, on that fateful day in May, 65-0801 was being flown by Captain Steve Ritchie; one of only two American pilots to earn the title of Ace during the Vietnam War. 65-0801’s shoot down of a MiG-21 gave Capt. Ritchie his second kill of the war.

I hope you enjoyed this photo dump and the history that I included with it.

Spaceball-Two > Viggen 08/01/2015 at 21:35

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TA-4. Nice!

Jcarr > Viggen 08/01/2015 at 21:43

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Awesome stuff!

Viggen > Spaceball-Two 08/01/2015 at 21:54

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Aw man I forgot to get a picture of the TA-4. Also realize now I could have got a few more angles of the KC-135.

Spaceball-Two > Viggen 08/01/2015 at 22:04

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A-4 was a great little plane. My uncle had time on them and the A-6 in Vietnam before finishing out his career on the F-111.

Viggen > Spaceball-Two 08/01/2015 at 22:05

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Transfer over to the Air Force?

Hot Takes Salesman > Viggen 08/01/2015 at 22:09

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Saw a Marine CH-53 at an airshow at Eisenhower Park, New York. Needless to say it was huge and hugely loud. And fantastic.

(Side note- Im pretty sure that this was the bicentennial of the war of 1812, and as such there was a Navy Seahawk that carried in a EOD demonstration team that fast-roped out. I talked to one- these guys are badass.)

Hot Takes Salesman > Viggen 08/01/2015 at 22:11

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We’ve got a Blue Angels Tiger at the Cradle of Aviation in NY

Spaceball-Two > Viggen 08/01/2015 at 22:18

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Yup. Bombed Libya too.

Viggen > Spaceball-Two 08/01/2015 at 22:23

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Outfuckingstanding.

Spaceball-Two > Viggen 08/01/2015 at 22:29

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Yeah great man. Tons of stories. The best one he told me was he was doing a transport flight from Mountain Home to somewhere in CA and as they were passing through Nevada he noticed a field with a LONG runway in nowhere’s-ville. He asked base Ops about it and they basically told him to never ask about it again or he’d be knocked down from Col.