Air & Space Museum: Enola Gay

"Agrajag" (Agrajag) 04/11/2019 at 10:08 • Filed to: Air & space museum, B29, enola gay

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I had no idea this was there.

The B-29 Superfortress is such a beautiful plane, but it is a weird thing to be so close to this particular example. 

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > Agrajag 04/11/2019 at 10:11

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I found Bockscar at the Dyaton Air Force Museum which means I’ve seen both now. T wo incredible but  destructive planes.

Ash78, voting early and often > Agrajag 04/11/2019 at 10:14

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To clarify for others, this isn’t the A&S Museum at the National Mall, this is the Udvar-Hazy Annex at Dulles Airport.

Seeing this thing up close (I’ve been there twice) was an emotional experience for me. Doubly so because I was standing next to some Japanese tourists. I’m not talking about some kind of unspecific white guilt or whatever — I just mean the idea that their experience from seeing it was probably very different than mine. I n both cases it’s a sense of sadness and loss, yet relief that it’s behind us and so much healing has happened. Both of my grandfathers fought hand-to-hand in that conflict.

The Ghost of Oppo > Agrajag 04/11/2019 at 10:15

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I spy a P 38. Is this at the auxiliary hanger out by Dulles?

razorbeamteam > Agrajag 04/11/2019 at 10:15

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I saw this when I was there a few years ago. My friend and I thought it would be great if they let you on the plane and you got to push “the button”.

facw > Agrajag 04/11/2019 at 10:16

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I found it very powerful to stand there on the walkway and be able to look into the cockpit/bombardier’ s station and think about him in there having to unleash that (though he maintained he wasn’t bothered by it). I also thought it was notable that a small walk over to the space hangar you had examples of US/Japanese collaboration, which is a much better use of our efforts.

I had seen the Enola Gay, once before back when it was at the Garber facility, it was certainly more impressive at Udvar-Hazy where they have enough space to display it, as opposed to at Garber where it was disassembled.

I’m trying to remember how they presented it at Udvar-Hazy, I recall when they brought it to main museum on the mall, there was controversy over how it should be explained, and I think they ended up going with a very minimalist description without making any pronouncements  about the bombing itself. The Air Force took a significantly more biased approach with Bockscar, I recall the text there being heavy on the idea that that bombing potentially saved a ton of lives (American and Japanese) by ending the war earlier.

random001 > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars 04/11/2019 at 10:19

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Technically, it wasn’t so much the planes that were destructive...

Last year they had a big to-do about the Memphis Belle that is here in Da yton now.  That is also a cool plane to see.

The Ghost of Oppo > razorbeamteam 04/11/2019 at 10:20

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“Hey kids, want to know what it feels like to extinguish 150,000 lives with the push of a button?”

“Do you mean like Thanos?” 

facw > The Ghost of Oppo 04/11/2019 at 10:21

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Yes, this is the Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles. Lots of good stuff there including:

Discovery

Dash 80

SR-71

Concorde

Enola Gay

Boeing 307

A bunch of secret weapons of the Luftwaffe type stuff

Pretty much every jet powered Navy fighter

Fedex’s first jet

A bunch of record holding craft

Probably a bunch I’m forgetting

It’s an amazing place, though as it is populated with whatever random stuff they didn’t have room for on the Mall, it is a bit undercurated and under explained.

Not my pictures, but:

Ash78, voting early and often > The Ghost of Oppo 04/11/2019 at 10:28

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That blood testing website with the psycho founder?

Agrajag > facw 04/11/2019 at 10:31

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though as it is populated with whatever random stuff they didn’t have room for on the Mall, it is a bit undercurated and under explained.

I kind of love that about it.

razorbeamteam > The Ghost of Oppo 04/11/2019 at 10:32

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We figured they would pitch it as “push the button that ended the war” or some such patriotic thing. 

facw > Agrajag 04/11/2019 at 10:46

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Yeah, it’s a wonderful collection. Beyond the planes that are simply too big for the building on the M all, you have interesting, but not necessarily important prototypes, record holders of records that aren’t quite important enough for the Milestones of Flight hall, and then a bunch of standard mass-produced aircraft that would just be too numerous to have in DC.

DipodomysDeserti > razorbeamteam 04/11/2019 at 10:47

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Yeah, maybe they could also set up a shooting gallery where you shoot pellet guns at Japanese soldiers.

DipodomysDeserti > Agrajag 04/11/2019 at 10:49

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That’s pretty eerie. The alien look to it goes along with how inhuman we’ve became throughout the 20th century.

The Ghost of Oppo > facw 04/11/2019 at 10:55

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I hate myself because I used to live 10 minutes from here and never went. But I did visit the main museum a bunch of times.  

Ash78, voting early and often > razorbeamteam 04/11/2019 at 10:56

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Well it did. That’s objectively true. Whether the war would have ended using traditional means is up for debate, though.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Agrajag 04/11/2019 at 11:02

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Fantastic museum. But this is OPPO and you didnt post the SR71?  

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Agrajag 04/11/2019 at 11:06

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If you want a real treat, you should go for a ride in “Fifi. ” I think she’s the only flying B-29 in the world (though Doc might be airworthy now, not sure). A few years ago my dad and I went for a ride, and it was an amazing experience. My grandfather was a B-29 flight instructor during the war, so it was a really great experience to get a glimpse of what he experienced.

I also live pretty close to the Udvar Hazy, and it never gets old.  So many amazing aircraft, so much history on display.  

Snailkite > Agrajag 04/11/2019 at 11:32

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I found it both awe inspiring and somewhat chilling to see. So much of our current world was shaped by that plane and the events that led up to it.

The museum is super cool and close enough to the airport that you can easily visit during a layover!

Agrajag > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap 04/11/2019 at 11:47

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Ground speed check will be tomorrow.

benn454 > DipodomysDeserti 04/11/2019 at 12:08

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Then they march you through the jungle with no food or water while curators in Japanese uniforms randomly select people to be executed. 

user314 > facw 04/11/2019 at 12:13

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Judging by the state of my own collection, dusting all those planes must be  a cast-iron bitch....

facw > user314 04/11/2019 at 12:17

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I don’t know how they handle that. Personally I’d try for a powerful HVAC system with good filters to try to minimize the dust that has an opportunity to land on the aircraft.

Here’s a guy dusting the X-15 on the Mall:

DipodomysDeserti > benn454 04/11/2019 at 12:17

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It sounds like a great way to teach our kids how not to get into a situation where they  feel it necessary to drop nukes on people.

user314 > Snuze: Needs another Swede 04/11/2019 at 12:18

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Yup, Doc has several dates still open this year for rides .  

benn454 > DipodomysDeserti 04/11/2019 at 12:19

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What, getting surprise attacked by a foreign country?

user314 > facw 04/11/2019 at 12:22

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Oh that’s cool!

Snuze: Needs another Swede > user314 04/11/2019 at 12:28

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That’s awesome.  I’m glad that there’s now 2 of these magnificent birds in the sky.  

DipodomysDeserti > benn454 04/11/2019 at 12:29

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Yes, exactly.

benn454 > DipodomysDeserti 04/11/2019 at 12:58

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 Stupid victims. They shouldn't be so victimizable.

DipodomysDeserti > benn454 04/11/2019 at 13:04

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Keep going, buddy, you’re doing great.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > DipodomysDeserti 04/11/2019 at 13:47

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The sad part is that the 21st century isn't off to a great start either. :(

benn454 > DipodomysDeserti 04/11/2019 at 13:50

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K

BrooklynEagle > facw 04/11/2019 at 14:57

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Garber was where all this stuff lived before U-H facility opened. Way back in the day, you could sign up for small tours where you basically spend the afternoon going through the warehouses where it was all piled up in various states of disrepair/disassembly.

facw > BrooklynEagle 04/11/2019 at 15:01

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Yep, I saw the Enola Gay there on one of their rare open house days.

DipodomysDeserti > BaconSandwich is tasty. 04/11/2019 at 16:08

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We’re still on the same path.