BGuthrie Photos: MD -- Suitland -- Paul E Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility

MD -- Suitland -- Paul E Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility:

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Copyrights: All pictures were taken by amateur photographer Bruce Guthrie (me!) who retains copyright on them. Free for non-commercial use with attribution. See the [Creative Commons] definition of what this means. "Photos (c) Bruce Guthrie" is fine for attribution. (Commercial use folks can of course contact me.) Feel free to use in publications and pages with attribution but you don't have permission to sell the photos themselves. A free copy of any printed publication using any photographs is requested. Descriptive text, if any, is from a mixture of sources, quite frequently from signs at the location or from official web sites; copyrights, if any, are retained by their original owners.

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. SIPEG_030209_015.JPG: This is a helicopter trainer
2. SIPEG_030209_033.JPG: Schneider SG 38 Schulgleiter (1938). Widely used German primary training glider, about 5000 of which were built. It could be launched by running down a hill or by winch. Many Luftwaffe pilots trained on such machines.
3. SIPEG_030209_056.JPG: Standard J-1 (1917). Designed by Charles H Day and built originally in 1916 as a World War I military trainer, the Standard J-1 was powered by a 90-horsepowetr Hall-Scott engine. After the war, many of these and the well-known Curtiss JN-4 "Jennies" were sold as military surplus. Some were reengined with Hispano-Suiza engines by the Nebraska Aircraft Co and became known as the Hisso Standard...
4. SIPEG_030209_069.JPG: Verville Sport Trainer AT. The Verville Sport Trainer is a two-seat tandem biplane with graceful lines and a robust structure. Designed by Fred Verville as a civilian version of the YPT-10 primary trainer, it was intended to appeal to the wealthy private owner. The Sportsman, as it was known, offered excellent flight characteristics and exceptional stability, due in part to the pronounced dihedral of the lower wing. With luxurious leather trim, battery with starter, and navigation lights, the Sport Trainer sold for $5,250.
5. SIPEG_030209_077.JPG: Waco UIC (1933). One of the classic cabin designs of the "Golden Age" of the 1930's, the Waco UIC was a very popular business aircraft.
6. SIPEG_030209_078.JPG: Westland Lysander IIIA (1936). British liaison and Army communications aircraft. Ideally suited for operations from unprepared fields, many were modified for delivery of agents into France during WWII. During 1941-44, over 800 clandestine pickups and deliveries were made.
7. SIPEG_030209_082.JPG: The craft with the blades in the distance is Kellet XO-60 (1942). Excellent example of the autogiro, a short-takeoff-and-landing intermediate step to the true vertical takeoff/landing helicopter. Lift is derived from the unpowered rotor spinning as a result of forward airflow. Kellet built seven of these for the US Army--the autogiro's "low and slow" flying abilities combined with the excellent view from the cockpit seemingly made it well suited for the observation mission. However, the advent of the first practical helicopters during World War II spelled the end for the autogiro. Much of the technology developer for aircraft such as the XO-60 found its way into the helicopter.
8. SIPEG_030209_086.JPG: Bachem Ba 349 (1945). Natter. The "Viper" was a wooden single-seat rocket-powered interceptor designed to be launched vertically near German industrial targets subject to Allied attacks. In its nose it carried 24 Fohn 73 mm air-to-air rockets that the pilot would launch at American bombers before parachuting to safety. No Natters are known to have been used operationally.
9. SIPEG_030209_158.JPG: This is 1:50 scale model of the Columbia Space Shuttle. This being just a week after the ship had blown up over Texas, there were flowers on the case.
10. SIPEG_030209_179.JPG: "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" Mother Ship (1977). The model used in the dramatic final scenes of the Richard Dreyfuss blockbuster. Inside are a large number of neon lights which shine through holes in the various structures. There are also small lights on the tips of the antennae and probes. All of these are run by 32 power supplies located in the box underneath. Surface details come largely from model railroad (HO, N, and O gauge) equipment.
11. SIPEG_030209_218.JPG: Lunar Excursion Module (LEM) craft
12. SIPEG_030209_225.JPG: Convair B-58 Escape Capsule (1956). The B-58 Hustler was the world's first supersonic bomber. Ejection seats would have been unsatisfactory for the 3-man crew at Mach 2 and high altitude. When ejection was initiated, arms at the base pulled in the crewman's legs and a 3-section clamshell unfolded from the hood, completely enclosing him. Compressed air provided an adequate atmosphere. The capsule was fired out by a rocket and descended via parachute. It could float if it landed in water.
13. SIPEG_030209_248.JPG: Nakajima Ki-115A Tsurugi (1945). Japanese Kamikaze aircraft. The wood, steel, tin, and fabric machine was built by semi-skilled labor and was designed to use a variety of surplus engines. It could carry one bomb up to 1764 pounds semi-recessed under the fuselage. The undercarriage was dropped after takeoff. 105 were built before the war ended but never used in combat.
14. SIPEG_030209_270.JPG: Henschel Hs 293 (1940). A radio-controlled (or sometimes wire-guided) bomb. It represents the most prolific and diverse series in early guided missile history. These were carried aboard Do 217, Fw 200, He 111, or He 177 aircraft. Once dropped, the airborne operator tracked the missile by a flare in the tail, gave the command to ignite the Walter 109-507 rocket, and steered the missile via a joystick to the target (most often a ship). Several thousand were produced, and at least 2300 were fired with limited success in both the Mediterranean and Atlantic theaters.
15. SIPEG_030209_316.JPG: This is a MIG-21F (Fishbed-C) which the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum is restoring for an upcoming "Vietnam Memorial Exhibit". In this an subsequent pictures, you see lots of parts for it having been taken off for work--the nose cone, the 30mm cannon, the tail fins, and one of the wings.
16. SIPEG_030209_324.JPG: 30mm cannon from MIG-21F
17. SIPEG_030209_327.JPG: Tail fins for the MIG-21F
18. SIPEG_030209_329.JPG: MIG-21F (Fishbed-C). This craft was being restored while we were touring the building. They take the jet apart, fix up each of the pieces (including the tail fins and the 30mm cannons), and then put it together again.
19. SIPEG_030209_336.JPG: Stringfellow Aeroplane (1868). The inventor of history's first powered aircraft (an 1848 steam-driven monoplane model), Englishman John Stringfellow designed this triplane for the world's first aeronautical exposition (held in London in 1868). With a 28 sq ft wing area and powered by steam, it never flew but did generate increased enthusiasm for aeronautics. The origins of NASM's modem are obscure but may date to Stringfellow himself.
20. SIPEG_030209_356.JPG: Two propellers for another restoration project. The one on the left is the recreation.
21. SIPEG_030209_362.JPG: (Pigeon German...) "Achtung! Alles lookenspeepers. Das machine is nicht for gefingerpoken und mittengrabben. Ist easy schnappen der springenwerk, blowenfusen, under poppendcorken mit spitensparken. Ist nicht fur gewerken by das dummkopfen. Das rubbernecken sightseeren keepen hands in das pockets... relaxen und watch das blinkenlights."
22. SIPEG_030209_433.JPG: SS-N-2 "Styx" (1958). Styx (NATO code name) is a Soviet naval surface-to-surface cruise missile which was standard armament on fast patrol boats and destroyers of many navies. They are carried on a twin-rail launcher. The missile is boosted by a large jettisonable solid-propellant rocket motor mounted under the rear fuselage. These missiles have seen combat in the Arab-Israeli, India-Pakistani, Iran-Iraq, and Gulf Wars. In 1967, Styxs sank the Israeli destroyer Eilat. The missile has a speed of about Mach 0.8 and a range of 25+ miles.
23. SIPEG_030209_446.JPG: Heinkel He 219A-2/R4 Uhu (1942). A late production aircraft and last surviving example of the superb German night fighter. This variant was armed with two 20-mm cannon in the vertical tray, two more in the wing roots, and two 30-mm cannon firing obliquely through the upper fuselage. The aircraft (which the Luftwaffe flew only 3 hours) will be fully assembled in the Hazy Center at Dulles.
24. SIPEG_030209_475.JPG: Various pieces of the master floor plan for the Steven F Udvar-Hazy National Air and Space Museum Dulles Center. A complete shuttle will fit in the upper portion. Boeing 737's take up a fairly small part of the main hangar. This is going to be huge!
25. SIPEG_030209_482.JPG: This kite was given to the museum by the Chinese government. While it doesn't belong in the collection, it would have been a diplomatic faux pas to not display it so...
26. SIPEG_030209_493.JPG: This is a model of the 5,000th Boeing B-17G produced. The actual aircraft, designated the "5 Grand", was signed by a bunch of people involved in its production and the model reflects this.
27. SIPEG_030209_499.JPG: One of the staff has a collection of key chains that she's collected over the years.
28. SIPEG_030209_503.JPG: Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3 Canary (1935). US Navy primary trainer. Nearly 1000 "Yellow Peril" aircraft served through the end of World War II. In fact, the N3N was the last biplane flown by the US military, several remaining in service at the US Naval Academy providing introductory aeronautics training until 1961. -- Note the bed mattresses below it. They use these extensively to protect the planes during refurbishing.
29. SIPEG_030209_522.JPG: The wire-looking craft in the middle: Abrams Explorer (1937). Designed specifically for mapping and aerial survey, the Abrams Explorer featured a twin-boom tail and pusher engine configuration for excellent stability and visibility. Its supercharged engine allowed high altitude flight, while ports in the floor accommodated heavy vertical cameras. Also called the Stratoplane, the Explorer was used extensively for five years before being retired. Only one example was built.
30. SIPEG_030209_526.JPG: Republic RC-3 Seabee (1945). Successful post-WWII sporting seaplane design. The 4-passenger aircraft was in huge demand, largely because Republic has underpriced it. The original asking price was $3995 and the company sold 1076 before ending production. Though a rugged design, James Bond's Seabee was easily destroyed by the Man with the Golden Gun using a solar-powered ray gun! -- In front is the SD500 Bomb (c 1940). This is one of the German Luftwaffe's standard 500 kg (1100 lb) World War II bombs. The world's first jet bomber, the Arado Ar 234 Blitz, the last of which is in the Museum's collection, could carry three of these (one under the fuselage and one under each engine nacelle).
31. SIPEG_030209_531.JPG: Mitsubishi G4M2 Betty (1943). The G4M was Japan's most widely used bomber throughout World War II. Officially designated Navy Type I attack bomber, it was better known by its Allied code name BETTY. Sharing its fame and success with the Zero fighter in the first years of the war, its limitation in numbers was offset by its long striking range. When American forces went on the offensive in mid-1942, the limited armor and unprotected fuel tanks that were necessary to achieve its range made it vulnerable to Allied fighters. Produced in larger numbers than any other Japanese bomber, BETTY remained in first-line service throughout the war. This BETTY nose section, its tail cone, and its engines are all that remain in the world today of this famous bomber except for those in the jungles of the Pacific. This aircraft was damaged beyond economical repair after being evaluated in the US and was transferred to the National Air Museum by the US Air Force in 1948. These remaining sections were cut from the damaged airframe in 1951 to take advantage of the last available shipping space from Park Ridge, Ill to Silver Hill [where the restoration facility is]. As a side note, during the war, the US Air Force shot down a Betty carrying Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. Yamamoto was commander in chief of the Japanese Combined Fleet, the planner of the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the most formidable and charismatic Japanese naval leader of the war. Through intercepted Japanese cables, American intelligence had found his travel flight plans and decided to intercept him. In 1943, they did so, shooting down his plane and killing him. This caused a major controversy for the intelligence community which felt that this action would lead the Japanese to realize their secret codes had been compromised and cause them to change them. Ultimately, the Japanese refused to believe their codes could be broken, attributing the American success to coincidence.
32. SIPEG_030209_539.JPG: Gnome MonoSouppape B-2 Engine (1915). This was the most famous rotary engine, a type of radial having a fixed crankshaft around which the cylinders rotated. Such an arrangement permitted better cylinder cooling which in turn allowed higher horsepower ratings. These engines were light and compact for their power, and therefore were used mainly on fighter aircraft where speed and maneuverability were especially important. Problems were encountered in flight due to excessive engine torque and gyroscopic forces and in high oil and fuel consumption. After World War I, they were replaced by conventional radial engines as engine cooling problems began to be solved.
33. SIPEG_030209_550.JPG: A model of the new Steven F Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum Dulles Center. Note the control tower--people will be able to go up and see simulated flight control operations.
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Wikipedia Description: Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility is located in Silver Hill, Maryland. The facility, also known as "Silver Hill" is where the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum restores aircraft, spacecraft, and other artifacts. It was created in the 1950's protect the museum's growing collection of World War II aircraft and provide space to restore them. The facility consists of 32 unassuming metal buildings. 19 of those buildings are devoted to storage of airplanes, spacecraft, engines, and various parts awaiting restoration. One building is devoted to a large restoration shop, and three buildings are for exhibition creation.

The restorers sometimes call on other Smithsonian professionals such as fine art painting restoration experts to consult on aircraft restoration projects. To date, the largest restoration project undertaken by the Garber Center (MISSING) That aircraft was finally delivered to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in 11 tractor trailer loads.

Previously it acted as a storage facility for items which could not be put on public display, however with the completion of the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, all items in storage are being moved out of the Garber center.

Approximately 65 space suits Mercury, Apollo, and other U.S. space programs are stored at the facility in environmentally-controlled room.
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Directly Related Pages: Other pages with content (MD -- Suitland -- Paul E Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility) directly related to this one: [Display ALL photos on one page]:
- 2001_MD_Garber: MD -- Suitland -- Paul E Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility (89 photos from 2001)
- 1999_MD_Garber: MD -- Suitland -- Paul E Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility (66 photos from 1999)
Sort of Related Pages: Still more pages here that have content somewhat related to this one :
- 2001_MD_JSS_010428: James Smithson Society event -- Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility tour (68 photos from 2001)
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2003 photos: Equipment this year: I decided my Epson digital camera wasn't quite enough for what I wanted. Since I already had Compact Flash chips for it, I had to find another camera which used CF chips. That brought me to buy the Fujifilm S602 Zoom in March 2003. A great digital camera, I used it exclusively for an entire year. Trips this year: Three-week trip this year out west, mostly in Utah. Number of photos taken this year: 68,000.
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