Warbird Information Exchange

I am Wichita for the next ten days or so. I am training on the Mustang. (That's the Cessna 510 Citation Mustang.) I will have the weekend off. I thinking of the Kansas Aviation Museum and the Cosmoshphere. Any other interesting warbird oriented places nearby?

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"I can't understand it, I cut it twice and it's still too short!" Robert F. Dupre' 1923-2010 Go With God.

Plan on spending a very long day @ Cosmosphere-your mind will boggle @ how much space stuff they have. When I was there about 10 years ago, a friend and I were just about ready to go back upstairs when we got to APOLLO 13, the wall was pulled back while the display was being worked on so we asked very politely and got permission to touch the capsule, still gives me goose bumps!!!!

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Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

While you're up in Hutchinson at the Cosmosphere drive south of town a few miles to the former Hutchinson NAS if time permits. It was a HUGE training station during the WWII era and hosted PB4Y-1s and -2s during and after the war. Not much left of the buildings, I'm afraid, but still interesting for us airfield researchers.

Scott

John,

I agree the Cosmosphere is a must see. There's a few Cold War era warbird on display near the main gate at McConnell AFB on the east side of town - B-47, C-135, F-105 that I know of and perhaps others. I'm uncertain as to whether they're viewable up close to civilians.

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Cheers,

Craig

Facebook Groups:

U.S. Marine Corps Sikorsky HRS / CH-19 Helicopter Database
U.S. Coast Guard Sikorsky HO4S / HH-19 Helicopter Database

Here are a list of sites near-by...
Aerial Visuals Locator Search - Around Wichita, Kansas

To get this list I punched in "Whichita, Kansas" and provided a range of 40 miles and presto!...

Mike

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Mike R. Henniger
Aviation Enthusiast & Photographer
http://www.AerialVisuals.ca
http://www.facebook.com/AerialVisuals

Do you want to find locations of displayed, stored or active aircraft? Then start with the The Locator.
Do you want to find or contribute to the documented history of an aircraft? If so then start with the Airframes Database.

The Kansas Aviation Museum is a great take,they have some unique stuff like one of the few remaining starships, or the Jet Mentor. Their building was the early terminal for the airport, its a beautiful building. The last time I was in town Doc was still in the hangar at boeing, unfortunately things have changed since then.

Non warbird stuff...
If you like Dirt Track Racing, there is 81 speedway just north of downtown, its a hoot.
I think they run on Thursday nights too.
The Sedgewick County Zoo was excellent too.

All of my coworkers hated going there for class, I always found something neat to get myself into.

Ive been to...
Baron/Bonanza Mx
B-200 Mx Init
B-300 Adv T-shoot
Premier Mx Init

Wow that 6 weeks of Wichita,

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"Hindsight is usually 20% off!"

It a bit of a stretch but can be done in a day, the Air Museum at Liberal , KS. My son and I did it five years ago and made a few side trips to boot. Need to get a fairly early start as it is around three hours each way from Wichita. Liberal was the big B-24 mod and traing base during WWII. Lots of unusal types.( No B-24,yet but there was a B-25). Not the same o same o although they are there also. Ever hear of a Mooney Mite rigged for ground attack? I picked up a DVD of the collection while there which is quite good with a photo and description of each of the exhibits. Just a thought if you find you have too much time on your hands, like that will happen.
mike13

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Beware of the use of the word "NEVER" as it can come back to bite you.

A tiny correction on Liberal AAF--it was primarily a B-24 transition school rather than a mod center. Liberal had more than its share of clapped out B-24Es for the students to flog. It is a neat place to fly into with six WWII runways and associated taxiways still in place.

Scott

Whew,
I did that drive, it was a 10 hour round trip with a stop for dinner in Dodge City.
I did get to drive by the worlds largest "Hand Dug Well"

I loved sone of the unique stuff they had out there, and they had alot. Like the twin Navion.

Up until last week that was the farthest west I had ever been. LA and Chino were great.

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"Hindsight is usually 20% off!"

Sorry about that Scott. I also went to the Hill Aerospace Museum as well as the Nampa, Idaho , museum that year, and kind of ran Hill and the Mid-Amerca ,(Liberal, KS), museums together. Blame it on old age. Mod doesn't fit Hill either as it was a maintenance and supply base that even had a B-24 assembly line at one time. Need my sources in front of me before engaging keyboard, evidently. Also went to the Cosmosphere. All in all it was a bonanza of aircraft to see that year for an old geezer that still has several February, 1943 mags "liberated" during a grade school paper drive.
I left a couple stories with one of the docents in Idaho that an 90 year old vet had told me and the docent laughed and wanted to know if he could use them with the tours coming through and I told him sure. The only thing that dissapointed me at the Warhawk museum ( think that's the right name) is that their 1940 DeSoto was not on display at that time. I had one of those beasts. Have since seen a pic on here or related site so all is forgiven, I'm about 300 miles north of Nampa and really should go back sometime.
Again sorry about the small error but Liberal is still a very good destination for any aircraft nut that can make it and my mistake should not deter anyone from taking it in.
mike13

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Beware of the use of the word "NEVER" as it can come back to bite you.

To krlang: My son and I also drove by the hand dug well and contemplated going to Dodge City but opted for more time at the air museum. We did go to the Land of OZ and saw "Dorothy" wandering around and the "yellow brick road". You can buy a brick and your name would be engraved on it and placed on the "road". Saw Ronald Reagan's brick . Of course they put it at a prominent spot and call your attention to it. Saw an old 40's era Dodge fuel truck with Phillips 66 Aviation Fuel markings on it. Since I like old vehicles also, I did a walk around on it. Nice thing about digital cameras is that you don't have to worry too much about running out of film plus you can always delete the crap.
mike13

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Beware of the use of the word "NEVER" as it can come back to bite you.