A couple weeks ago, a group of out of town friends came into DC to do some general sight-seeing and consumption of alcoholic beverages.
We went to two locations of significance (for this group); the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center and Arlington National Cemetery. A boatload of pictures were taken and I thought you guys would love em. Some rare aircraft AND some even more impressive pics of ANC - more on that below.
For those unfamiliar, the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is a secondary aviation museum about 20 miles west of Washington. In it, the Smithsonian stores all of its restored aircraft which it can not fit into Air & Space. What is neat about that is the fact that, while A&S has all the "usual suspects," the Hazy Center has some very, very rare birds. Basically, you wont find a run-of-the mill Zeke in the Japanese section, but you will find the only N1k2 on display, anywhere which, in person, really does look like a Nip Jug.
Im still trying to gain access, as a caveat, to the location in Maryland where aircraft currently undergoing restoration are kept (including an Me163 and a Ta-152). Its closed to the public unless you "know someone."
In any event, many of the Axis aircraft you see pictured are the sole surviving examples of their type. Non-aircraft pictures also have aviation significance. The uniform on display, for example, is actually Eddie Rickenbacker's.
There are also a couple pictures of some of the engines they had on display, ranging from Allison's and Merlin's to some rare DB's and BMW's.
WWII aircraft highlights include: FW190-F8, Do335A-1, Ar-234B, 'Enola Gay,' P-40E, F6F-3, F8F-2, He-219 (fuselage), Ju52, P-38J, J1N1-S, P-51C, P-61C, P-47D, F4U-1D and a Hurri MkIIC.
Additionally, we visited the Arlington National Cemetery. Ive been there before, plenty, but this time, we had a special treat as we attended with the brother-in-law of one of the first tomb guard commanders. He is pictured receiving an impromptu gift and shaking the hand of one of the off-duty guards. The gift he was given was the old name plate of his brother in law, who was KIA in Vietnam. The uniform you see pictured outside of the barracks is that of the guard commander in question.
We were treated to a tour of the barracks underneath the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier where were basically got to shoot the breeze with the tomb guards in a far more social setting. Outstanding gentlemen, all.
That brings me to what I consider an important point. As you browse through the pictures, you will notice that, on the concrete where the guard is changed, there are rust spots. These rust spots are literally the result of decades worth of guards stepping in exactly the same spot over and over and over again.
As such, there is a significant amount of history to them - both for the guards and for the people who visit.
We were told that the Cemetery has decided to wash away these decades of history as they appear "unsightly" and that they would like the setting to appear "cleaner" to attract more visitors. Many people, civilian and military alike, are upset about this, but a large portion of the population doesnt even know the intentions of the management.
I would encourage you, if you feel the need, to visit ANC's website, here:
www.arlingtoncemetery.org and voice your disapproval of this action. Although not allowed to officially comment, the guards are fairly upset about this.
Regardless, here is the link to the pictures.
http://s572.photobucket.com/albums/ss168/catseyeweb/DC%20Trip/?albumview=slideshowEnjoy.
EDIT: Link adjustment - all pictures in one link (split links discarded many).
