Recent Visit to the Smithsonian Air&Space

[BILLYL]

You know you're getting old when you visit the Smithsonian and see stuff that you actually worked on. This happen to me and my wife last weekend when we went to the retirement ceremonies for Grumman's F14.

http://tinyurl.com/oxw7w

This plane - #157 - now on display at the new Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center - was one of the first planes I worked on at Grumman. I was located at the Great River plant in the ILS section - we made all the black boxes and wire harness for the Grumman planes. And my wife was at the Calverton plant in the Telemetry data center.

If you get a chance check out the plane and if you are ever in the DC Metro area plane on a visit to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.

I also have a nice photo of the modified AIRSTREAM that was used for the APOLLO missions - decom.

Enjoy

Bill

[asianflava]

I'm still trying to get there. That place was still on the drawing borad the last time I was in DC. I also want to make it to the Garber facility. Before Udvar Hazy was built, they stored the planes at Garber.

[BILLYL]

The Garber faciltiy is closed to the public. The Udvar Hazy is the the place to go.

Can can go to Colleg Park MD to the air museum out there and Langley

Bill

[kirtsjc]

You know you're getting old when you visit the Smithsonian and see stuff that you actually worked on. [snipped]

Bill

Bill, you are not getting old, what happened was a testiment to your work, and it's lasting ability!

Should planes being built today last as long as stuff "back then."

[asianflava]

Should planes being built today last as long as stuff "back then."

The trick is the maintenance, if we did to our cars what aircraft are required to go thru, we would never have to buy a new car. Then again, we probably wouldn't be able to afford them either. The good thing about cars (and tears), you don't make a "Big ol Smokin' Hole in the Ground" if your frame breaks.

[BILLYL]

Maintenance is everything. The Navy required all kinds of spares and test equipment. The F14 is one of those planes that really stood the test of time. And speaking to some of pilots that were at the Smithsonian - it was one hell'uva a plane. And it really did live up to its motto=

"ANYTIME BABY"

Bill

[MarksMG]

Hey Billy nice to see another ex grummie here. I worked at a small plant in WV that reported to the Great River plant. We did a small amount of F14 work, some detail parts but mostly E-2C and Joint Stars work. I spent a few days on Long Island and worked with several people that came from there when our plant opened. What a great company to work for until Northrop enered teh picture, but that is another story. I now work for the other guys on the C-130J talk about a plane that has been around a while.

[BILLYL]

Mark-

Nice to hear from you. My wife and I both worked there from the early 70s to around 76. If you where raised on Long Island sooner or later you worked for Grumman -I think that they were one of the largest employeer on the Island -over 25000 at its peak. I also worked on the E2C and A6 programs. Also spent time on the inital production of the Space Shuttle wings. Some pretty cool stuff.

After that we moved down to Maryland and I worked for a period with Fairchild on the A10 program. That was fun and a lot of my college roomates were on that design project. Fun stuff - where else can you take a big block of Titanium and mill it down to a bucket for the pilot to sit in.

Bill