A couple of housekeeping notes. The interface I blog with keeps autosaving and sometimes the full words don't appear as I'm typing them. I proof read and spellcheck twice before posting but some mistakes are still getting past me. For that I apologize becasue it annoys me too. The other thing is if you want to see any of the pictures in a larger format, just click on them and a new window will open in your browser. To keep the image file sizes small I have had to make some sacrifices for quality. I apologize but this site is image rich and I don't want to take the chance of running out of space.
I'm running late. But you already knew that because I told you yesterday as I was rushing out the door.
I grabbed Venti Awake tea from Starbucks next to the hotel parking garage. I really craved a chocolate croissant but they didn't have any so I settled for a protein plate. Hard boiled egg, small scone, grapes, a small piece of cheese, and some apple slices. Healthy, wholesome, filling. I catch a break on the freeway as the traffic is light as air and I'm pulling into the Pearl Harbour Historic Sites parking lot just shy of 9:30 The parking lot opens just before 7 as the first trip to the Arizona Memorial is around 7, but my destination of the Pacific Aviation Museum doesn't open until 9. My firmly held belief in karma, serendipity, and my status as a favoured child of the universe is confirmed once more when I find a parking spot right outside the main entry.
After buying my ticket I am given the most unusual directions I have ever received when I am told to "turn right at the missiles" to catch my shuttle bus. Sure enough two versions of the Polaris ICBM are standing there marking the way. I was a bit shocked to find how small they are, especially when I thought about the size of the bang they were supposed to make when they got to their targets.
During the shuttle bus ride over to Ford Island there is a narration tape about different things we pass including a brief description of the attack on Pearl Harbour. Parts of the recording are in English and Japanese and some parts just in English. The parts about the mountain ranges to the north and the geologic formations and the warning to not take pictures of anything on the Naval Base until you are told it's OK are bilingual. The parts about the December 7, 1941 attack are in English only.
After a stop to disgorge passengers at the USS Missouri the bus proceeds to the Aviation Museum. The bus pulls up, the driver waves to someone at the museum entrance and begins to pull away. I say" This is my stop" and he apologises saying he didn't see me.
Through the entrance and showing my ticket I walk into Hanger 37, the main display hanger. A warehouse sized area with full size diorama exhibits highlighting the Second World War Pacific Theatre.
From a diorama of a Mitsubishi Zero on a Japanese carrier deck to a Guadalcanal landing strip.
There is a B-25 Mitchell of the type used by Colonel Jimmy Doolittle on his daring raid to bomb Tokyo only 5 months after the Pearl Harbor Attack. While it did no significant damage it was massive morale boost for America, and a shameful experience for the Japanese military who had boasted that no American planes could reach Tokyo.
The B25 on display has two autographs on the front landing gear door. These signatures belong to two surviving airman from the raid.
In another diorama you get see and F4F Wildcat in a scene depicting an airfield on Guadalcanal.
A Douglas SBD Dauntless Dive Bomber, a P-40E Warhawk, an Aeronca Model 65TC, and a Boeing Stearman N2S-3 round out the aircraft exhibits. The Aeronca plane is significant as there a few of them up and flying during the Pearl Harbor attack, and even though they were clearly civilian planes many of them were shot down anyway.
There a few flight simulators where for an additional charge you can take advantage of a more detailed version of Combat Flight Simulator to visualise yourself actually flying and fighting.
Next door to Hanger 37 is Hanger 79. The windows in the hanger doors still bear scars of the Pearl Harbor raid, There are bullet holes in the windows.
This quite large display area hosts a greater number of aircraft of varying types. A nose section with flight deck and radar/bombardier lower work areas of a B-52, a Space Shuttle basic training demonstrator are fun to see.
A Convair F102A Delta Dagger is here. I have seen one of these before at the Evergreen Aviation Museum in Oregon. The information at the front of the plane here though is a bit shy on mentioning the breakthrough that the Delta Dagger was at the time. It was the first true integrated weapon platform. The avionics, radar, missiles and onboard computer were a complete weapon. Though a bit crude by today's integrated standards, fifty five years ago this plane was truly the state of the art.
An F-14 Tomcat, and F-15 Eagle represent the generation of aircraft just past. Those are the airframes designed and built from the end of the 1960's through to the 1980's. The F-14 has been retired from Navy service and it's multi mission role has been taken over by the F-18 Hornet and it's variants.
I am pleased to see a Curtis P-40E Kittyhawk. These planes were used by Claire Chennault and his American Volunteer Group, otherwise known as the Flying Tigers, to help China fight off the Japanese onslaught in 1940/1941. If anyone remembers the 1970's TV show Black Sheep Squadron, Marine Corps Major Greg "Pappy" Boyington was with the Flying Tigers in China until the Pearl Harbor raid when he rejoined the Marines to fight in the South Pacific.
This particular plane however holds special interest to me. It was originally in service with Royal Canadian Air Force as a trainer, then sold, and even was a flying extra in the movie Tora, Tora, Tora. The planes was eventually sold to the owner of the cargo airline Flying Tigers who had it restored and painted to it's original 1941 Flying Tigers scheme. It is still a fully functioning and flyable aircraft. The horizontals on the rear have the signatures of some of the remaining Flying Tiger veterans who signed the plane during a reunion in 1981.
The back one third of Hanger 79 is the restoration shop where craftsmen work to rebuild and restore aircraft. Currently under repair are a T38 Lightning, an F-4 Phantom, and some Cessna Skymasters.
Along the right side of the hanger are a Sikorsky H-3 Sea King, a Sikorsky SH 60, an Bell AH-1 Cobra Attack Helicopter, and a venerable Bell UH-1 or Huey.
Hanging over head on the right side as you enter are a Korean War era Mig 15 an North American F-86 Sabre.
It's well after 12: 30 when I catch the shuttle back to the Visitor's Centre at the main gate. I wander through the missiles and torpedoes to look at the outside of the USS Bowfin, a WW2 era submarine exhibit.
I stand and look at the memorial plaques. One for each of the 52 United States submarines lost during World War 2, and each plaque bears the names of the crews who are now "On Eternal Patrol". It is a tasteful memorial, and a sombre experience to walk through.
I wander over to a large anchor on a concrete base and discover it's the anchor from the USS Arizona. The USS Arizona lies just across the way, where she was sunk along with several other battleships on December 7, 1941 with a tremendous loss of life, many of her sailors still entombed in the sunken ship.
In the picture you can see the Arizona Memorial to the left of the anchor, and the USS Missouri Museum at the left edge of frame.
With a new appreciation of the struggle and triumph in the Pacific Theatre I leave for the drive back to Waikiki. I turn in the rental Malibu and head to Buffet's At The Beachcomber for that American dietary staple, a fabulous cheeseburger with great onion rings. The onion rings are made from real onions, not those thin and spindly ones, but thick rings and nicely battered, but they aren't the A&W Onion Rings I love at home either. There is a football game on the TV's between LSU and MISS, whoever they are, but the only reason I mention it because a small group of female LSU fans (wearing team colors and all) are across from me at the bar having a great time supporting their team. LSU wins, and with these fans I'm surprised they would ever lose.
After a few Landsharks and some grins at the LSU fans, I head home just in time for another gorgeous sunset, some time with the stars, and a good night's sleep.
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