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Sopwith Pup |
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Pilots valued the Pup because it was simple, reliable and easy to fly. Its large wing area gave it a good rate of climb and agility was enhanced by ailerons being fitted on all four wings. It was underpowered and under armed compared to its contemporaries including the German Albatross D.III, but was much more maneuverable than the Albatross, especially over 15,000 ft.
The Pup was an excellent advanced trainer, and served as such for the end of the war and after - although many "trainer" Pups were in fact reserved by senior officers as their personal runabouts.
This is a full scale replica.
"It was so light to the touch, if you sneezed, you looped." - Unknown |
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The Spirit of St. Louis |
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A full-size replica of the Ryan NYP single-engine monoplane that performed the first non-stop flight across the Atlantic from New York to Paris by "Lucky Lindy", Charles Lindbergh
Early in the morning on May 20, 1927 Charles A. Lindbergh took off in The Spirit of St. Louis from Roosevelt Field near New York City. Flying northeast along the coast, he was sighted later in the day flying over Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. From St. Johns, Newfoundland, he headed out over the Atlantic, using only a magnetic compass, his airspeed indicator, and luck to navigate toward Ireland. Citizens waited nervously by their radios, listening for news of the flight. When Lindbergh was seen crossing the Irish coast, the world cheered and eagerly anticipated his arrival in Paris. A frenzied crowd of more than 100,000 people gathered at Le Bourget Field to greet him. When he landed, less than 34 hours after his departure from New York, Lindbergh became the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. "Lindbergh Does It! To Paris in 33 1/2 Hours; Flies 1,000 Miles Through Snow and Sleet; Cheering French Carry Him Off Field" |
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The Airship Hindenburg, the largest aricraft ever built |
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LZ 129 Hindenburg was a Nazi GermanyZeppelin. Alongwith its sister-ship LZ 130 Graf Zepplin II, it was the largest aircraft ever built. During its second year of service, it was destroyed by a fire while landing at Lancaster Naval Air Station in Manchester Township, N.J., on May 6, 1937. Thirty-six people and one dog died in the accident which was widely reported on film, news and media.
The Hindenburg was nearly the same length as the Titanic. The Titanic was 882 feet long and the Hindenberg was 747 feet long. This made a difference of 135 feet. It held 50-72 passengers and 40-61 crew members. The maximum speed was 85 mph. In 1936, the Hindenberg made 17 round trips across the Atlantic Ocean starting in Germany; 10 flew to the United States and 7 to Brazil.
Displayed at the museum is a 1:40 scale, the same size replica as the Smithsonian's. |
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