S M I T H S O N I A N   I N S T I T U T I O N
N A T I O N A L   A I R   &   S P A C E   M U S E U M

Washington D.C.

Various placards and information relating to the golden age.

Here are a few planes from that era:

• Northrop Gamma Polar Star
• The Beech Model C17L Staggerwing
• Wittman Chief Oshkosh/Buster
• Curtiss Robin Ole Miss
• Hughes H-1

Apparently the sport of air racing was all the rage back then. This blurry chart displays the winners of the Schneider Throphy Race that was held for a number of years. Air racing provided the incentive to push the envelope of technology. Better technology meant a better chance at winning the race.

The Jet Aviation Gallery focuses on jet aviation technology and innovation.

Entering the exhibit, I'm greeted by a Pratt and Whitney JT9D Turbofan Engine. Ummm, I think a better name would have been "XP-40 Quad-Turbo Tornado-Supercharged Bumble Bee". Oh, well.

There's all sorts of interesting stuff in here, including the movie they're playing, Sneaking through the Sound Barrier, starring Sid Caesar and Imogene Coco. I watch the movie for a few minutes, it's pretty silly.

On display is the Lockheed XP-80. Also called the Shooting Star, this particular plane has the nickname of Lulu Belle. The XP-80 was the prototype of the P-80 Shooting Star, America's first operational turbojet fighter.