Wright-Patterson AFB [Day 1 Building One]

 I had never been to Wright-Patterson even though we lived about 75 miles from Dayton. Mary had been there two times with school trips, years ago. We finally decided to go while we are still in the area. Now we are going back again next week since one full day was enough to see two of the four huge buildings. I think one full day in each building would be necessary to see everything on display. It is really something to see all of those airplanes. Many of them are historic airplanes. 

Building One has the Wright Brothers and WWII displays. We passed up Building Two and Three because we wanted to be sure we could see the Presidential airplanes (next separate post). We walked two miles in the buildings our first day. Here are a few of the 150 photos I had at the end of the day.

These are in the Early Section, Building One

That is a strange looking balloon on the ceiling with a gondola hanging below it.

There are many large engines on display.Several ar V8 and V12 producing 600 or more horsepower. 

Radial engines replaced the older in-line engines.



These are in the WWII section, Building One

The Japanese Zero we have all heard about. 

Read more about this famous raid at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doolittle_Raid

This B-25 is not a Doolittle plane but exactly like the
ones they flew to Japan from the Carrier.

Read more about the B-24 at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consolidated_B-24_Liberator

Everyone has heard of the B-7 and this one is quite famous. The Memphis Bell flew 25 missions over Germany and was flown back to the Boeing Plant.  There is a movie and more about it's history at  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memphis_Belle_(aircraft)

The front gunner was in a poor place with no protection from frontal attacks.
There is another gun turret on the top side.

The B-17 was a large bomber at the time but small compared to modern bombers.

These racks held the load of bombs. The bombardier pulled the arming pins from the bombs after they were airborne. They were stacked vertically and
fell out rapidly one at a time.  

The belly gunner sat in that small rotating bubble on the bottom.
That must have been a wild ride.

The tail gunner had the most dangerous position.
When the enemy attacked from the rear, and he was the first target.

The Buzz Bomb was launched at London later in the war. It was not guided, it was just aimed at England and launched from an elevated sled. It ran out of fuel and just dropped down wherever it was. RAF and US fighters learned how to shoot them down but many still made it to London.

It was also called the Loon. Werner Von Braun and his rocket scientists created this weapon and the famous V2 Rocket. Braun came to the US and designed the Saturn 5 that made it to the moon.

The V2 was the beginning of space rockets.
Read more at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V-2_rocket

The first small jet made by Germany but not successful.

This was the first jet fighter made by Germany, RAF and US did not have jet fighters.
Read more at https://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=108

Our very famous B-29 that dropped the Fat Boy atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan.
The Little Boy was dropped on Hiroshima by the Enola Gay, located at the
Smithsonian in Washington DC.

The first Atomic Bomb dropped by the Enola Gay.

The Military C-46 cargo airplane was basically a DC-3 passenger plane. I flew in a DC-3 from Knoxville to Cincinnati when I was about 8 years old.

Building Four is in the next separate post.