Hickory Aviation Museum

#waybackwednesday almost 30 years ago during flight ops onboard CVN-65, USS Enterprise. VA-75 "Sunday Punchers" A-6E and VF-103 "Jolly Rogers" F-14Ds and the very distinctive island of the ship. Notice that the number 2 arresting gear wire is offline, so the returning aircraft had three of the four wires to use. This was common, the reasons were below deck crews doing preventative maintenance or doing repair work. If the cross-deck wire ran out of "hits", 100, it would be stripped off the deck and replaced whenever there were a few minutes break, or after flight ops concluded. You can see both the Intruder and Tomcat on our flightline when visiting the museum, and there is no charge for admission! #ussenterprise #cvn65 #usnavy #flynavy #navalaviation #a6intruder #f14tomcat #jet #jets #airplane #airplanes #aircraft #aviaiton #aviationdaily #aviationgeek #aviationgeeks #avgeek #avgeeks #avnerd #aviationlovers #aviationhistory #aviationphoto #aviationphotography #aviationphotos US Navy Friends of Naval Aviation, Inc. #grumman Northrop Grumman

#OTD, 11/5/1981, the first flight of the McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier Full Scale Development Aircraft, Bureau Number 161396. It was built for testing handling and performance qualities of the aircraft and is on display at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in VA. Our Harrier arrived in July, BuNo 164560 and has been stored in preservation. #mcdonnelldouglas #av8bharrier #usmc #jet #jets #airplane #airplanes #aircraft #aviation #aviationdaily #aviationgeek #aviationgeeks #avgeek #avgeeks #avnerd #aviationlovers #aviationhistory #aviationphoto #aviationphotos #aviationphotography #hickorync #hickoryaviationmuseum #museum #aviationmuseum #flymarines United States Marine Corps

Museum Monday! Some HAM folks got to see the inside of the new hangar and have a look around and it's big! Having people and equipment inside gives scale to the interior. Notice the vertical opening at the end of the structure, that is there so that the entire P-3C Orion can be rolled right inside when it is time. #hickoryaviationmuseum #hickorync #jets #airplanes #helicopters #aviation #avgeek #avgeeks #avnerd #aviationgeek #aviationgeeks #museum #aviationmuseum #construction #steelworkers #hangar #progress

In 2-1/2 weeks, we will celebrate the 4th anniversary of the arrival of BA5. This is a photo of the jet during preflight at NAS Pensacola FL prior to departure for HKY. The jet has been in preservation storage to keep it looking great for when it is moved inside the new hangar next year. Yesterday, the Blues ended their 2024 season with their homecoming show at NAS Pensacola, along with the USAF Thunderbirds. #usnavyblueangels US Navy #usnavy #flynavy #navalaviation #aviation #aviationdaily #aviationgeek #aviationgeeks #avgeek #avgeeks #avnerd #jet #jets #airplane #airplanes #aircraft #hickorync #hickoryaviationmuseum #aviationhistory #aviationphoto #aviationphotos #aviationphotography #fa18hornet #boeing

#fighterplanefriday! Let's really go old school and remember this OG fighter, our FM-2 Wildcat. This airframe flew during WWII in the Pacific Theater until the end of the war. It ended up at NAS Glenview IL as a training aircraft flying from the two aircraft carriers on Lake Michigan, Sable and Wolverine. The aircraft crashed and sank into the lake and sat at the bottom until being recovered and restored in the 1990s. We're fortunate to have it on loan with HAM and it will look great in the new hangar once construction is completed next year. It is currently in preservation storage. #fm2wildcat #f4fwildcat #grumman #fighterplane #airplane #airplanes #aircraft #aviation #hickorync #hickoryaviationmuseum #aviation #aviationdaily #aviationgeek #aviationgeeks #avgeek #avgeeks #avnerd #aviationhistory #aviationlovers #aviationphoto #aviationphotography #aviationphotos #usnavy #flynavy #navalaviation #aviationmuseum #museum Friends of Naval Aviation, Inc.

"Broomstick One, hook down, call the ball". HAM wishes everyone a safe and fun Halloween!! #halloween #halloween2024 #hickorync #hickoryaviationmuseum #flynavy #navalaviation #usnavy #aircraftcarrier #avgeek #aviationgeeks #avgeeks #aviationgeek #avnerd #aviationlovers #trickortreat Friends of Naval Aviation, Inc.

As a result of an airplane crash, 10/30 is National Checklist Day. We called them our "blue brains". The US Army Air Services lead test pilot, Boeing's B-17 test pilot and small crew took off in a B-17 prototype 10/30/1935 but unfortunately forgot to remove the gust locks, so the control surfaces were locked. The plane stalled and crashed, killing the two pilots who were trapped in the wreckage and three observers escaped. This knocked Boeing out of the competition for the lucrative bomber contract as they had no other plane to complete the flying evaluation. The government was so impressed with the B-17, however, and a year later a "loophole" was found, money was reclassified, and an order was placed for 13 aircraft. The rest is history for Boeing, who produced 12,371 Flying Fortresses! With the initial order, Boeing produced a comprehensive checklist for the B-17 which was initially met with contempt by the pilots who deemed it a slap in the face against their ability, but the two men lost were so well respected, that if they could make a fatal error, anyone could do the same and they became an integral part of every phase of flight for all aircraft types. (Photos: USAF of wreckage, Boeing for checklist). #boeing #b17 #checklist #aviation #aviator #aviators #aviationdaily #aviationgeek #avgeek #aviationgeeks #avgeeks #avnerd #airplanes #airplane #aircraft #helicopter #helicopters #safety #usaf #usairforce #military #usnavy #flynavy #navalaviation #usmc #uscoastguard #usarmy Friends of Naval Aviation, Inc. #pilot #pilots #navigators

#tomcattuesday An F-14 of VF-103 "Sluggers" is taxied out of the landing zone and directed to Cat 1 for launch during "CQ" or carrier qualifications in 1994 onboard CVN-65. USS Enterprise had just finished a two-year overhaul that took four years and was back operating again, many of the crew for the first time, myself included, as a Catapult and Arresting Gear Officer. Depending on how many aircraft were CQ'ing, the initial launch would be from all four catapults and once the waist catapults were finished, they'd be buttoned up and there would be a "green deck" just as the planes were lined up to trap onboard. It was very hectic. Then, the forward bow catapults would only be used launching and trapping, until everyone was finished. If you look above the vertical stab, that rectangle is the jet blast deflector for Cat 2, and the top left panel had about 9 inches that "fouled" the entire landing zone if it was raised, which took even more coordination. Somedays it was amazing it all worked! The HAM F-14 is available to see every day, no admission charge to visit us. #f14 #tomcat #grumman #f14tomcat #jet #jets #airplane #airplanes #aircraft #aviation #aviationdaily #aviationlovers #aviationgeek #aviationgeeks #avgeek #avgeeks #avnerd #aviationphoto Friends of Naval Aviation, Inc. #aviationphotos #aviationphotography #flynavy #usnavy #navalaviation #tailhook #topgun #hickoryaviationmuseum #aviationmuseum

It is NAS Moffett Field Monday. Photo from 35 years ago of Hangars 2 & 3. Currently, the hangar on the right is 3/4 of the way demolished and 2 will follow. These wooden hangars were built during WWII, and just have fallen into disrepair with rotten wood and other structural issues. Back in the day, these were home to the active-duty P-3 Orion squadrons based here. #usnavy #navalaviation #flynavy #nasmoffettfield #p3orion #lockheed #airplane #airplanes #aircraft #history #aviationhistory #avgeek #avgeeks #aviationgeeks #aviationgeek #avnerd #aviationlovers #aviationphoto #aviationphotos #aviationphotography #navalbase #navalairstation #sunnyvalecalifornia #mountainviewca #hangar

Latest photo of the construction site for the new HAM building taken yesterday. Lot of progress after being slowed for while due to Hurricane Helene. #museum #aviationmuseum #hickorync #hickoryaviationmuseum #aviation #aviationgeek #aviationgeeks #avgeek #avgeeks #avnerd #airplanes #jets #helicopters #construction #steelworkers #steel