Soaring With Sagar - May 2010
Destination: Moffett Field Museum
Moffett Field is the home of the massive Hangar One. Measuring nearly 1200-feet long, it can fit 10 football fields inside. (Sagar Pathak)By Sagar Pathak
Chances are if you’re a pilot, you love aviation. From loud jets, to classic propellers, pilots are into all things aviation. While simply just being in the air is a blast, I also get a lot of joy planning my flights around fun and exciting places. And other the the classic “$100 Hamburger” or in my case the “$100 Slice of Pie”, one of my favorite places to visit is the local aviation museums.
Ever since I fell in love with aviation, I’d look forward to going to airshows and seeing the planes in the air. But the reality was that airshows come around only once a year. So I went out to fill my addiction elsewhere and found myself at the local aviation museums. It truly is the best “hangar flying” that one can get.
With numerous educational and historical exhibits, the Moffett Museum offers something for everyone. (Sagar Pathak)For those pilots out there looking for a fine museum to go to, I highly recommend the Moffett Field Museum at Moffett Federal Airfield (KNUQ). Now while you can not fly into Moffett, you can fly into Palo Alto Airport (KPAO), which is a short 10 minute drive away. But you will be treated to some very rare and unique exhibits and some of the best stories this side of the Rockies.
Originally built in 1933 by the US Navy to house the the USS Macon dirigible, Moffett Field transitioned to be a major US Navy base and is now home to the NASA Ames Research Center and the CA ANG 129th Rescue Wing. And helping preserve this history is the Moffett Field Historical Society.
Wednesday through Saturday 10 am to 2 pm, you will find the dedicated volunteers at the Museum narrating stories of how the mighty USS Macon soared through the air before it’s untimely crash along the Pacific coastline, how the legendary Navy P-3 Orions flew anti-submarine missions out of Moffett Field, and of how scientists at NASA Ames are working on the latest technology to improve the International Space Station.
Two of the many Museum’s restoration projects, a NASA F-104 Starfighter and an ANG AH-J Cobra. (Sagar Pathak)In addition to the numerous exhibits, the Museum also boasts numerous aircraft being restored, including an TF-104G Starfighter, P2V-5 Neptune, F/A-18A Hornet, and an AH-1G Cobra. But my two favorite exhibits are the P-3A Orion and AV-8A Harrier cockpits that you can climb in. No matter how old you are, it’s fun sitting in that seat and pushing all of those buttons.
And if you want to try your hand at a bit of flying, they also have a flight simulator that will allow you to fly through the massive Hangar One. Young or old, you gotta try it! A helicopter flight simulation
is near completion
To visit the museum, you will need to show your driver’s license (or other government-issued photo ID) to the guards at the main gate, and tell them you are going to the Moffett Field
Museum.
And as if all this wasn’t enough of an attraction, Moffett Field also boasts another museum, the NASA Ames Research & Visitor Center. Here you can view displays and interactive exhibits about NASA technology, missions and space exploration, including a real moon rock!
The Moffett Field Museum is preserving the legacy of this historic base. (Sagar Pathak)Flying or driving, I highly recommend checking out the museums at Moffett Field. They are well worth the time. And if you are lucky, you might catch some jets flying in or the United States’ only Zeppelin, which is based out of Moffett. If you have any suggestions or fun adventures, please feel free to email me at: Sagar@HorizontalRain.com Till next time, Blue Skies!
