Denver - Wings Over The Rockies Museum - 26/05/13

The last week in May 2013 saw my wife and I make our regular trip across the ‘pond’ to see our son who lives in America.

Air Canada provided the transport this time: Boeing 777 C-FIUA took us from a surprisingly hassle-free Heathrow to Toronto Pearson in just over seven hours, and after clearing US immigration and customs at Pearson - a nightmare, thanks to the cuts forced on staffing levels because of the USA’s budgetary problems - there was time (just!) to grab a couple of photos and demolish a giant pretzel (with the hottest mustard I’ve ever had) and down a couple of cooling pints of Canadian beer before Embraer 190 C-GWEN took us on the three-hour trip to Denver International.

It was the first time we’ve flown with Air Canada and we were very impressed; the flights were spot on time, the crews were very friendly and efficient, and Pearson is an excellent airport. Mind you, after all the money that’s been spent on refurbishment, it ought to be! It has certainly changed from my last visit some thirteen years ago...

I did find the Embraer a touch cramped but I suspect that was psychological, having just spent seven hours in a widebody; that said, I think three hours is probably the comfortable limit for a trip in an Embraer.

After a good night’s sleep in Denver, we made our way the following morning to the Wings Over The Rockies Museum in the Denver suburb of Lowry (number 6 bus if anyone is planning a visit soon). On our previous visit to Denver in 2009, we’d missed getting to the museum so our itinerary this time had been specially tweaked to allow time to make a visit.

The museum occupies a hangar on the site of the former Lowry AFB, about nine miles southeast of Denver. There are some 37 aircraft on display, together with many artefacts and displays relating to aviation in Colorado and the Rockies. Among the aeronautical delights on show are a Douglas B-18A Bolo, one of the early Rockwell B-1A Lancers, and a pretty impressive collection of ‘century series’ fighters.

The volunteer docents are all very friendly, knowledgeable and enthusiastic, though if I do have one very tiny criticism of the museum, it is that many of the aircraft have advertising posters in front of them, as you will see from some of the photos.

As a private venture, the museum relies heavily on revenue from corporate functions and events – indeed, during our visit there was a ‘book launch’ in progress – so it is understandable that they seek to maximise their income. WOTR does occasionally close to the public to accommodate private events – check the website http://www.wingsmuseum.org/ for details if planning a visit.

One final note: the museum does not have a café as such, but next-door is the Lowry Beer Garden. This is a community centre set up by the residents of Lowry, an area that has seen much new housing and developments in recent years. The ‘Garden’ has an impressive arrange of local craft brews on offer together with a great selection of food – worth missing the bus back to Denver!

How’s this for a gate guard? Boeing RB52B Stratofortress 52-0005 dominates the car park. This aircraft is an unusual reconnaissance version of the B52 and, perhaps fittingly, finished its USAF career at Lowry AFB as an instructional airframe.

Douglas B-18A Bolo, 39-025 (N62477) surrounded by the paraphernalia of an audio-visual presentation. This aircraft is one of 350 built and, I think it has to be said, little known outside the USA. The Douglas lineage is evident in the tail fin – DC2 or what?!

Locally-built Alexander Eaglerock Long Wing NC2568.

Rockwell B-1A Lancer 74-0160, and a first for me, General Dynamics FB-111A 68-0287.

I took great pleasure in pointing out to one of the docents the British content in the museum, viz, the Martin EB-57E, 55-4293, which was derived from the English Electric Canberra, and the engine that powers the LTV A7D Corsair II, represented here by the Colorado Air Guard’s 73-0996, is a licence-built version of the Rolls Royce Spey (wipes patriotic tear from eye…).

Burt Rutan’s company, Scaled Composites, built the piston-engined SC309, N309A, for Adams Aircraft Industries. This aircraft served as a prototype for the turboprop Adams A500 and was the basis of the jet-powered Adams A700 very light jet. Sadly, Adams went bust before the potential of these two aircraft could be realised.

Talking of Burt Rutan, I thought that N324JS was one of Rutan’s designs. Wrong! It’s actually a Velocity XLRG-5. Shows just how much I know…!

Some homebuilts, N25PB is a Bartoe Skyote, N60BV is a Rand-Robinson KR-1 and N39JG is a Monnet Moni. The aircraft shown in almost Airfix kit form is the snappily named Fisher Flying Products FP-404 Classic which would wear the registration N404RJ if there was anywhere to put it….

 

Another aircraft listed as a ‘homebuilt’ is the Ball-Bartoe JW-1 Jetwing NX27BB. I don’t know of many homebuilders who have built a jet-engined aircraft designed to investigate the Coanda effect and laminar flow on a wing, but there you go!

On to the ‘Century Series’ of fighters.

North American F100D Super Sabre 56-3417/FW-417 wear the markings of the 354 FW.

McDonnell F101B Voodoo 58-0271.

Convair F102A Delta Dagger 56-0984.

The Lockheed F104 Starfighter marque is represented by early ‘C’ model 56-0910.

The mighty F105 ‘Thud’(Thunderchief) from Republic, 60-0508.

Not in the century series, but who would argue with the Phantom or Tomcat being great aircraft. Shown in a revetment setting is USAF McDonnell F4E 66-0287, while Grumman F14A 159829/NG-102 wears the markings of the US Navy's VF-211, embarked upon the USS John C Stennis.

At the lighter end of military hardware are Cessna U3A Blue Canoe 67-5854/N4406, a derivative of the Cessna 310, and Beech AT11 Kansan 237296/N201.

To finish... The yellow biplane is N603DM, a Flight Level Six Zero DK-1 Der Kricket, the polished fighter is Republic RF84 K Thunderflash 52-7266 and the contraption hanging from the ceiling is N8103, a McDonald Primary Glider.