Enola Gay in Stunning HDR

Enola Gay On Display
Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center

“The Enola Gay gained additional national attention in 1995 when the cockpit and nose section of the aircraft was exhibited at the National Air and Space Museum (NASM) of the Smithsonian Institution in downtown Washington, D.C. The exhibit was changed due to a controversy over original historical script displayed with the aircraft. In 2003, the entire restored B-29 went on display at NASM’s new Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.”

“This exhibition, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II, told the story of the role of the Enola Gay in securing Japanese surrender. It contained several major components of the Enola Gay, the B-29 bomber used in the atomic mission that destroyed Hiroshima, Japan. The components on display included two engines, the vertical stabilizer, an aileron, propellers, and the forward fuselage that contains the bomb bay.

A video presentation about the Enola Gay’s mission included interviews with the crew before and after the mission including mission pilot Col. Paul Tibbets. The exhibition text summarized the history and development of the Boeing B-29 fleet used in bombing raids against Japan.”

Read more at the NASM site.

You can see our HDR Air & Space slideshow at our JayJacyPhotography and JoyPals Design Studio galleries at SmugMug 

This post and image were originally published here, at HDRChic on Facebook, Twitter and .com

The Concorde in HDR, Air & Space Museum

I have a fascination with airplanes of all types and descriptions since I was first introduced to them as a child by my father and visited and toured the military air shows and climbed into the cockpit and saw those amazing shiny controls and objects.  I was hooked and had the privilege of visiting many shows, airfields/airports/military installations, NASA and museums with my family.  The National Air & Space Museum in Washington, DC and Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia are a favorite annually as there is so much to see, study and photograph.  The image above of “The Concorde” is from my latest visit and processed HDR.

Concorde, Fox Alpha, Air France

“The first supersonic airliner to enter service, the Concorde flew thousands of passengers across the Atlantic at twice the speed of sound for over 25 years. Designed and built by Aérospatiale of France and the British Aviation Corporation, the graceful Concorde was a stunning technological achievement that could not overcome serious economic problems.

In 1989, Air France signed a letter of agreement to donate a Concorde to the National Air and Space Museum upon the aircraft’s retirement. On June 12, 2003, Air France honored that agreement, donating Concorde F-BVFA to the Museum upon the completion of its last flight. This aircraft was the first Air France Concorde to open service to Rio de Janeiro, Washington, D.C., and New York and had flown 17,824 hours.

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 25.56 m (83 ft 10 in)
Length: 61.66 m (202 ft 3 in)
Height: 11.3 m (37 ft 1 in)
Weight, empty: 79,265 kg (174,750 lb)
Weight, gross: 181,435 kg (400,000 lb)
Top speed: 2,179 km/h (1350 mph)
Engine: Four Rolls-Royce/SNECMA Olympus 593 Mk 602, 17,259 kg (38,050 lb) thrust each
Manufacturer: Société Nationale Industrielle Aérospatiale, Paris, France, and British Aircraft Corporation, London, United Kingdom

The Concorde is now prominently displayed at the Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.”
Visit the Air & Space Museum @ Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center here.
Download the .pdf for details here

This full view image is courtesy of the National Air & Space Museum.

Space Shuttle Discovery in HDR

As Washingtonians, we have grown up in the great Smithsonian Institute museums and they are a large part of our photography life.  We love photographing in Washington DC for events and pleasure.  It is one of the most beautiful cities in the United States and the architecture and museums offer visitors such a plethora of subjects to study and for photogs, to photograph.  Our favorites are the air and space museums in both locations of DC and Northern Virginia.  The National Air & Space Museum  at  Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va houses the Space Shuttle Discovery and is a favorite to photograph.  We visited again recently at a quieter hour where we could capture more of the Discovery and museum.

The space shuttle Discovery is the centerpiece of the James S. McDonnell Space Hangar at the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va.

Visit the National Air&Space Museum.