I had intended to write more about General Aviation today (maybe later), but I got distracted after a meeting in Washington D.C. That distraction was an invitation by Dorothy Cochrane, one of the curators at the National Air and Space Museum, to get a little behind-the-scene look at a renovated gallery.
For those who have never had the opportunity to visit the NASM, both on the Mall and the Steven F Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles Airport, you are missing out on a real treat. Of course, anyone who loves aviation the way I do would not miss the chance to see this great display of aviation history. In fact, I make a point of at least visiting for a few minutes whenever I am in town.
But everyone needs to see this place. Why? Because the history of aviation is linked to the development of our society. Behind the airplanes, spacecraft and associated artifacts is the story of people striving to do the impossible.
"Everyone" knew that man could not really fly. Everyone except a small group of pioneers, including the Wright Brothers, who literally risked everything to invent the airplane.
Everyone knew that airplanes could never fly very far. But here is the Vin Fiz and the Fokker T-2 which spanned the continent.
Oceans? Impossible, but here is the Douglas World Cruiser, the Spirit of St. Louis, and the Lockeed Sirius Tingmissartoq. Lindberg and Earhart.
Military airplanes that changed the course of World Wars like the Spad, Spitfire and P-51. Even the Boening B-29 Enola Gay. More people who risked everything for the idea of freedom.
The beginning of commercial airlines from pistons to jets. The engines and navigation that made the world a smaller place. Engineers and scientists, machinists and managers are all part of the history of aviation.
And, perhaps most inspirationally, the story of how we got off this small world. The history of NASA from Mercury to Apollo to the Space Shuttle are here. Even SpaceShipOne, the first privately funded spaceship hangs in the main gallery.
Aviation around every corner, but much more. This place demonstrates what can be accomplished when vision meets capability. Visit the National Air and Space Museum before your next challenge -- everything is possible.
Alan Klapmeier is founder of Cirrus Design Corp co-founder and CEO of Kestrel Aircraft.
