Air & Space - Boeing 247D

Boeing 247, DC-3, PA-5 Mailwing, and Fairchild FC-2

Taking a vacation with the family as the kids are on their Spring Break. Flew into National Airport and have spent an enjoyable few days walking around Washington, D.C. My family indulges me when I get my geek on, and patiently waits while I leisurely tour a museum. I've spent most of my time at the National Air and Space Museum. In my opinion, the Smithsonian is one of the best museums in the world. Accessible for all ages and levels of interest, I learn something new everytime I go. The only down side is the problem inherent in showing such a large collection of items - it's hard for a novice photographer like me to get a good shot. It's almost impossible to get a complete walk-around as the items are often hung from the ceiling; it is full of others viewers that will invariably walk in front of you at just the wrong moment (which I'm sure I'm guilty of, too), and it's hard to isolate one item from another when composing the shot.

Above is the Boeing 247D. This model entered service in 1934, and is painted in the livery of United Airlines. I didn't realize it until I was researching for this, but "it is displayed today with two sets of markings, the left side is marked as NR257Y, in Colonel Turner's 1934 MacRobertson Race colors, while the right side is painted in United Airlines livery, as NC13369."

Racing livery as worn when the plane was piloted by Colonel Turner in the MacRobertson Air Race.