Carolinas Aviation Museum

I give Ela credit for most of my Photography ventures. This one is no different. One evening, on his suggestion, we went over to the Carolinas Aviation Museum. This place is less than 3 miles from the place I stayed in Charlotte but had not been there. Still late than never. The visit was entertaining as well as educational.

We were treated to a good collection of aircrafts and helicopters, both civilian as well as military. Among the exhibits is a Douglas DC-3 which is an award-winning classic example. It was restored and flown by Piedmont Airlines in original airline configuration to air shows and other public events before being sold to the aviation museum.

The above picture is of a Harrier aircraft, or the Jump jet as it was informally referred.
It is a British-designed military jet aircraft capable of vertical/short takeoff and landing operations. The Harrier aircraft, capable of taking off vertically, can only do so at less than its maximum weight. In most cases the aircraft does a short take off where it gains forward speed and thus aerodynamic lift, saving fuel. The main problem for the model was getting it to quickly cool down after landing due to the hover configuration. Redirecting thrust downward from the nozzles generated a lot of heat.

Next to the museum there is a military airstrip. If you are lucky you can catch some breathtaking action as military planes land and takeoff.