Travelling in USA, Seattle-Everett-WPAFB

flateric

flateric

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Crossing my fingers - I will probably have some chances to get a trip in US this summer starting at Seattle. Besides visiting Boeing's Everett and Museum Of Flight, I'd like of course to return back (after 13 years) to USAF Museum. Among others wonders, I'd like to visit museum restoration facility with its YF-23A PAV-1 - so goes a question...if someone recently was there and can say if it's really available for photographing and if non-US citizens can access restoration facility? Also, I need advise for good hotels/motels in WPAFB area and means of getting there from Dayton airport (never got a car and never learned to drive) - any municipal transport? Thanks in advance!
 
The tour of the restoration facility at WPAFB is every Friday at 12:15PM. You'll need to bring your passport (it's on WPAFB proper, so you need government ID to get over there, same goes for the daily trips offered to the R&D and Presidential Annex). (937) 255-3286, extension 302 is the number to call to register for the restoration facility tour. The tour of the Annex, you sign up for that the day you visit the museum.

Here's the web address:

http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/

Here's a link to the bus service in and around Dayton, they do stop at the Museum:

http://www.greaterdaytonrta.org/

Taxi services in Dayton:

A1 Taxi: (937) 432-6666
A Centerville Taxi: (937) 433-0240
Air City Cab and Skyline Cab: (937) 252-4444
Airport Taxi: (937) 222-4011 or toll free 866-255-8726
All Usa Taxi: (937) 567-1111
Anton's Cab Service: (937) 252-4756
D-United Cab: (937) 222-2828
Diamond Cab: (937) 277-1000
Liberty Cab: (937) 222-2822
Ohio Yellow Cab: (937) 228-1155
Uptown Taxi: (937) 878-8000

Let me know if you have any other questions. Dunno about hotels, you might actually try using Google Earth for that, it's usually what I do!
 
I thought the YF-23 had been moved out to be displayed by the YF-22, or hasn't that happened yet?

Man, it's been years since I've been to the USAF Museum. I need to go there again, not just to see the planes, but to do some archive research. I went to the annex the first time I was there by accident (We hadn't planned on it, but when asked, said, "Sure!") That was back in the late 80's. I remember seeing the Blackbird over there, one of the Presidential Propliners (The C-54 Air Force One, "Columbine"?) and a plane I never ever thought I would get to see, the F-107A!!!

I hope you get to see everything you want Flateric. :)
 
Sundog said:
I hope you get to see everything you want Flateric. :)
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Me too...Thank you guys for help. Hope so much I will get there. Ideas of travelling from Seattle to Dayton via Greyhound or Amtrak are considered weird, I'd better fly.
 
flateric said:
Ideas of travelling from Seattle to Dayton via Greyhound or Amtrak are considered weird, I'd better fly.
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Or you could drive, depending on how much timne you have. There is a *lot* worth seeing between the two. Hill Air Force Base Museum near Ogden, Utah (about 40 miles south of where I live) has one damned impressive fighter museum... a B-52, A B-50, a B-1B, one of the original "Midgetman" launchers, missiles, SR-71, A-10... and many more. And besides aerospace there is much to see. I've made roughly that journey several times, and could make a number of recommendations.

Of course, it depends on what you're interested in and how much time you have.

Ooops... just saw you don't know how to drive. Well, you're boned....
 
Actually, if you want to see the countryside, Amtrak is really a comfortable way to travel, not as fast as flying but I enjoy when I have the chance. Mind you, sleeping in a coach seat isn't always the easiest trick and, from Seattle to Chicago, you might want to consider a compartment if your budget will allow it. Chicago to Dayton you could do in Coach since it's not nearly as far. The rail trip through the Rocky Mountains has some excellent scenery and if you've the time and inclination is well worth it IMHO.
 
elmayerle said:
Actually, if you want to see the countryside, Amtrak is really a comfortable way to travel, not as fast as flying but I enjoy when I have the chance. Mind you, sleeping in a coach seat isn't always the easiest trick and, from Seattle to Chicago, you might want to consider a compartment if your budget will allow it. Chicago to Dayton you could do in Coach since it's not nearly as far. The rail trip through the Rocky Mountains has some excellent scenery and if you've the time and inclination is well worth it IMHO.
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Amtrak doesn't serve Dayton, Ohio.
 
TinWing said:
elmayerle said:
Actually, if you want to see the countryside, Amtrak is really a comfortable way to travel, not as fast as flying but I enjoy when I have the chance. Mind you, sleeping in a coach seat isn't always the easiest trick and, from Seattle to Chicago, you might want to consider a compartment if your budget will allow it. Chicago to Dayton you could do in Coach since it's not nearly as far. The rail trip through the Rocky Mountains has some excellent scenery and if you've the time and inclination is well worth it IMHO.
Click to expand...

Amtrak doesn't serve Dayton, Ohio.
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Good reason not to take it there, then. :D You might see how close it does come and what connections you can make from that closest approach. Just looking at their website, you could take the "Empire Builder" from Seattle to Chicago and then the "Cardinal/Hoosier State" from Chicago to Cincinnati but you'd be left with making arrangements to get from Cincinnati to Dayton, roughly a 200 mile trip if I remember correctly. If you've got the cash, then likely flying is your least complicated choice, but if you can work it out, this would show you far more of the country and the scenery the Empire Builder passes through is outstanding.
 
Evan and all-all-all, thanks again for efforts to help. I will have max two weeks for travel, so one will be dedicated to Seattle area, and second for USAF Museum trip...Amtrak would be great but time consuming, so I think I'll take some budget airline from SEA to DAY with stop at Chicago - my grandma's sister-in-low lives there (Nazis took her from Kiev for slave works during WWII, returning home after victory she met US Army sergeant, nature born Russian, whose parents emigrated to US after revolution, he took her to US as he saw what happens to death camps prisoners who returning to Soviet occupation zone and was not happy with that...A great love story:) )
 
Yeah, the time constraints do pretty well force taking a budget flight as you described. If you can afford a spare day in Chicago, the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry is a fascinating place to spend a day. It's one of the few places you can actually go through a WW II U-boat (U-505, captured by a Task Group commanded by R. Adm. Daniel V. Gallery, a Chicago native) and there are (or at least were) several aircraft hanging from the cieling of the main hall). *smile* Chicago has always been a city of immigrants, my paternal ancestors arrived there from Germany in 1880; I was born there back in 1951 and have many found memories of the area.
 
As average visa processing time in Moscow rised to 25+ days, trip is postponed till October (Russian Consulate campus in Seattle where I supposed to stay will be closed for renovation from June 12). I've called to USAF Museum - polite retired colonel confirmed that YF-23 PAV-1 is still at restoration - and backed a place in restoration facility tour. Funny that refundable Delta two-way tickets from SVO to SEA are USD 3350 while non-refundable are about 1200. Weird...
 
Hi Guys,

I am also going to the US on the 17th of May for a work and travel program again. I will be finished by September and this time I will have some more budget for traveling and a real camera.
So If one wants to see the YF-23, one must back up a place in the restoration facility tour ???

lantinian
 
If you come through Ft. Worth, let's see if we can get together. If you can give me at least a week's notice, I might be able to set up something of a tour of the plant.
 
Hmm, Evan, and you DO have A-12 Avenger II full-scale mockup in some museum nearby, yes?
 
Well, the mockup's stored across the runway in a hanger on Ft. Worth JRB property, at least it was a couple years ago. It was fenced off even inside the building and rather difficult to see much of it. I've no idea of its current location or condition.
 
They used to bring out the Avenger II mockup at the Alliance Air Show in past years. Haven't seen it there in the past two or three years, though. Did see a nice BA609 tilt rotor tucked away in a hangar that wasn't for public viewing the last show, though. Looked like a full-scale mockup, but not totally sure.
 
If you come through Ft. Worth, let's see if we can get together. If you can give me at least a week's notice, I might be able to set up something of a tour of the plant.
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Whoa! Great. Well...I had no plans to go anywhere in particular but I just wanted to go somewhere; Especially an Aerospace Engineering Building!

Damm, can't wait to show you guys my 1/72 model of a concept aircraft like nothing out there....

dear elmayerle....can you give me a contact number in the states and a location we can meet. perhaps I can actually think of a way to get there from Gulf Shores, Alabama, where I will be for the next 3 months.

Well, it ain't Skunk works but it will have to do. ;)

lantinian
 
I've sent a PM with my work phone number for contact. If I don't answer, there's voice mail so just leave a message and I will get back to you.

I can't take you through everywhere, but we'll go where I can take you. How many places can you see three generations of aircraft (F-16, F-22 aft end, F-35) all being built in the same building?
 
I went to the USAF Museum on Monday, we went back to Ohio for Memorial Day weekend. Nothing new or noteworthy on display except for an actual X-45 instead of a mockup. The MiG-23MLD has apparently disappeared as well, but that might be due to the current reshuffling in the Cold War hangar. The TACIT BLUE has moved into the R&D hangar also, so you can now get right up to (and under ;D ) the aircraft without being harassed by ropes and whatnot.
 

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