"Turkey Day"...I spent it with very different birds

Today is traditionally a day for families to gather around a feast that features a large bird: the turkey. Instead of feasting on fowl, my husband and I spent our day with a very different kind of bird: the man-made variety. We visited the National Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center in Dulles, VA. For our meals today, we had pretty typical fare: oatmeal for breakfast, Indian buffet for lunch, and Irish sports pub for dinner. I had no turkey, no mashed potatoes, no stuffing, and no pie. But this is a story of airplanes, not food.

I'd never been to this wonderful place called Udvar-Hazy. For anyone fascinated and enthused by things that fly, this is heaven-on-earth. It is chock full of every kind of flying machine imaginable from the early 1900s all the way through modern times, including space flight and rocketry. I saw my two favorite planes: the F-14 Tomcat and the A6 Intruder. (For the record, I was a fan of the F14 before "Top Gun" made it famous.)

A6 Intruder

As we wandered around the museum, I realized just how much I loved airplanes. I live near the airport and see (and hear) large jets flying over on a daily basis. I never get tired of seeing these flying beasts; I often run outside or to the window to see them fly over. Many years ago I lived near Dobbins Air Force Base and I loved seeing the F/A-18 Hornets and other big aircraft flying over my apartment. When I lived in Seattle, a co-worker invited me to watch the Blue Angles from his boat. It was beyond awesome. 

F-14 Tomcat

Some of my favorite toys as a child were my airplanes. I had die-cast fighter jet models, a very cool GI Joe Apache helicopter, a GI Joe F14, and one of my favorites...a Space Shuttle model. I still have my F14 die-cast model and I also have a commercial jetliner model. Why? They are just plain cool. I actually miss my Space Shuttle model; it was neat-o.

A WWII Fighter and The Enola Gay B29 Bomber

I am always a bit nervous when I take a flight somewhere, but at the same time, I get a thrill at the power of the jet as it races down the runway and thunders into the air...the ground falling away. Even mundane parts of the flight like making a turn before landing are fun. Of course I could always do without turbulence. I love to have a window seat behind the wings where I can see the flaps working at takeoff and landing. What can I say.....I'm a sucker for anything that is well engineered.

Speaking of well engineered, I was in absolute awe when I walked around the Space Shuttle Discovery. I literally stood there and soaked in the wonderful aircraft (spacecraft?). Discovery was actually in space; what an amazing achievement for humankind.  I've taken up astronomy lately, and I was standing there imagining what it must have been like to be outside Earth's atmosphere looking down on our beautiful blue-green globe. I am sad there will be no more Shuttle missions, but I know we will continue to explore space well into the future.

As the day wound down (I had totally lost track of time), I realized all the things I am thankful for: my family and friends; all the men and women who risked their lives flying these planes at home and abroad, in war and peace; living in such a great country;  the men and women who work at the museum so we can see all these great pieces of history. And I am also very thankful for human ingenuity and the human spirit. Happy Thanksgiving.