When you are flying in one of these incredible aircraft, the world is what you see from here, in the cockpit! From the relatively large but austere cabin of the C-119 cargo plane to the aircraft carrier based F-4 Phantom to the sleek rocket like F-104 Starfighter, this is the office chair and the workplace of the military pilot.
Settling in to any of these pilot’s seats, the first thing you notice that it is not that easy. Certainly not like walking down the aisle of a jumbo jet and getting comfortable in even an economy class seat. No one walking down the aisle to offer you a beverage or for that matter, no walking to the restroom!
The next thing you notice is the complexity of what is around you. The two engine Air Force C-119 “Flying Boxcar” with twice the controls and gauges because of the two engines and also a comparatively slow cruise speed of 200 mph with a range of 1,770 miles. It had to accommodate a crew of five; pilot, co-pilot, navigator, radio operator and crew chief. A maximum takeoff weight of 74,000 pounds carrying 65 troops, or 35 stretcher patients, or 27,500 pounds of cargo. First flown in 1947 and manufactured through 1955, the Flying Boxcar had many an important duty.
Next is the huge F-4 Phantom II first entering service in 1960 and built through 1981. Flying at Mach 2.2, an all weather long range interceptor and fighter bomber that had the added complexities of being heavily armed with various missile loads, bombs and later on, the addition of the Vulcan rotary cannon. Yet this is only the front cockpit with a separate cockpit behind this one for the “RIO” radar intercept officer. Also completing the mission role of reconnaissance aircraft. So very much going on in an aircraft weighing 62,000 pounds and flying off the deck of an aircraft carrier.
That brings us to the futuristic F-104 Starfighter, resembling a rocketship from an early science fiction movie. Actually later models of the F-104 were modified with an actual rocket engine and flown to the edge of Outer Space. In service through 2004, the Starfighter led to the development of the famed Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. The cockpit here seems like it could not be more compact. Everything no more than a small arm movement away because there is no more room than that! Imagine flying in this small space mounted in a long slender fuselage with tiny wings, flying at 1,700 mph, reaching an altitude of over 120,000 feet, reaching the complete darkness and punctuated by the brilliant stars of outer space. How exciting is that!
At the Palm Springs Air Museum on almost every Saturday between 10:30 am - 12:30 pm you can climb in the cockpits of these aircraft yourself and many more including the most famous from World War II. Additionally, the cockpits of the C-119 Flying Boxcar and the entire interior of the B-17 Flying Fortress, in the air conditioned hangars, are open seven days per week during Museum hours. Great fun to be experienced first hand! Thanks!
Open Cockpit Dates
July 3: Supermarine Spitfire July 4: P-40 Warhawk July 8: F4U Corsair July 15: F-4 Phantom II July 22: F7F Tigercat July 29: P-40 Warhawk August 5: P-47 Thunderbolt August 12: F-100 Super Sabre August 19: AT-6 Texan August 26: F4U Corsair
All times: 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Additional Palm Springs Air Museum Programs
July 8: Coachella Valley Radio Control Club teaches you how to build your own balsa wood model airplane with contest to follow. Materials included. Free with museum admission. 11 a.m. - noon.
July 9: Looking for Kilroy Scavenger Hunt. Find Kilroy’s six hiding places in the museum and win a prize. Children must be accompanied by an adult. 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
July 14: Friday Flicks - Top Gun. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., film begins at 7 p.m. The Cafe will be selling food. Bring blanket or portable chair. In the Miles Hangar. $5.
July 25 - August 7: Propeller Pursuit Children’s Activities. Go on a propeller pursuit, solve the clues, win a prize. Activity and materials included with museum admission. Children must be accompanied by an adult. 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
July 26: Early Days of Flight – Children’s Discovery Series. Great introduction for children to the fascinating world of flight. Activities and materials included with museum admission. 1:30 - 2:15 p.m.
August 3: Seized by the Sun: The Life and Disappearance of World War II Pilot Gertrude Tompkins. Author James W. Ure gives talk and book signing. Seized by the Sun is part historyo of the WASPs and part unsolved mystery. Of the 38 Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) confirmed or presumed dead in World war II, only one remains missing to this day: Gertrude “Tommy” Tompkins. A tribute to a determined young woman who becomes a military pilot, written to be accessible for young adult readers. 1 p.m.
Palm Springs Air Museum 745 N. Gene Autry Trail 760-778-6262 www.palmspringsairmuseum.org
Photos by Ian L. Sitren: palmspringsphotographer.com.
