Gallery Update: Hill Aerospace Museum Revisit

It has been about five years since I last visited the Hill Aerospace Museum near Hill Air Force Base in Ogden, Utah; back then, I didn't have a really good camera and I was rushed towards the end of my previous visit due to museum operating hours and my timing. Today, I decided to make a revisit with my DSLR camera in hand to get some more decent shots of the aircraft. I got to enjoy a no-rush time at the museum today to admire the displays! I was also treated with a bonus too as Hill Air Force Base now has a squadron of Lockheed Martin F-35A Lighting IIs stationed and I got to see a few of these stealth multirole fighters for the very first time; I observed at least six jets fly overhead and I got to photograph them!

Here are the links:

Off-Airport 06/20/2017

Hill Aerospace Museum (Revisit)

Preview:

Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II from Hill AFB's 34th Fighter Squadron, 388th Fighter Wing. The 34th Fighter Squadron is the first Air Force squadron to have reached initial operational capability with the F-35A as of August 2, 2016. The first F-35As arrived at Hill on September 2, 2015. Of course, I'm not satisfied with a shot like this after seeing an operational F-35 for the first time; I'll have an opportunity to see the F-35 demo for an air show up in Idaho Falls next month!

Douglas C-124C Globemaster II (53-0050), the largest aircraft on display at the museum.

De Havilland Canada CV-2B/DHC-4A C-7B Caribou (63-9757), a versatile military bush plane.

Convair T-29C "Flying Classroom," a military version of the Convair CV-240-27 designed as a trainer for crews responsible for the role of navigator in their aircraft of assignment.

Convair C-131D Samaritan (55-0300), a military version of the Convair CV-340 used for medical evacuation and VIP transport.

Fairchild C-119G Flying Boxcar (52-2107), an unusual military transport where the nickname sounds appropriate due to its cargo-hauling ability and unusual twin-boom design.

Fairchild C-123K Provider (N3836A), a military transport that was notorious for spraying Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. This particular airframe was first delivered to the Air Force as 54-0610. It was then sold for firefighting duties as N3836A, but remained unused. This particular airframe is also a movie star, as it made a cameo appearance in the 1987 James Bond film "The Living Daylights." Another well-known action film for extensively featuring a C-123 is Simon West's "Con Air" featuring Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, and John Malkovich. 

Boeing B-52G Stratofortress (58-0191), formerly based out of Castle AFB and nicknamed "Bearin' Arms." The last time I saw this airframe, it was in desperate need of a fresh coat of paint. The museum has done a great job in keeping this "BUFF" in presentable condition!
(BUFF is an acronym for "Big, Ugly, Fat, F(f-bomb expletive!!!)er!)

Boeing KC-135E Stratotanker (57-1510). Military versions of the Boeing 707 in the early days were designated by Boeing as the 717 (this one is a 717-148), not to be confused with the Boeing 717-200 airliner formerly known as the MD-95! Airframe formerly with the Salt Lake-based 151st Air Refueling Wing of the Utah Air National Guard, which currently operates the KC-135R Stratotanker.

Boeing WB-47E Stratojet (51-2360).

Boeing B-29 Superfortress (44-86408) formerly known as "Hagarty's Hag" but know adorning the nose-art with the name "Straight Flush." This B-29 was delivered to the US Army Air Force on August 6, 1945, the same day the "Enola Gay" dropped the "Little Boy" Uranium atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Following World War II, this B-29 was used to collect radioactive samples during postwar atomic tests.

Lockheed NC-130B Hercules (57-0526). This workhorse logged over 11,000 flight hours and was the second B-model manufactured, having served in various roles and multiple modifications to fit particular roles. 

Douglas C-54G Skymaster (45-0502), military transport version of the DC-4. This particular airframe flew in the Berlin Airlift and is painted to commemorate the Candy Bomber missions flown during "Operation Vittle" by Utah-native Colonel Gail Halvorsen.

Rockwell B-1B Lancer (83-0070) nicknamed "7 Wishes." Originally based out of Dyess AFB in Texas. This "Bone" was also in need of a little paint the last time I saw it; again, the museum has done well to make it presentable.
("Bone" plays off the bomber's designation "B-one.")

Ling-Teimco-Vought-LTV YA-7F Corsair II "Strikefighter" (70-1039). Based off of and converted from a LTV A-7D Corsair II airframe, the YA-7F "Strikefighter" was meant to be a fast strike aircraft because of concerns at the time that the A-10 Thunderbolt II would be too slow for interdiction. Modifications include a 4-foot stretch in the fuselage to accommodate a more powerful engine, and a strengthened wing fitted with new augmented flaps, leading edge extensions and automatic maneuvering flaps. The program was ultimately canceled due to improved relations with former adversaries, lower defense budgets, and the Air National Guard, by then the principal US operator of the A-7, generally favored the F-16 Fighting Falcon, which was in production at the time. Only two A-7 airframes were converted by LTV and both are now on museum display; one being at Hill and the other on display at the Air Force Flight Test Center Museum at Edwards AFB.

Lockheed VC-140B JetStar (62-4201), the military transport version of the L-1329 formerly used to transport the President of the United States and other high-ranking government officials. This JetStar was actually used by President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Martin RB-57A Canberra (52-1492). The Martin B-57 is a license-built version of the British English Electric Canberra manufactured by the Glenn L. Martin Company. Initial Martin-build models were highly similar to their British-built counterparts; Martin later modified the design to incorporate larger quantities of US-sourced components and produced the aircraft in several different variants. Canberras served as tactical bombers and later as reconnaissance aircraft. The RB-57A is a reconnaissance version with cameras installed aft of the bomb bay, with 67 of the variant built.