San Diego, the USS Midway

My best bud Ken and his son Doug, on the way to the USS Midway. Ken has trashed his knees and we rented a scooter for the trip so he could get around. Doug lives in San Diego and is retired Navy.

The Navy has taken the aircraft carrier USS Midway and turned it into a museum. They did a wonderful job, both exhibits on the Navy, the history of the carrier and the service it had during it's long history starting in WWII. This is the flight deck, basically the runway.

The bridge and conning tower. Many jets and helicopters are on display on the flight deck, showing the history of the aircraft that have operated off the carrier.

Ken enjoying the aircraft on display. He and I are both ex-Air Force and our love of aircraft generates a lot of friendly discussion. He played with the big planes, I played with the fighter jets.

The last aircraft I worked on was the F4E (the Phantom) in the Air Force. The Navy had their own version. I will always have a soft spot for it. Long retired, the only ones still flying are in the National Guard, in South Korea. I suddenly feel old.

Ken and Doug at the bow overlook. Ken's scooter couldn't quite make the climb back up the incline and Doug had to push.

And of course, the restored WWII fighters. From the Mustang, the Corsairs, the P51, they were all on display. Beautiful works of art, some with fancy paint jobs. There were several simulators in the hanger bay for people to try with 360 degree action. As close to flying as you can get. Kids were lined up for all of them. I would have loved to try one. The Midway is well worth a day or more to see all the exhibits and history.