I think this guy.......

..... likes this museum! What do you think??

From: Wikipedia:

Virginia Aviation Museum

Established	1986
Location	5701 Huntsman Road, Richmond, Virginia
Type	Aviation Museum
Director	Edward Andrews
Website	Virginia Aviation Museum

Coordinates: 37°31′1″N 77°20′2.8″W The Virginia Aviation Museum is an aviation museum in Richmond, Virginia, adjacent to Richmond International Airport (formerly "Richard Evelyn Byrd Flying Field"). Erected in 1986, the museum houses a collection of some thirty four airframes, both owned and on-loan, ranging from reproductions of Wright Brothers kite gliders to the still state-of-the-art SR-71 Blackbird. It is a subsidiary of the Science Museum of Virginia. The current building, known as the Martha C. West Building, was originally planned to be a temporary storage facility until the actual museum building finished construction.

Contents

• 1 Exhibits and artifacts
  • 1.1 Wright brothers reproductions
  • 1.2 WWI and Golden Age of Aviation
  • 1.3 Postwar
• 2 See also
• 3 References

Exhibits and artifacts

(arranged chronologically by date of original manufacture)

Wright brothers reproductions

• Wright 1899 Kite/Glider reproduction.
• Wright 1901 Glider reproduction.
• Wright 1902 Glider reproduction.
• Wright 1911 Wright Model B reproduction.

WWI and Golden Age of Aviation

• S.P.A.D. VII, B9913, built 1917 by Mann Egerton & Company, Ltd., United Kingdom - one of 19 to Rockwell Field Pursuit Gunnery School, San Diego, California in 1918 (later NAS North Island).
• Standard E-1, no registration, built 1918, rescued from barn near Dayton, Ohio in 1950s by Sidney L. Shannon, Jr. and restored.
• Curtiss JN-4D, Signal Corps 2975, c/n 450, built 1918, on loan from Ken Hyde, Warrenton, Virginia.
• Pitcairn PA-5 Mailwing, NC3835, c/n 9, built 1927 - in Eastern Air Transport markings, on loan from the Science Museum of Virginia.^[1]
• Bellanca CH-400 Skyrocket, NX237, c/n 187, built 1928 as a CH-300 Pacemaker, salvaged from a glacier by Preston Synder in 1976 and converted to CH-400 - marked as "Columbia", original of which was destroyed in hangar fire.
• Travel Air 2000, NC6282, c/n 721, built 1927.
• Fairchild FC-2W2, NX8006, c/n 140, built 1928, "Stars And Stripes" - Richard Evelyn Byrd's Arctic exploration aircraft, on loan from the National Air and Space Museum.^[2]
• Heath Super Parasol, N1926, c/n 31919, built 1928, donated by Dr. E. C. Garber, Fayetteville, North Carolina.
• Pietenpol Air Camper and Sky Scout, N9040N, c/n 410, Ford-powered homebuilt, 1928, built and donated by Charles F. Duff.
• Brunner Winkle BK Bird, c/n 2025, built 1929, on loan from Dolph Overton.
• Curtiss-Robertson J-1D Robin, NC532N, c/n 733, built 1929, restored by Francis Clore.
• Fleet Model 1, NC766V, c/n 347, built August 1930 - marked as USAAC YPT-6.^[3]
• Aeronca C-2N Razor Back, N11417, c/n 151, originally built 1932 as C-1 Clipped Wing Cadet, converted 1932 to C-2N; rebuilt 1962.
• Taylor E-2 Cub, NC12628, c/n 33, built 1932.
• Aeronca C-3 NC14640, c/n 426, built 1935, donated by Kenneth Brugh, Greensboro, North Carolina.
• Waco YOC, NC17740, c/n 4279, built 1935, on loan from the Virginia Aeronautical Historical Society - once owned by Hollywood artist Walter Matthew Jeffries who designed the Starship Enterprise.
• Curtiss-Wright Speedwing Model A-14D, NC12329, built 1936, on loan from Allen H. Watkins - only one known in existence.

The Vultee V-1A Special at the museum

• Vultee V-1AD Special, NC16099, c/n 25, built 1936, "Lady Peace II" - once owned by publisher William Randolph Hearst, only one known in existence.
• Fairchild Model 24-G, N19123, c/n 2983, built August 1937.
• Stinson SR-10G Reliant, NC21135, c/n 5903, built 1937 for American Airlines and marked for that carrier - on loan from the Science Museum of Virginia.
• Waco EGC-8, c/n 5062, built for by R. G. LeTourneau, 1938, one of seven total sold - now owned by David Tyndall, Mechanicsville, Virginia - undergoing restoration in the museum shop.
• Bücker Bü 133C Jungmeister, N133BU, c/n 251, built 1941 - marked as aircraft of Beverly "Bevo" Howard.
• Piper J-3 Cub, N42535, c/n 14812, built 1943.

Postwar

• Ercoupe Model 415-D, N99143, c/n 1766, built 1946, donated by Charles Drummond, Poquoson, Virginia.^[4]
• Lockheed SR-71 Serial No. 61-7968, c/n 2019, on loan from the National Museum of the United States Air Force.
• Ling-Temco-Vought A-7D-7-CV Serial No. 70-966, c/n D.112, of the 192d Tactical Fighter Wing, Virginia Air National Guard, on loan from the National Museum of the United States Air Force.
• Quickie 200 Tri-Gear, N200XQ, c/n 2725, built 1988, from Tommy Burnette II, "Buckaroo".^[5]
• Grumman F-14D Tomcat Bureau Number 164346, of VF-31, USS Theodore Roosevelt, on loan from the National Museum of Naval Aviation.

For a great tour, visit their website:

Virginia Aviation Museum - Official Site:

www.vam.smv.org

Today's funny :o)

 OMG!

HOT!!!!!

At 7:57 AM:

 At 12:25PM :

 Put the thermometer in the shade and checked it a little bit later.

At 7:53PM:

Ahhhh, Summer!

Today is going to be warmer.

Got sidetracked again.....

Was looking for something on Geneva gears and came across this:

This and many more wonderful models are available for purchase at:


http://uk.onlyart.org/product-category/wooden_goods/wooden_toys/wooden_machines/


It would be fun to build a few of them!

Today's funny :o)

I'll get that darn mouse................... later!

A quiet Monday

Sunday night we had a lot of thunder and lightning, but very little rain (which we really do need).

The grass was dry enough for Hubby to do some weed-whacking in the morning.

 Gotta get that garden weeded (one of these days....)

 Charlie showing off. The girls ignore him:

 The tomatoes are starting to ripen!

It was a quiet day really. Didn't have to do any washing but I did spend an hour or so ironing.

Oh, joy....  :o)

A Giant Anteater!

Source: http://tf3dm.com/3d-model/anteater-skeleton-35679.html

Giant Anteater Facts

written by: Diana Cooper•edited by: Laurie Patsalides•updated: 3/13/2010

( http://www.brighthub.com/environment/science-environmental/articles/66219.aspx)

The giant anteater can eat thousands of ants in one day. Find more interesting facts about this anteater, including how big they get, how fierce they can become, how they give birth, and so much more.

• Giant Anteaters

  The giant anteater is an amazing creature that has been around for about 25 million years. Unfortunately, its numbers are decreasing due to habitat destruction and hunting. It is estimated that 5,000 remain in the wild and about 90 live in US zoos. Below are many interesting facts about the giant anteater, which will hopefully be around for many more years.

• Description

  The giant anteater is the largest species of anteaters. The male's length can reach 7 feet and his weight can exceed 100 pounds. The female is smaller. Giant anteaters have long coarse hair (up to 16 inches on the tail), long front claws (up to 4 inches), and long bushy tails that keep them warm (as a blanket) during the cool weather. They have a long tubular snout. They also have the longest tongue (in relation to body size) of any mammal. It is about 2 feet long and narrow like spaghetti.

• Habitat

  The giant anteater can be found in Central and South America in tropical forests, grasslands, and swampy areas. Unlike the smaller anteater species, it rarely climbs trees. Giant anteaters are terrestrial animals that walk around on their hind feet and front fists (they curl their long claws into their paws making a fist - this helps keep their claws sharp). They are good swimmers and will use their snouts as snorkels.

• Behavior

  Giant anteaters are typically mild-mannered and non-vocal creatures. However, when threatened, they can become quite fierce. They will rear up on their hind legs (using their tail for balance, like a bicycle kickstand), roar, and lash out at their attacker with their strong front legs and sharp claws. They can fight off and even kill their main predators like jaguars.

• Diet

  As their name implies, anteaters eat ants. They have no teeth so they lap up the ants with their long tongues and swallow them whole. They can eat up to 35,000 ants (and termites) a day. To prevent painful stings, their tongues dart inside the ant mound about 160 times a minute. They will spend only a minute at each mound to keep from destroying it. This way, they can come back and feed from it in the future.

• Reproduction

  Giant anteaters mate between March and May. Females have one offspring once a year (twins are rare). After a 6 month gestation, they give birth in a standing position, using their strong tails to keep them propped up. The pup (baby) will weigh about 3 pounds at birth, nurse for 6 months, ride on its mother's back for the first year, and leave its mother at 2 years of age.

• More Information

  The following are more interesting giant anteater facts:

  • Anteaters are active during the day (diurnal) where humans are scarce but adapt to being active during the night (nocturnal) in regions where humans exist.

  • Their metabolic rates are relatively low because of their diet and lifestyle. They have the lowest recorded body temperature (90.9° F) of any placental mammal.

  • Giant anteaters have poor vision but excellent hearing and a powerful sense of smell (40 times stronger than man).

  •Their average lifespan is about 15 years in the wild and about 26 years in captivity.

For more detailed information on this truly amazing animal: http://www.maiaw.com/anteater/