Hawaii by Air at the Smithsonian through Summer 2015

It's a bit of a hike for me, but some of you may be interested in the Hawaii by Air exhibit at the National Air and Space Museum (in Washington, DC). It opened today and runs for a year.

From the announcement:

“Hawaii by Air” not only tells the story of how air travel to the islands developed, but also how the airplane changed the travel experience. Firsthand accounts and reproductions of airline ephemera illustrate what travel to and among the islands was like, from sailing ships in the 1860s to the first daring transpacific flights in the 1920s to Stratocruisers in the 1950s and jets in the 1960s and beyond. The exhibition also includes airplane models, airline uniform badges, historic film footage, a high-resolution satellite image of the islands, broadcasts from a vintage Hawaiian radio show and live Hawaiian plants.

There's also a collection of pictures to browse at http://airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/hawaii-by-air/online/.

Thanks for the heads up.

I had never heard of the Boeing 377 Stratocruiser before!

Awesome exhibit. If I remember correctly the Strtocruiser was built on the bones of the B-29 Superfortress.

On 2014-07-29 18:49, uncle trav wrote:
Awesome exhibit. If I remember correctly the Strtocruiser was built on the bones of the B-29 Superfortress.

It was, with a "figure-eight" fuselage that allowed for a lower deck lounge. I Googled a few pictures and I think flying used to be more fun that it is now. And, the bathroom looked less painful.

http://www.aggregat456.com/2009/06/designing-friendly-skies.html

On the other hand, a one-way coach flight from New York to London was $2500 in today's dollars, and took fifteen hours.