The first use of aircraft involved in war in the U.S. came during the Civil War. A hydrogen filled balloon would lift Union soldiers high enough to see what the Confederacy was doing at a distance. According the museum material, the best known of these “aeronauts” was Thaddeus S. C. Lowe. He made observations during the first two years of the war and resigned over a dispute with the Union Army, depriving them of a very useful tool.
WWI
The Caquot Type R Observation Balloon was designed by French engineer Lt. Albert Caquot and served the U.S. and European militaries in WWI through WWII. The observation balloon was used between 1,000-4,000 feet above ground level and allowed observations as far as 40 mile away. The museum’s Caquot has been on display since 1979.
Vietnam War
Although not actually an aircraft, the Igloo White system was delivered by aircraft or helicopter to the jungles of Southeast Asia. These tubular-shaped camouflaged listening devices would stick in the ground and listen for voices or vibrations from trucks and troops along the Ho Chi Minh trail. Painted the same colors of the surrounding vegetation, their acoustic ports were designed to look like tree branches.
U-2
Designed by a team of engineers headed by Kelly Johnson at Lockheed as a high-altitude spy plane in the 1950s, the U-2 remained a secret program until CIA pilot Francis Gary Powers, Sr. was shot down over the Soviet Union and captured on May 1, 1960. This was a key moment in the Cold War and collapsed a U.S.-Soviet arms control summit. The high altitude spy plane routinely operates at 70,000 feet or higher. Updated versions of the U-2 continue their reconnaissance and surveillance mission today with the Air Force. The U-2 hangs from the ceiling of the Cold War Gallery.
Boston Camera
The largest aerial camera ever built went into the equally large Cold War era RB-36D bomber in 1954. This Boston camera and mount weighed more than 3 tons. But, it would produce photographs so sharp that photo interpreters could pick out golf balls from photos taken at 45,000 feet of altitude (that’s more than 8 miles high). The camera is on display in the Cold War Gallery along with a regular B-36J and features a nice LED colored lighting display that brings some sparkle to the black steel and glass camera.
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