Tag Archives: travel

Cruising Along the North Kent Coast

I posted about the charity ride I did in September. The first day took us along the north Kent coast and a healthy tailwind pushed us along nicely. We went through some places that I have been to and plenty that I haven’t. Margate was last visited when I was in college! I had never been to Broadstairs (that I know of). I grabbed a few pictures of the coastline, castles and beaches so here are some of the places we saw along the way. The end of this day included a long climb up to the top of St Margarets with a brutal headwind, so it wasn’t all easy (and my rear tyre was deflating during that climb too!)

Details on Tiles and Insulation Blankets

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The previous post I created about the Space Shuttle, Discovery, had a number of shots of the whole orbiter. However, as I walked around, I found the lighting showed off the texture of the vehicle’s surface in a really interesting way. Not long before I went to Udvar-Hazy, I had seen a video that showed how the tiles had been made for the shuttle. That included a bit about the integrity that was required after which a hole was drilled in each tole for a moisture protection system. This hole created a hot spot which shows on all of the tiles on Discovery.

The tiles were used in the hottest areas of the airframe during reentry. Initially, the whole shuttle was covered in tiles but, over time, they changed to using a blanket type of insulation in the areas that were less stressed. The texture of these blankets looks rather rough for something that flies at such speeds. I guess it did the job nicely, though.

I also liked some of the details around the reaction control system nozzle and on the corners of some of the control surfaces. They look both tough but also quite delicate. An odd contradiction in my perceptions. To think that this was originally designed in the 1970s and then constantly improved up to the point when it was retired is quite something looking at it in 2026.

Sikorsky X2

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A few manufacturers have been experimenting with high-speed rotor craft. Sikorsky put its efforts into a project called X2. This is a contra-rotating helicopter with a pusher propellor. The contra-rotation of the rotors offsets the retreating blade stall issues that high speeds on helicopters cause. The rear pusher propellor allows the higher speeds to be achieved.

When the programme was completed, the airframe was donated to the National Air a Space Museum which put it on display at the Udvar-Hazy Annex at Dulles. Seeing it in person made it quite clear just how small the vehicle is. Since it is a research airframe, there is no need for payloads to be carried. It is about proving the concepts. That means it can be smaller and smaller also can mean cheaper. Seeing it from the side was also matched by having a good view down on it from one of the stairways. It would have been cool to see it fly, I imagine.

The X-35B and Its Propulsion System

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The F-35 is in widespread service in considerable numbers with many more to come in due course. However, before the F-35, there was the X-35 – the Lockheed Martin contender in the JSF competitive fly off. Up against the Boeing X-32, two X-35s were built. One of them was initially used to demonstrate the proposed Air Force configuration before it was modified with the vertical lift system proposed for what became the F-35B in USMC service.

With the competition complete, the demonstrators were superfluous and the X-35B airframe made its way to the National Air and Space Museum. Here it sits on display. What is the most interesting part – at least to me – is that they have taken the propulsion system out of the jet and put it on display separately. You can see the main engine as well as the lift fan module, the shaft coupling the two, the nizzle that both have to direct the flow and the roll posts that are used to provide both additional lift and roll control in the hover.

It is a cool demonstration of the basic configuration that is now operational in the F-35B. it has certainly been developed since this design, but the basic principles remain the same. Unlike the Harrier that had the engine in the centre of gravity of the aircraft (not a very convenient location) and redirected all thrust through four nozzles, this configuration has a mighty engine at the rear which can be vectored down when required through a three bearing nozzle that is both simple and ingenious but then a shaft drive from the same engine to a fan module that sits behind the cockpit drawing air from above and directing it down with some ability to vector it too. This forward fan balances against the rear main nozzle. It provides a significantly higher amount of vertical thrust than the Harrier ever managed and allows a larger and more capable aircraft to land vertically at the end of missions. Quite a smart piece of design.

Discovery from Every Angle

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The last time I visited the Udvar-Hazy facility, it was the home of the Enterprise – the first of the Space Shuttles and the one that was used only for atmospheric testing but, despite original plans, never went to space. When the shuttle programme ended, the orbiters were distributed to museum locations and Discovery was allocated to NASM replacing Enterprise. Therefore, this time I went, it was a first time to see Discovery.

Of course, everyone visiting is interested in a shuttle so there were always people around the orbiter. I just had to embrace that and get whatever shots I could make work. There are some detail shots that I took which I will deal with separately. They have more of an abstract feel to them. Here I shall just focus on the wider view of the orbiter.

As something that was designed to travel at such high Mach numbers, it is actually quite a blunt airframe. The nose has a chunky look to it and the leading edges are very thick. The lines of the wings are interesting and the underside is simple. However, the way it is displayed has the undercarriage extended and the ports that fed fuel from the external tank into the three main engines are opened up.

There is a balcony that overlooks the space hall where Discovery sits. This allows you to get a more level view and one from a distance that takes everything in while not being blocked by people or exhibits in front. I did also take some panoramas from down on the ground level. Being that close to the airframe that big makes for a quite distorted view. I find that rather interesting.

I have now seen three of the flying shuttles. Discovery on this visit, Endeavour as it was being completed in the museum in Los Angeles and Atlantis when it flew to space. Columbia and Challenger are gone, of course. Enterprise completes the set.

The Dulles People Movers Are Still Around!

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When I first went to DC in 1993, I flew into Dulles International Airport and was quite taken aback by the way in which we left the aircraft to head to immigration. Instead of having jet bridges, you boarded these bus-like vehicles that rose up to the level of the plane, then descended before driving us across the ramp and docked to a building where we disembarked. I had never seen anything like this before and thought it very odd.

Jump forward to 2026 and they are still there. Dulles has gone through all sorts of extensions and development. However, these people movers are still part of operations although they aren’t anything like as ubiquitous as they used to be. There seem to be two types. One has the ability to raise and lower as indicated by the fairing on the roof covering part of the mechanism. They also seem to be labelled to reflect different states. Then there is a simpler version that just has a letter and seems to run between places that I couldn’t identify. I don’t know how long they have left but it was curious to seem them still at work after all these years.

Lufthansa Anniversary A380

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The conditions for these shots were not ideal, but sometimes you just have to take advantage of the opportunity when it presents itself. I don’t now live somewhere where I get to see the Lufthansa long haul fleets so the special liveries that they have been applying for their 100^th anniversary are not something I have seen until we were getting ready to depart Dulles. As we were on the gate in our seats, the Lufthansa A380 taxied in. I was only able to get an oblique shot through the window of our 777. We then taxied past it on our way out when it was on the gate at which point things were very dark. At least I have got one of them now.

Inside Sagrada Familia

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I had my first post about Sagrada Família from the outside. I did that for two reasons. First, there is some logic to covering the outside first just because you see the outside before the inside. However, the other reason is that the outside is more dramatic. This was a deliberate design feature that Gaudi adopted. His philosophy was that the outside should attract you to the church. Once you are inside, you were supposed to focusing on worship rather than looking around.

Consequently, the interior is not as complex as the outside. However, while there is a simplicity to it, I did find it quite beautiful. The use of colour was interesting with the transition across the interior from one side to the other. Also, the columns supporting the roof had a grace about them that was something to see. The roof itself was also very nicely patterned. Our guide did an excellent job of explaining the various elements and the significance of them in his overall vision. They know a great deal about what he was planning given how early in the build process it was that he died!

After we had toured the ground level, our ticket included a ride to the top of one of the towers. The lift takes you up and then you walk back down. Apparently, the original design was that you would walk up and ride down, but I guess that is just not too practical for large numbers of tourists. The descent provides multiple chances to look out on the surrounding area as well as get a closer look at some of the exterior detailing. There is not shortage of detail! As we descended, there was a section of spiral staircase (helical if you are a geometry purist) which had an open core. This was a little startling for those of us that aren’t too keen on heights! Then we found ourselves back outside and it was time to retreat for some lunch!

Opportunistic Trip to Udvar-Hazy Center

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We had a quick trip that we made to Northern Virginia for a family wedding. We were only in the area for a few days before heading back to the UK. Since we had an overnight flight back, we needed to head to the airport in the late afternoon. Since we were checking out of the hotel and going to the airport, it provided a little spare time to swing by the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven Udvar-Hazy facility which is located on the south end of Dulles Airport.

I have been to Udvar-Hazy once before but that was a long time ago and I was looking forward to seeing some of the exhibits again and also seeing what had changed. There was still a lot of empty space when I had gone before but I was expecting things to have filled up a bit in the meantime. This was indeed the case.

There is so much to see at this place, one post is not even going to scratch the surface. There will be a string of individual posts about specific exhibits that will come in the weeks to come. This is more a quick overview of what we saw. The time we had there wasn’t enough to do everything that was available. Putting aside the IMax theatre which would only have been something to do if I had been there for a full day, there is the tower that they have which overlooks the airport. No time to get to that.

We didn’t have time to go to the café, and the shop was a quick pass but was also abandoned. The later parts of the exhibits were a really rapid run. I didn’t even get to fully explore the elevated walkways. We were there for a while, but it still wasn’t enough.

I have no idea when/if I will ever get back there so I was keen to get as much as I could and minimise how much Nancy was getting dragged around. I think we did as well as we could. I hadn’t seen the restoration space in my previous visit so having a look through the windows to see what was down there was good. Here are some shots that give an overview of the place. Now you know that there will be plenty more to come.

Sagrada Familia Externals

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Been a bit of time since the last of my posts from our short trip to Barcelona. Up to this point, I have not included anything regarding possibly the most famous building in the city, Sagrada Família. If I am honest, this is something that I was only vaguely familiar with before we went. I had heard about it and the amount of time that it had been under construction but, until we saw a TV show about Spain that included it, I really wasn’t terribly up to speed.

We had a chunk of time set aside to visit and, having taken the subway to get there, we were well ahead of our time for our tour which gave us time to walk around the whole site and check it out from as many angles as possible. As with any famous tourist attraction in a big city, the place was absolutely mobbed. Since we were tourists visiting it, it would be churlish to think that we weren’t also part of the problem! Of course, with construction of the structure still underway, the amount of funding that we all bring in is probably important to helping get things finished.

As for finished, it famously isn’t. I thought I had heard that it was going to be decades before it was but either I got that wrong or things have accelerated. They have made a lot of progress with the seven main towers in place. When we went inside, our tour guide told us that they don’t know when it will be done either, but she indicated that it might be another decade and then it would be done. That doesn’t sound so bad. There is one whole façade that needs to be done. If you look at the more ancient cathedrals around Europe, they took huge amounts of time to build too so this isn’t out of the norm.

Another thing the guide told us about was that Antoni Gaudi’s philosophy was that the exterior of the building had to be the eye-catching element. Drawing people to the church is important and, when inside, it is less important to be wowed. The interior is actually very nice, but I shall cover that in another post at some point before too long. As I have mentioned in some other Barcelona posts, I am not a massive fan of Gaudi’s style. However, this structure is definitely interesting and worth checking out in detail. And there is no shortage of detail! So many elements across the exterior of the building with meaning built in. While we attribute it to Gaudi, it is worth noting that he died when barely anything had been built. Others have been taking forward his designs and concepts. Maybe he would be pleased with it, but we shall never know.

I won’t try and recall the details of the symbolism of the many elements of the outside. There is a combination of different periods during which work has been done which means the styles might vary significantly. There are some modernist features that look pretty cool but definitely seem at odds with other parts. I know that this annoyed some people, but the combination of styles is actually something that I appreciate. If everything was just one style, that might be a touch dull – a strange word to use for something that is so visually striking.

While I might not be so into the reasons for these buildings existing, I do appreciate the beauty that gets created. Whether it is a cathedral hundreds of years old or one that is still under construction, the scale and the adventure of them is something to behold. Walking around Sagrada Família was something so impressive. Next, it was time to head inside. I will note that being inside did give the ability to have a closer look at some of the external details too but, since there was no shortage of stuff to include in this post, I will save that for the next time.