🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Nov19.160148.22142@samba.oit.unc.edu> thorn@phoenix.radonc.unc.edu (Jesse Thorn) writes:
>
>Andrew Bennett had originally posted the address for the National Air
>& Space Museum archive search service. They have recently moved. Their
>new address is:
>
> NASM
> Archives Division
> Room 3100
> MRC 322
> Washington, DC 20560
>
>Same deal - send them a letter requesting info on no more than 3
>aircraft. They will respond (hopefully) within 2 weeks on what info
>is available. You then send a check & they ship the stuff via UPS. The
>prices quoted were very nominal - something like $0.35 square foot for
>reproducing large size plans. There is a $3.50 UPS shipping charge.
>
>The fellow I talked to said they had things like the original
>manufacturer's drawings and maintenance manuals for some aircraft as
>well as plans specially made for modellers.
>
>I recently requested info on some aircraft that I want to model. I
>will post a followup when I get a reply from the folks in DC. This
>sounds like a good use of my Tax Dollars at last! (Has anybody out
>there got info from them?)
>
>--Jesse "Can't wait until work is over so I can go home and airbrush
>my Hobbycraft MS 406 kit tonight" Thorn

Yes, I've received a list of all aircraft drawings which they will send you
for a nominal charge. I ended up purchasing ~10 such drawings (everything
from a 6' long USS Ackron (airship) to various 1910-15 seaplanes (I'm not the
biggest buff on this stuff (Nyuck-nyuck) so I can't remember any specific 
names). The drawings are generally $3 - $7, depending upon size and number of 
sheets. I ordered a couple of planes which came with 3-4 different sheets.  I 
ended up washing the drawings with watercolors and hanging them on the wall. It
turned out quite nicely. My recollection is that there were roughly 150
different aircraft available. If I can find this list at home, I'll post it
along with drawing sizes, number of sheets, and cost. The drawings came via
UPS as Jesse stated in a very heavy poster tube.

Incidentally, I got this list during an open house at the NASM restoration
facility in Suitland, MD (out by Andrews, look for the intersection with
the Polaris missle). Once a year, they open the facility
and you get to walk around, inspecting the various aircraft (~200) that are
in various stages of restoration and asking the restorers various questions.
I enjoyed seeing the Enola Gay disassembled into convenient 20' pieces ;-).
They were in the final stages of restoring a P-47 and an F-87 - both done
quite beautifully. I was personally most surprised to learn that some of the
control surfaces on the B-29 are fabric covered. 

During the rest of the year I think that it is possible to arrange for group
tours of this site in Suitland.

Erik Hoel
hoel@asgard.umiacs.umd.edu