LHR-BOS-ORD-SAN-LHR on BA and AA: Snow, Lobsters and Aircraft Carriers

[yflyer]

Back on the main flight deck, a glimpse of two operational nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, in the current US Navy fleet, across the water...



If you are visiting San Diego, and are a military aviation enthusiast, or military history buff, I would highly recommend a tour of the USS Midway.

-- END OF UPDATE --

[yflyer]

Of course, a TR would not be complete without a look at dining and accommodation onboard ...

Various parts of the ship were open to visitors. It was very interesting to get a glimpse of what life was like on one of these carriers.

Crew dining area...





Senior Officer's dining room...



I would guess this is where the Captain hosts dinners with his naval counterparts...note the Japanese/Oriental themed decor, from its last home port in Japan.



Regular crew bunks...



The Captain and other senior naval officers such as the XO, had private quarters...



XO's office...

[yflyer]

Proceeding to the main carrier deck, this would be heaven for military aviation enthusiasts, with a large variety of Jet-age aircraft on display...





An F14 Tomcat (Of "Top Gun" fame...)...



A rare Vigilante...



F4 Phantom...



Douglas Skyraider...



Other types on display included an F18 Hornet (In desert camo paint scheme...) and A7 Corsair II (Following picture...)



Navy veterans were on hand to give short talks on their experiences of carrier operations...



CH-46 Sea Knight Helicopter.



I initially mistook this for an early variant/version of the CH-47 Chinook, but was corrected by 9V-JKL. These 2 look very similar, but the CH-46 Sea Knight is smaller and a completely different helicopter from the CH-47, although they are commonly mistaken for each other because they both have two rotors. (Was just amazed that 9V-JKL knew all that! And I thought his specialty was SQ... )...

Bridge tours were available...



It was just an amazing experience to walk on the vast flight deck of this carrier...

[yflyer]

A view entertainment-oriented motion simulators as well...





...not for those prone to motion-sickness!



Wildcat (Left) and SBD Dauntless (Right) outside the Battle of Midway Theater...

[yflyer]

You enter the museum first into the larger hangar below deck...



On the walls, several posters outlined the history of the USS Midway...



First commissioned just after WW2, it first saw action in Vietnam, and played major role even in modern conflicts, as the flagship in Operation Desert Storm in 1991, before being decommissioned in 1992, and opening as a museum in San Diego in 2004.



And over the years it underwent various refits to end it's service as a fairly modern carrier.



Its last port was Japan.



The exhibits onboard ranged from WW2 era aircraft to the modern day.

It was quite incredible to see well preserved WW2-era planes like this Dauntless Dive Bomber...



...and F4U Corsair, which I had only seen on Television or photos till this point....



Cockpits were open to peer into...



...and ejection seats to try out (Not much more comfortable than commercial aviation Y seats ...)



An F6F Hellcat with wings folded is in the background, behind the ejection seats...

[yflyer]

A Visit to the USS Midway Museum

yflyer: I was looking forward to pics of the aircraft carrier tour but...

As requested by jhm...

On this trip in Late January 2016, I jogged past, but did not have time to visit the USS Midway Museum, which is a floating aircraft carrier, CV-41, the USS Midway, now decommissioned and turned into a floating museum.





A few months after this trip too place, I had the opportunity to make another trip to the US in August 2016, where I visited San Diego again, and on that occasion, managed a visit to the USS Midway.

I had a great visit to this military aviation museum, which I would recommend to all enthusiasts.

Here are some pictures from the visit!

[HUGE AL]

And here I was thinking you were an LA native

I'm a citizen of the world.

Chicago Chop House goes straight to the top of my list of restaurants to try next time I am in Chicago!

Gibson's is also very good (be sure to get a "slice" of pie). The former is dry-aged; the latter is wet-aged.

But I'm happy with the veal chop or burger at RL -- across the street from the Park Hyatt (supposed mothership but definitely NOT).

[yflyer]

yflyer: I was looking forward to pics of the aircraft carrier tour but...

I was looking forward to the carrier tour too, but there just wasn't enough time!

There was a really impressive array of aircraft on display on the flight deck, including an F-14 Tomcat (Of Top Gun fame...). I caught a glimpse of some of these from the pier, but you really had to be on the flight deck itself to explore the exhibits...

I have to admit that San Diego wasn't previously on my travel radar, but after my most recent experiences, I am keen to head back.

[yflyer]

A Hyatt?!? And in my hometown?!? Chicago Chop House is better.

And here I was thinking you were an LA native

I am actually a big fan of Hyatt...I tried to book the Hyatt in Boston based on your recommendation, but the rate was too high.

Chicago Chop House goes straight to the top of my list of restaurants to try next time I am in Chicago!

[yflyer]

End of the Cold War, the Russians were pretty much broke and sold her to Finland, somehow ended up in private hands in Finland, then Vancouver, then Seattle, then sold to that museum.

Thanks, leops1984! Amazing...

[jhm]

A Hyatt?!? And in my hometown?!? Chicago Chop House is better.

Ah, that brings back memories of the veal chop I had at the RL restaurant many years ago as a result of your recommendation at the time!

yflyer: I was looking forward to pics of the aircraft carrier tour but...

[HUGE AL]

I stayed at the Hyatt Chicago Magnificent Mile, located in a prime spot just off Michigan Avenue.

A Hyatt?!? And in my hometown?!? Chicago Chop House is better.


Regarding GoGo Internet, it's less expensive to purchase passes on the ground:

http://www.gogoair.com/list-all-products

But not so sure how long it will be on AA given the lawsuit filed the other day:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/n...i-fi/80496068/

[leops1984]

...and several older vessels...including the Star of India sailing ship from 1863, a replica ship HMS Surprise, which was used in the great movie "Master amd Commander", and another submarine, a Soviet Foxtrot-class sub. How did THAT end up there?

End of the Cold War, the Russians were pretty much broke and sold her to Finland, somehow ended up in private hands in Finland, then Vancouver, then Seattle, then sold to that museum.

[yflyer]

I slept soundly on this flight, rocked to sleep by fairly severe turbulence...



...only waking up briefly to grab a snack from the galley...



An hour before landing, a full hot breakfast was served by the very cheerful cabin crew...



Full English Breakfast...



...very tasty, especially the creamy scrambled eggs...



Cabin ambience...very open and spacious feel in this 9-abreast Y cabin...



Descent into London, with great views of the Thames and London landmarks for those sitting by the window...



An early arrival into London, which set the stage for a very pleasant visit to London while in transit, prior to my flight back to SIN later that evening.



Thanks for reading!

[yflyer]

I scored a bank of 3 empty seats in the last row, and was set for a good night's sleep...

But first, a G&T...



...and dinner...



A delicious salad with cheese, tomato and pesto...



...and a very satisfying macaroni pasta with tomato and olives for my main...