When one thinks about New York, the first tourist objects he or she has in mind would be Empire State Building or 9/11 Memorial. Interpid is more of an overlooked tourist object: many simply do not know about it. In this post, I tell a story about this complex and aircraft carrier Interpid, in honor of which the museum has been named. Interpid is moored in the western part of Manhattan. The ticket price is $33, other practical information and news about exhibitions are available at the official website: https://intrepidmuseum.org/.
Interpid Aircraft Carrier
The Air Force Museum consists of several sections and temporary exhibitions. The main and, in my opinion, the most interesting part of the museum is the aircraft carrier itself, because a visitor has some freedom to see different corners of the ship.
The aircraft carrier with a crew of about 3000 people was the US Air Force ship from 1943 to 1974. Over the 31-year history, the ship went through three wars (World War II, Cold and Vietnamese), and also served as a recovery vessel for NASA. You can learn the detailed history from the special interactive stands inside the ship.
Also, there are various technical exhibits, like this ejection seat which was used in American aviation in the 1950s and 1960s. During the ejection, the pilot experienced forces between 12 to 20 “g” – the normal force gravity.
Since the structure of the aircraft carrier allows to store aircrafts inside the decks, here you can find some models that were used at different times. Folding wings helped to increase the number of aircrafts inside the vessel. Here you find both old and modern models.
Moreover, there are some simulators and interactive things that allow you to understand how everything works better. As usually, it was quite difficult to get to them because of a bunch of kids.
However, it is not a big problem, here is a plenty things to see. Perhaps adults, on the contrary, will be more interested in wandering around the ship itself. Escalator for pilots:
The compartments of the ship are divided for combat purposes: you cannot enter them, but through the glass you can see the whole picture and even some details. Combat information center:
Ready room:
Radar control room:
Carrier air traffic control center:
The captain bridge is a cherry on the exhibition cake:
Open-air Deck Exhibition
Open-air deck is first of interesting all because of the landing strip on the ship. I have visited 5 or 6 aviation museums, including Dayton Museum in the US and Swedish Airforce Museum, which is why aircrafts themselves are not so impressive for me. May be some Manhattan views add charm.
On the open deck, aircrafts and helicopters of various countries’ Air Forces are located. Frankly speaking, I did not understand what is the logic of placing them here. The exhibition includes famous American Black Bird and legendary Soviet MIGs.
Space Shuttle Pavilion
Another major exhibit of this complex is the Space Shuttle Pavilion.
In addition to Shuttle, the exhibition includes some replicas, history of the development of the concept, transportation, and launches.
In general, the museum complex Interpid is a perfect place for technology buffs. I really liked it, primarily due to the opportunity to climb and discover the ship. By the way, the Maritime Museum in Tallinn is something similar: it is possible to get inside the submarine, as well as to wander around the old ship.
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