In Plane View: Abstractions of FlightNational Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC
Free
March 21, 2008—January 2009
Through 55 color photographs by museum photographer Carolyn Russo, this exhibition reveals the often overlooked “simple beauty” of aircraft and spacecraft design. By emphasizing the aesthetic, Russo creates images that distill the complexity of airplanes and spaceships into bold combinations of line, shape, light and color.
This exhibit is made possible by the generous support of Epson USA Inc., The National Museum of the Marine Corps, Smithsonian Affiliations, Bogen Imaging Inc. and a grant from the Smithsonian Women’s Committee.
A selection from In Plane View: Abstractions of Flight, a book and traveling exhibit by museum photographer Carolyn Russo, this photo shows the four-bladed MT natural composite propeller of the Extra 260, designed for extreme aerobatics.
The pattern of stripes and circles are rockets located on the base of the Freedom 7 II space capsule. The spacecraft had three small rockets to separate it from its booster, and three large retrorockets to slow the capsule and bring it out of orbit.
The single-piece wing with a racy sunburst paint scheme evoked speed and agility to the spectators and judges watching from the ground. The 6.5-degree sweep to the wing added stability to the tiny aircraft and allowed the pilot to access to the cockpit more easily.
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