National Museum of the U.S. Air Force

I decided to make a quick stop at the U.S. Air Force Museum but I ended up staying until closing time because it was so marvelous. Not only is this the world's largest and oldest military aviation museum with more than 360 aircraft and missiles on display but admission to the museum is free! They have exhibits ranging from 1901 to present day and cover the entire spectrum of aviation history.

From the Wrights: to modern day carriers:

There is also an exhibit on the Holocaust that was haunting. I remember learning about the Holocaust and reading about it but I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many pictures of it. I actually started crying while I was walking through the gallery because the pictures were just awful. Not graphic but the photographer had a very stark black and white format to all of them so they were very poignant.

There are three massive hangers filled with planes that cover the floor and ceiling. There's even an entire blimp! You can even go inside some of them. Here are a few that I found really cool.

This exhibit was really cute. This is "Vittles," a dog that flew 131 missions with his owner with his own customized parachite. Vittles accumulated around 2,000 flying hours, but never had to use the parachute. Shark plane:
C-123K aka Patches. The aircraft took almost 600 hits in combat, and it was named Patches for the damage repairs that covered it. 7 of its crew received the Purple Heart for wounds received in battle.
I liked the story of this one because Col. Joseph Davis Jr. named his F-84G Four Queens for his wife and his three daughters.
This exhibit demonstrates what could happen to a cadet pilot when taxiing with the wind from behind and applying his brakes too hard. The wind would lift the tail, and the nose would hit the ground. Such an accident resulted in at least a stern lecture from the instructor and possibly the student's dismissal from the school. On average during the war, 40 percent of the cadet pilots did not graduate from flying school.
B-29 from the Korean War:
This story is crazy:

The lighting on this one is neat:I like the explicit directions this plane has:

There is also a small outdoor section with several planes on display:

Lockheed AC-130A HerculesNorthrop YC-125B Raider:
The "bird of prey". The nose of this plane cracks me up. It is equipped with a steerable seven-foot antenna dish inside it.
Lastly, there is also a memorial park, that honors people for their service and sacrifice.I was leaving just as the sun was going down and I loved the pictures I got.


This museum is an amazing learning experience and the fact that it is free is astonishing. If you are ever in the Dayton, Ohio area it is a definite must see. If you're not though they do offer a great virtual tour on their website. Seriously, this virtual tour lets you tour the entire museum as if you were actually walking around!! http://www.nmusafvirtualtour.com/full/tour-std.html.