National Museum of the United States Air Force

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National Museum of the United States Air Force
Established 1923
Location Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
Type Aviation museum
Director Maj. Gen. Charles D. Metcalf, USAF (retired)
Curator Mr. Terry Aitken
Public transit access Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority
Website www.nationalmuseum.af.mil

Coordinates: 39°46′55″N 84°06′32″W / 39.781976, -84.108892

The National Museum of the United States Air Force (formerly the United States Air Force Museum) is the official National Museum of the United States Air Force and is located on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, East-northeast of Dayton, Ohio. Over 400 aircraft and missiles are on display, most of them indoors. Admission is free.

Contents

The museum has many rare and important aircraft (referred to as "Rare Birds") and other exhibits, including one of four surviving Convair B-36s, the only surviving XB-70 Valkyrie, and Bockscar—the B-29 Superfortress that dropped the second atomic bomb in World War II.

The museum has several Presidential aircraft, including those used by Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, and Dwight D. Eisenhower. The centerpiece of the Presidential aircraft collection is SAM 26000, the first aircraft to be called Air Force One, a modified Boeing 707 used by Presidents John F. Kennedy through Richard Nixon during his first term, after which served as the backup Presidential aircraft. That aircraft was most used by Lyndon B. Johnson.

There is a large section of the museum dedicated to pioneers of flight, especially the Wright Brothers, who conducted some of their experiments at nearby Huffman Prairie. A replica of the Wright's 1909 Military Flyer is on display, as well as other Wright Brothers artifacts. The building also hosts the National Aviation Hall of Fame, which includes several educational exhibits.

Main entrance to the museum
Main entrance to the museum

The museum has a large inventory of USAAF and Air Force clothing and uniforms in its collection. At any time over fifty WWII vintage A-2 leather flying jackets are on display, many of which belonged to famous figures in Air Force history. Others are beautifully painted to depict the airplanes and missions flown by their former owners. Included in the museum's displays are the jacket worn by Gen. Jimmy Stewart, P-38 ace Maj. Richard I. Bong's B-3 sheepskin B-3 jacket and boots, an A-2 jacket worn by one of the few USAAF pilots to leave the ground during the attack on Pearl Harbor, and President Ronald Reagan's peacoat.

The museum completed the construction of a third hangar and hall of missiles in 2004. It now houses Cold War-era planes such as the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber (test aircraft), the F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter and others. Fundraising has begun for a fourth hangar to house the museum's space collection, presidential planes and an enlarged educational outreach area, making all more accessible to the public.

The museum has an IMAX theatre that mainly features aviation and space oriented IMAX films. There is a charge for these films.

The museum owns other aircraft that are on loan to other aerospace museums in the United States. Most of these loaned aircraft duplicate aircraft that are exhibited by the museum. The museum's staff has very high standards for the quality of care/restoration of loaned assets, and has, in the past revoked these loans when it was deemed that these other museums did not have the resources to properly care for an artifact. This happened in the case of the famous B-17, Memphis Belle.

USAF Museum Insignia
USAF Museum Insignia

The museum dates back to 1923 when the Engineering Division at Dayton's McCook Field first collected technical artifacts for preservation. In 1927 it moved to then-Wright Field and was housed in a succession of buildings. In 1954 as the Air Force Museum it was housed in its first permanent facility, Building 89 of the former Patterson Field in Fairborn, which had been an engine overhaul hangar, and many of its aircraft were parked outside and exposed to the weather. It remained there until 1971 when the current facility was first opened. Not including its annex on Wright Field proper, the museum has more than tripled in square footage since its inception in 1971.[1]

All aircraft in this list were designed/built in the United States of America, unless otherwise indicated.

Caquot Type R Observation Balloon during the First World War.
Caquot Type R Observation Balloon during the First World War.

Martin YB-10 on display at the museum
Martin YB-10 on display at the museum

Museum display depicting a B-25B Mitchell in preparation for the Doolittle Raid
Museum display depicting a B-25B Mitchell in preparation for the Doolittle Raid
Bockscar and a replica of Fat Man on display at the museum
Bockscar and a replica of Fat Man on display at the museum

C-124 Globemaster II at the museum
C-124 Globemaster II at the museum

Hanoi Taxi (Lockheed C-141 Starlifter) flying over the museum in December 2005
Hanoi Taxi (Lockheed C-141 Starlifter) flying over the museum in December 2005

B-36 Peacemaker and F-94 Starfire
B-36 Peacemaker and F-94 Starfire

VC-137C - SAM 26000 arriving at the Museum
VC-137C - SAM 26000 arriving at the Museum

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BASES: Arnold Air Force Base • Brooks City-Base • Edwards Air Force Base • Eglin Air Force Base • Hanscom Air Force Base • Hill Air Force Base • Kirtland Air Force Base • Robins Air Force Base • Tinker Air Force Base • Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
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OTHER UNITS: Aeronautical Systems Center • Air Force Research Laboratory • Air Force Security Assistance Center • Arnold Engineering Development Center • Electronic Systems Center • National Museum of the United States Air Force • Nuclear Weapons Center • Ogden Air Logistics Center • Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center • Warner Robins Air Logistics Center
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Museum_of_the_United_States_Air_Force"
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