The National Museum of the United States Air Force located at
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, is the service's
national institution for preserving and presenting the Air Force story.
Each year about a million visitors come to the museum to learn about the
mission, history and evolving capabilities of America's Air Force.
The museum is the world's largest and oldest military aviation museum
featuring more than 360 aerospace vehicles and missiles on display amid
more than 19 acres of indoor exhibit space. Thousands of personal
artifacts, photographs and documents further highlight the people and
events that comprise the Air Force storyline, from the beginnings of
military flight to today's war on terrorism.
Jeff Duford, National Museum of the United States Air Force Curator,
discusses the museum's mission that is... to preserve and pass on
Air Force history . . . as many of the exhibits are shown. Jeff
Duford doesn't just carry out that mission ... he lives it every day!
U.S Air Force video by Tech. Sgt. Nicholas Kurtz
(March 2012) / Edited by USA
Patriotism! (October 2016)
Galleries The museum's galleries present many rare and one-of-a-kind
aircraft and aerospace vehicles and thousands of historical items that
chronicle the evolution of military flight from the Wright brothers to
today's stealth aircraft. Sensory-rich exhibits, featuring mannequins,
artifacts, sound effects and theatrical lighting, place aircraft in
context and bring history to life by dramatizing and personalizing the
events depicted. Visitors walking through the museum can view multiple
galleries focusing on the various eras of military aviation and Air
Force history, including the early years, World War I, World War II,
Korea, Southeast Asia, the Cold War, presidential transport, research
and development, global reach and space.
Aircraft A number of
popular and historically significant aircraft headline the museum's
growing collection. Particularly noteworthy aircraft from the early
years include a rare SPAD XIII, Caproni Ca. 36 bomber and an MB-2
bomber. The World War II collection includes the B-29 Bockscar that
dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki, along with a P-51 and Japanese
Zero. The F-86 and MiG-15 help represent the Korean War, with the F-4
among Vietnam standouts.
Modern favorites include the B-52, B-1,
F-15, F-16, F-117 stealth fighter, the Predator, Reaper and Global Hawk
remotely piloted aircraft, the F-22A Raptor and the world's only
permanent public exhibit of a B-2 stealth bomber.
A new fourth
building, which opened in June 2016, includes the Space Shuttle Exhibit
featuring NASA's first Crew Compartment Trainer (CCT-1) that was used to
train astronauts on operating the Space Shuttle Orbiter, and highlights
the long history of the USAF/NASA partnership. The building also
features a world-class collection of experimental and presidential
aircraft, including the only remaining XB-70 Valkyrie, and Air Force
One, SAM (Special Air Mission) 26000, a Boeing VC-137C that served eight
presidents, as well as large cargo aircraft such as the C-141C Hanoi
Taxi, which airlifted the first American prisoners of war to freedom
from Gia Lam Airport in Hanoi, North Vietnam, on Feb. 12, 1973.
Education and Events Animating the Air Force story, the museum offers
a wide variety of special events and educational programs to connect the
service with the public. Through its education office, the museum has
more than 160,000 contacts each year with students, teachers, youth
groups and family members through hands-on learning activities,
workshops, tours and curriculum materials. In doing so, the museum helps
inspire tomorrow's Airmen and cultivates future air power advocates.
The museum manages hundreds of special events a year. Favorites
include the biennial World War I Dawn Patrol Rendezvous, Space Fest, the
Giant Scale Radio-Controlled Model Aircraft Air Show, concerts featuring
the Air Force Band of Flight, the Wings and Things Guest Lecture Series
and more.
