National Museum of the United States Air Force
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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 at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, east of Dayton, Ohio. Over 300 aircraft and missiles are on display, most of them indoors. Admission is free.
The museum has many rare and important aircraft 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, used by 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. 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.
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 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 A-2 jacket worn by Gen. Jimmy Stewart, P-38 ace Maj. Richard I. Bong's B-3 sheepskin jacket and boots, an A-2 jacket worn by one of the few USAAF pilots to get airborne during the attack on Pearl Harbor, and former 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.
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[edit] History
(From the Air Force Museum Foundation)
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.
[edit] Partial List of Collection
All aircraft in this list were designed/built in the United States of America, unless otherwise indicated.
[edit] Building an Air Arm (1907-1917)
- Wright Brothers 1901 wind tunnel
- Wright 1909 Military Flyer
- Curtiss 1911 Model D
- Wright Brothers 1911 Wind Tunnel
- Bleriot Monoplane (France)
[edit] World War I
- SPAD VII (France - used by U.S. Lafayette Escadrille)
- Curtiss JN-4D "Jenny" (trainer)
- Standard J-1 (trainer)
- Thomas-Morse S4C Scout (trainer)
- Avro 504K (trainer)
- Nieuport N.28C-1
- Sopwith F-1 Camel (Great Britain, used by United States Army Air Service)
- Fokker Dr.I (Germany)
- Caquot Type R Observation Balloon (France - used by United States Army)
- Halberstadt CL IV (Germany)
- SPAD XIII (France)
- Fokker D.VII (Germany)
- Kettering Bug Aerial Torpedo (U.S - First cruise missile)
- Caproni Ca.36 (Italy)
[edit] Inter-War Years
- De Havilland DH-4 (U.S. built from a British design)
- Martin MB-2 (First U.S. designed bomber)
- Loening OA-1A (observation amphibian aircraft)
- Consolidated PT-1 "Trusty" (trainer)
- Boeing P-12E
- Curtiss P-6E
- Boeing P-26A Peashooter
- Martin B-10
- Douglas O-38F
- Douglas O-46A
- North American O-47B
- Curtiss O-52 Owl
- North American BT-9B (trainer)
- Stearman PT-13D Kaydet (trainer)
- Fairchild PT-19 Cornell (trainer)
[edit] World War II
- Hawker Hurricane Mark.IIa (Great Britain)
- Bristol Beaufighter Mk. I
- De Havilland DH 82A Tiger Moth (Great Britain)
- De Havilland Mosquito
- Curtiss P-36A Hawk
- Curtiss AT-9 "Jeep"
- Mitsubishi A6M2 "Zero" (Japan)
- Douglas B-18 Bolo
- Seversky P-35
- Douglas A-24 Dauntless
- Taylorcraft L-2M Grasshopper (observation)
- North American B-25B Mitchell (Part of a display commemorating the Doolittle Raid)
- Bell P-39Q Airacobra
- Curtiss P-40E Warhawk (Flying Tigers paint scheme)
- Ryan PT-22 Recruit (trainer)
- Vultee BT-13 Valiant (bombing trainer)
- Supermarine Spitfire Mark. Vc (Great Britain)
- Supermarine Spitfire PR. XI
- Macchi MC.200 Saetta (Italy)
- Fieseler Fi 156C-1 Storch (Germany)
- Noorduyn Norseman (Canada)
- North American A-36A Apache
- Consolidated B-24D Liberator
- Lockheed P-38L Lightning
- Martin B-26G Marauder
- Republic P-47D Thunderbolt
- Douglas C-47D Skytrain
- Messerschmitt Bf 109G-10 Gustav (Germany)
- Focke-Wulf Fw 190D-9 (Germany)
- Messerschmitt Me 163B Komet (Germany)
- Messerschmitt Me 262A Schwalbe (Germany)
- Junkers Ju-88D (Germany)
- Fieseler Fi 103 (V-1) "Buzz Bomb" (Germany)
- V-2 with Meilerwagen (Germany)
- Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress Shoo Shoo Baby
- The Memphis Belle, the legendary B17-F, is at the museum and is being restored and when complete, will become the museum's principal specimen of the B-17
- North American P-51D Mustang
- Curtiss C-46D Commando
- Consolidated OA-10 Catalina (Army Air Forces variant of the PBY Catalina)
- Sikorsky R-4B Hoverfly (world's first production helicopter and the Army Air Force's first service helicopter)
- Douglas A-20G Havoc
- Northrop P-61C Black Widow
- Kawanishi N1K2-J Shiden-Kai "George-21" (Japan)
- Yokosuka Ohka Trainer (Japan)
- Boeing B-29 Superfortress Bockscar - Aircraft that dropped atomic bomb on Nagasaki
[edit] Korean War
- North American F-82B Twin Mustang
- Lockheed F-80C Shooting Star (First operational U.S. jet fighter)
- North American F-86A Sabre
- Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15bis 'Fagot' (USSR - this aircraft was landed in Japan by a defector and later test flown by Chuck Yeager)
- Lockheed F-94A Starfire
- Republic F-84E Thunderjet
- North American T-6 Mosquito (forward air control version of T-6 Texan trainer)
- North American B-45C Tornado
- Douglas C-124C Globemaster II
- Sikorsky YH-5A
- Sikorsky UH-19B Chickasaw
- Douglas A-26C Invader
- Fairchild C-82 Packet
- Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar
[edit] Vietnam War
- North American F-100F Super Sabre
- Douglas A-1E Skyraider
- Cessna YA-37A Dragonfly
- Martin EB-57B Canberra (U.S. manufactured version of British design)
- Northrop YF-5A Skoshi Tiger
- Cessna O-1G Bird Dog (forward air control)
- Cessna O-2 ASkymaster (forward air control)
- North American OV-10A Bronco
- Kaman HH-43B Huskie
- Sikorsky CH-3E
- Bell UH-1P Iroquois
- De Havilland Canada C-7 Caribou
- Fairchild C-123K Provider
- Douglas RB-66B Destroyer
- Lockheed EC-121D Warning Star
- Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 'Fresco' (USSR)
- Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21PF 'Fishbed' (USSR)
- Republic F-105D Thunderchief (besides the fighter version, there is also a Wild Weasel F-105G version on display)
- McDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantom II
- Boeing B-52D Stratofortress
- Ling-Temco-Vought A-7D Corsair II
- General Dynamics F-111A Aardvark
- Lockheed C-141 Starlifter Hanoi Taxi
[edit] Cold War
- Convair B-36J "Peacemaker"
- Boeing WB-50D Superfortress (weather reconnaissance variant)
- Piasecki CH-21B Workhorse
- De Havilland Canada U-6A Beaver
- Boeing KC-97L Stratotanker (aerial refueling tanker)
- Republic F-84F Thunderstreak
- Northrop F-89 Scorpion
- Lockheed F-104C Starfighter
- Convair B-58 Hustler
- Boeing RB-47H (reconnaissance variant)
- Lockheed U-2A
- McDonnell F-101 Voodoo and (there is also the RF-101 reconnaissance variant on display)
- Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19S 'Farmer' (USSR)
- Sukhoi Su-22 "Fitter" (USSR)
- Douglas C-133 Cargomaster
- Convair F-102A Delta Dagger
- Convair F-106A Delta Dart
- Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird
- Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 Flogger
- Dassault Mystere IV A
[edit] Post Cold War
- Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk
- Lockheed AC-130A Spectre "Azrael"
- Fairchild Republic A-10A Thunderbolt II
- Panavia Tornado (Great Britain)
- Rockwell B-1B Lancer
- Northrop B-2A Spirit (static test mock-up)
- Northrop YF-23 Black Widow II
- Lockheed-Boeing-General Dynamics YF-22 Raptor
- General Atomics RQ-1A Predator
- Boeing X-32 Joint Strike Fighter
- Mikoyan-Gurevich Mikoyan MiG-29 "Fulcrum" (USSR)
[edit] Presidential Aircraft
- Douglas VC-54C Sacred Cow
- Used by Franklin Delano Roosevelt and first 27 months of Harry Truman's administration
- The National Security Act of 1947, creating the United States Air Force, was signed aboard this aircraft [1]
- Douglas VC-118 Independence
- used by Harry Truman
- Lockheed VC-121E Columbine III
- Used by Dwight D. Eisenhower
- Bell UH-13J Sioux
- Used by Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy
- Boeing VC-137C - SAM 26000 (Boeing 707 - first aircraft called Air Force One)
- Used by John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Nixon during his first term.
- Beech VC-6A Lady Bird Special (King Air B90)
- Used by Lyndon Johnson for frequent trips from Austin, Texas to LBJ Ranch
- Aero Commander U-4B (military version of L-26 Aero Commander)
- Used by Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1956 to 1960 for short trips
- North American T-39A Sabreliner
- Used to transport Lyndon Johnson after leaving office
- Lockheed VC-140B JetStar
- Used by Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan for trips requiring a smaller aircraft
[edit] Research and Development Aircraft
- Bell P-59B Airacomet
- Boeing EC-135 Stratolifter (modified) ARIA Bird of Prey
- Fisher P-75A Eagle
- Convair XP-81
- Republic XF-91 Thunderceptor
- Convair XF-92A
- Convair XC-99
- McDonnell XF-85 Goblin
- McDonnell XF-90
- Republic YRF-84F FICON (prototype of F-84)
- Republic XF-84H (turboprop version of F-84)
- North American F-107A
- Lockheed YF-12A
- North American XB-70 Valkyrie
- LTV XC-142A (Tiltwing research)
- Lockheed NT-33A
- Piper PA-48 Enforcer
- Northrop Tacit Blue (Whale) (stealth low observable demonstrator)
- McDonnell Douglas F-15 Streak Eagle (time-to-climb record holder)
- Bell X-1B
- Douglas X-3 Stiletto
- Northrop X-4 Bantam
- Bell X-5
- Lockheed X-7A
- North American X-10
- Ryan X-13 Vertijet
- North American X-15 (Hypersonic record holder)
- Curtiss-Wright X-19
- Grumman X-29A
- NASA/Boeing X-36
- Boeing X-45 Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle
- Boeing Bird of Prey
[edit] External links
- Official website
- The Air Force Museum Foundation - a private non-profit organization supporting the mission and goals of the National Museum of the USAF
- SR-71 Online - National Museum of The United States Air Force - A guide to the museum and its displays.
- US Air Force Museum Photos Photos of exhibits in the National Museum of the USAF in Dayton, OH
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- Satellite image from WikiMapia, Google Maps or Windows Live Local
- Street map from MapQuest or Google Maps
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image from TerraServer-USA
