NSR: visit to the National Museum of the US Air Force

[Stig / Major Tom]

19 acres of 350+ planes under roof in 4 massive hanger-like buildings.

Took this photo outside - this is about 40% the actual length of the building I'm standing under.


WW I airplanes

Spad


Sopwith Camel


colorful German planes



WW II

Curtis P-40, in Pacific War livery


Hawker Hurricane, in the livery of 71 Squadron, Royal Air Force
1n 1940 (well before we entered WWII) American pilots were recruited to fly British aircraft against Hitler's forces.


The Belle



D-Day


Vietnam

Low & Slow
couple of Forward Air Controllers (FACs)


Sandy A-1 Skyraider  Like the VW beetle - this thing was in service from 1946 through the early 1980's!; a good friend to troops on the ground and downed pilots; fuel tank and pilot area armored; could carry a kitchen load of armament! A big plane - with a huge propeller ....see it's scale compared to the nearby female in the photo.


F-4 Phantom, Fast Mover AKA, "old Smokey" which left a nice trail for those trying to shoot it down~!


B-52, aka, BUFF
designed by Boeing in 1948, those built in the early 60's are still flying. Never saw one during my tour - they fly too high to see - but we did hear their bombs - like distant thunder.


and a Huey


The parking lot wraps all the way around the end of the museum, out of sight here.
There were lot of cars there for a 'Nam War Vet's day. But w/ 19 acres - you're not crowded. Nor was the large restaurant upstairs, where I took this photo.


for decades I have always been able to entice 4 girls and 2 boys to join me for visits to this museum, where they enjoyed  chocolate milk and fries upstairs!

Stig

[mrmike]

That's a really neat museum. My wife and I did that, the Cincinnati Zoo, and the Columbus Zoo on a trip 2 years ago.

[Iahawk]

very cool pics

[Neil955i]

Nice Stig and great it’s not just American memorabilia.

[Stig / Major Tom]

Nice Stig and great it’s not just American memorabilia.

Of those 350 there is that first German jet, a Zero, Viet/China/Soviet migs, a pair.
A Berlin Wall display. (had a wall section shipped over!)
The Berlin airlift display.
Holocaust RR car.
Barrage balloon.
V-1 & and V-2.
Japanese Kamikaze manned bomb.
Personal POW memorabilia from WW II and N. Vietnam. 
A whole lot of stories on the wall!

Family visits, and maybe 100 visits on my weekly psych patient outings (for 13 yrs)....and I've yet to read it all.
It's amazing how many locals have never been. My patients always enjoyed the visits....and I didn't have much to worry about.
Pretty safe place to bring them! Tough to damage an airplane that's made to go to war in.
The (Bob) Hope hotel on the base hosts private banquets in a specific open area, fairly large, with these military airplanes very close by the tables! One gets used to the smell of steak with airplanes
Wife and kids and I have been to three over the years. Always held in the evening - after museum hours.






the plane Kennedy took his last ride in



Stig