Air Museum

[MIDNJAC]

Nice pics.....for such a random location, the McMinnville museum has some good a/c.....guessing that it has something to do w/ the Evergreen ($$$) influence

 

[FlyinSpy]

The only thing that sucks about Udvar-Hazy is the stiff parking... $12! It's better if you go with a group...

Interesting factoid: The only reason they charge $12 at Udvar-Hazy is so people don't use it to park when they fly out of Dulles. Charging that much apparently caused quite a bit of internal debate among the NASM folks when the museum first opened, but in the end they all agreed it was the best course of action to eliminate the "free rider" problem.

 

[phrogpilot73]

Interesting factoid: The only reason they charge $12 at Udvar-Hazy is so people don't use it to park when they fly out of Dulles. Charging that much apparently caused quite a bit of internal debate among the NASM folks when the museum first opened, but in the end they all agreed it was the best course of action to eliminate the "free rider" problem.

I thought that I had read somewhere that they had to charge parking because the Dulles Airport actually owns the land and required them to...

And for the record, I've sunk $48 into parking there already...

 

[MattWSU]

I used to live in Fairborn when my dad was in the Air Force and visited again a couple of years ago. The one at Wright-Pat is definitely the best of the air museums I've been to.

 

[TuxFlier]

The Wright-Pat museum is great. Not only is it huge, but there are so many historical aircraft there too (ie - Enola Gay, Hanoi Taxi, not too mention all the retired Air Force Ones).

I love the P-cola one, but feel like they just jam as much as they can into that building. Smithsonian is great, but they focus more on aviation in general rather than a specific military branch of aviation like the aforementioned places do.

Oh yeah, and the Eglin museum is kind of horrible. But then again, it's supposed to only be an 'Air Armament' place versus a giant place showcasing aircraft specifically.

 

[invertedflyer]

Whens the last time you were there? They changed the layout a bit in the last 3 years. Essentially its not devided into 4 sections: Pre-WWII, WWII, Korea through Vietnam, and then "Modern Aircraft."

Being from Dayton Ive been to that museum probably in the area of 50 times. While its huge and there is lots of space I liked the Naval Aviation Museum a lot better because that seemed to do a lot more with setting the aircraft up in a scene with period stuff rather then just "This is an F-4..... This is an A-7..... ect ect."

I was there last September. Yeah I guess it isn't themed like it was before... but it seemed that the aircraft were generally grouped with other aircraft from a specific era (ie Korea or Vietnam) ... I've never been to the Naval Aviation Museum... but as I'm a bigger fan of NA, I'm sure I'd enjoy it more. I really liked the exhibits such as the Hanoi taxi etc. though... very historically oriented.

Regardless, I think we can all agree that the NMUSAF is a huge museum with plenty of unique and time-honored aircraft to feast your eyes on. The cafe up there ain't to shabby either. mmmm.

 

[Flash]

The Wright-Pat museum is great. Not only is it huge, but there are so many historical aircraft there too (ie - Enola Gay, Hanoi Taxi, not too mention all the retired Air Force Ones).

I love the P-cola one, but feel like they just jam as much as they can into that building. Smithsonian is great, but they focus more on aviation in general rather than a specific military branch of aviation like the aforementioned places do.

Uhhhh, Enola Gay is at the Udvar-Hazy and at least one former Air Force One is at the Reagan Library.

I like the Smithsonian for that aspect. Where else do you get to see a model of the spaceship from Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the space shuttle Enterprise and a FW-190 (Udvar-Hazy) or the Wright Brothers plane, Glamorous Glennis and the coolest aircraft carrier model ever all in one museum (NASM)?

 

[Flash]

I’m ashamed to say I’ve never been, and I only live an hour away. However I’m inclined to agree with phrogpilot73, 12 bucks to park is steep. Especially if a family of four visiting the DC area drives all the way out there from downtown. Tolls, food, gas, and the 12 bucks all add up.

Steve

It is really nice when you live less than 3 miles away......

 

[Flash]

I have to hand it to them, The National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. Its the largest aviation museum in the world to my knowledge, including three huge hangers that have aircraft from WWI to present. If you go to the behind the scenes tour you can watch them restoring things like the Memphis Belle, and a Mig-29. The most impressive part of the museum in my opinion is the Vietnam Era Aircraft....whole hanger full of them. If you're ever up near Wright-Patterson, check it out.

The coolest thing I saw, the F-106 that landed by itself in a snow covered field after the pilot ejected. It had a full description of it and how it happened (was in a spin but recovered by itself after the pilot ejected). Even had a picture of the plane sitting in the field.........

 

[Lawman]

You guys wanna know what the best part of the Museum at Wright Patt is? The little F-4 Cockpit you get to sit in.... the one that looks like they drove an F-4 through the wall and just left it there.... Its a Navy F-4D. Yeah sure they had an F-4 Air Guard Squadron at Wright Patt whose heritage they are trying to honor by painting at such, but its a Navy Phantom.

 

[invertedflyer]

^^yeah I remember getting my jollies in that thing... poor museum maintenance probably had a bit of a cleanup job...

 

[Pugs]

Uhhhh, Enola Gay is at the Udvar-Hazy and at least one former Air Force One is at the Reagan Library.

Yep, that's Bockscar at WPA, the one that dropped the Nagasaki bomb.

 

[nittany03]

You guys wanna know what the best part of the Museum at Wright Patt is? The little F-4 Cockpit you get to sit in.... the one that looks like they drove an F-4 through the wall and just left it there.... Its a Navy F-4D. Yeah sure they had an F-4 Air Guard Squadron at Wright Patt whose heritage they are trying to honor by painting at such, but its a Navy Phantom.

I remember playing make-believe in that as a kid (and worrying how I was ever going to be a jet pilot when the glareshields were so high). Apparently it was used as part of the set for a TV show. The producers thought the public wouldn't understand the concept of an NFO, so that's why they put a second stick in the back cockpit and made that character another pilot. I do not kid.

 

[phrogpilot73]

It is really nice when you live less than 3 miles away......

Lucky bastard... My parents used to live in Manassas, so when I'd visit them I'd go. Now, I'm trying to convince my wife (who lives in Odenton) that it's worth the drive...

 

[jride200]

Has anyone visited any of the air museums in Great Britain? Although I have only heard second hand, there are many great air museums there.