Delving Into History: the National Museum of the USAF

Written by Dabney B. on Monday, March 26th, 2012

The National Air and Space Museum is probably America’s most famous aeronautic museum. While it does have a few exhibits devoted to Air Force technology and aircraft, it is not the most dedicated USAF museum. That title goes to Ohio’s National Museum of the United States Air Force.

Broken up into sections that display vital aircraft from certain periods in US history, the NMUSAF is the most comprehensive look at the superiority of the US Air Force throughout history. From early blimps to state-of-the-art Cold War super jets, this museum has everything an Air Force aficianado could ever hope for.

This week, we’re going to take a virtual tour through the NMUSAF, aided by this exploration tool. We’ll take a look at the most famous aircraft from our nation’s history, discuss the contributions of these engineering marvels, and examine the growth of the US Air Force.

But before we get started, let’s take a look at the museum itself. The museum started with a few items kept for preservation in the 1920s, and it continually grew as the Air Force added more buy diazepam generic items to the collection. It is currently the world’s largest and oldest aviation museum, containing over 350 aircraft and missiles.

Aircraft aren’t the only things visitors will find in the museum. It contains rare aviation artifacts such as vintage WWII leather flying jackets, and it also has President Ronald Reagan’s peacoat and an IMAX theater.

The lawn surrounding the museum contains Memorial Park, which displays a number of plagues and statues dedicated to the honor of Air Force pilots. In 1972, the museum created the first of these exhibits to remember the Prisoners of War who suffered during the Vietnam War. Memorial Park has grown considerably since then; it now contains literally hundreds of memorials, benches, statues, and other honorary objects.

And best of all: admission is free. If you ever happen to find yourself near Dayton Ohio, the National Museum of the United States Air Force is simply a must-see. If you have so much as a passing interest in aviation or the US Air Force, this museum will give you an unprecedented look at our nation’s great aircraft.

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