National Museum of the US Air Force – Go Back in Time of War

Today is the anniversary of the first use of an aircraft in war. During the Italo-Turkish war, Italian pilot Carlo Piazza made a exploration flight from Benghazi, Libya to observe Turkish army lines. If you have an interest in war planes, the National Museum of the U.S Air Force in Dayton Ohio is a historical place you’re going to want to see. The museum shows visitors the process of the modern day planes to space technology.

“Get there early and sign up for a tour of the presidential annex were they have several Air Force One’s. The day I was there I was able to walk through four of them including JFK’s and Truman’s and that was very cool.” said cygnusx112 a user of tripadvisor.com.

This museum is huge with many interesting exhibits. You can start your exploring with the Early Years Gallery. Here you get insight into the transformational era, seeing exhibits and artifacts from the time of the Wright brothers and their colleagues through World War I and World War II. Nationalmuseum.af.mil has a list of links about the exhibits, aircrafts, engines, and weapons. Other exhibit of planes that they have on display and from World War II, Korean War, Southeast Asia, and cold war.

“I hate to fly but . . . I LOVE AIRPLANES! They are beautiful and sleek! This is the BEST airplane museum I have ever been to. There are so many planes I have had to go back a couple of times just to see all of them.” said Keelin C a user of yelp.com.

The missile and space exhibit of the museum opened to the public in 2004. According to nationalmuseum.af.mil, the exhibit is contained in a silo-like structure that stands 140 feet high and you can see missiles such as the Titan I and II and Jupiter from ground level or can take in an aerial view from an elevated platform that hugs the inside circumference of the gallery.

The museum also has a memorial park. Here the museum honors Air Force units, people who lost their lives for the cause of freedom. In October 1972, the museum dedicated the first memorial with a commemorative tree and plaque recognizing Americans held as Prisoners of War by the North Vietnamese and those missing in action during the Southeast Asia Conflict according to nationalmuseum.af.mil.

Hour of operation: The museum is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week. The museum is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Some museum exhibits have special hours. The 8th Air Force Control Tower and Nissen Hut, located in the Air Park, are open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. The Presidential and R&D Galleries are open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Ticket admission: Admission to the museum is FREE. here is a You Tube video of the museum.