| United States Air Force Museum |
Avg. visitor rating:  (126 visitors) |
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Description
- THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE MUSEUM
- near Dayton, Ohio is the oldest
and largest military
aviation museum in the world. The Museum uses
both chronological and
subjective layouts to tell the exciting story of
aviation development from
the days of the Wright brothers at Kitty
Hawk to the Space Age.
Exhibits include over 200 aircraft and missiles,
plus family oriented
and historically interesting aeronautical
displays. Over one and a half
million visitors from around the world come to
Ohio each year to tour
this unique free attraction.
- Location.
- The entrance to the Museum is on
Springfield Pike at
historic Wright Field (Gate 28-B),
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base,
six miles northeast of Dayton. I-70 travelers
should exit at Ohio
Route 4 south towards Dayton 8 miles to the
Harshman Road exit. Those on
I-75 should exit at Needmore Road, east six
miles. Route 4 drivers
exit at Harshman Road and follow signs to
Springfield Pike.
(Alternate access from I-70 via Exit 44/I-675.)
- Special Exhibits.
- All exhibits and displays are well
identified to permit
touring without guides. Photography is
encouraged, although flash
equipment will be required for most interior
pictures. Documentary
films are shown free in Carney Auditorium
on Saturday, Sunday and
holidays. A gift shop, bookstore, model
shop and poster shop,
operated by the Air Force Museum Foundation,
sell aviation-oriented
items with profits used to assist the Air Force
Museum. A cafe is available for refreshments.
Picnic tables are available during the summer
months. Sack lunches cannot be accommodated in
the Museum building.
Handicapped facilities include special parking,
an elevator to the
second floor, restroom facilities, lowered
water fountains and a
volume-controlled telephone. Baby strollers
and wheelchairs are
available on a limited basis for use inside the
Museum building. A
visitors' center, operated by the
Dayton/Montgomery County Convention
and Visitors Bureau, is available on the
grounds to assist
travelers with requests for lodging, local
restaurants and other
attractinns in the area.
- Museum Annex.
- Approximately 25 aircraft, including the
Museum's collection
of Presidential aircraft, are exhibited in two
hangars on the historic
Wright Field flight line, about one mile
from the main Museum
building. Access to the Annex is available by
free shuttle bus (Note: Please call ahead
for availability).
Annex operates daily on a reduced schedule, which
is posted in the Museum
lobby. Visitors are not permitted to drive their
own car or walk to
the Annex. The Annex aircraft exhibit is an
interim display. This
temporary display is austere. It is set up
to protect aircraft
recently restored by the Museum and to prevent
further deterioration of
aircraft awaiting restoration. No pets are
permitted at the Annex.
Limited baby strollers, wheelchairs and
restroom facilities are
available. No other services are offered in this
area.
- Research
- A research facility is located at the
Museum, maintaining
prints, technical manuals, aircraft drawings,
photographs, and other
USAF-related documents. These reference
materials are available to
serious researchers on week days only from 9
a.m. to 4 p.m. by prior
appointment. A document copy service is available
for a nominal fee.
Appointments may be made by calling (513)
255-4644.
- Memorial Park
- Adjacent to the Museum is a Memorial
Park of statuary memorials,
plaques and trees dedicated to individuals,
organizations and military
units associated with the Air Force. These
have been funded by
families, friends and members of various
organizations or veteran
associations. For information on stablishing a
memorial at the Air
Force Museum, contact the Museum's Public
Affairs Office at (513)
255-4704.
- Friends of the Air Force Museum
- The "Friends of the Air Force Museum"
membership program
draws together aviation enthusiasts interested in
the activities of the
Museum and assists in the growth of the
facility. For a nominal
annual fee, members receive such benefits and
privileges as discounts
in the gift shop and bookstore, newsletters, and a
Museum calandar, plus
much more. For more information, write:
- Air Force Museum Foundation,
- P.O. Box 1903,
- Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433.
- Air Force Museum Foundation,
- Public Assistance
- The public is encouraged to
offer suggestions for
improvements and to offer suitable items for
donation, such as personal
memorabilia, photographs, uniforms and documents
associated with Air
Force history. All offers should be
submitted in writing. For
additional information write: United
States Force Museum
Wright-Patterson AFB Ohio 45433-6518 Telephone:
(513) 255-3286 No
pets please!
- IMAX at the U. S. Air Force Museum
- Seeing an IMAX film is an amazing
emotional experience. It
puts you at the center of the action in a way
no ordinary movie can,
drawing you in with images that are so real you
want to touch them, so
powerful you can feel them. This stunning film
experience relies on
the best motion picture system available in the
world - the IMAX system.
IMAX incorporates state-of-the-art technology,
film frames three times
the size of conventional 70mm frames. The
six-channel stereo sound
system is critical to the IMAX experience, adding
to the sensation of
being in the middle of a real event
Shows start on the hour seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day). For current prices and film showings or for reservations call (513) 253-lMAX. Group and student rates are available.
The IMAX Theatre is operated by the Air Force Museum Foundation.
General Information
- Hours of Operation
- Sun-Mon 9:00am to 5:00pm
- Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day
- Admission
- Free
- Parking
- Free
Reviews / Comments by our visitors
| David Miller Bayonet Point, Florida |  I have been to many and I mean many aviation museums from California to Florida, including the National Air and Space Museum and the Navy Museum In Florida. If you only ever get to one (1) museum in your lifetime, get to this one, it is the grandaddy of them all and cover from the Wright Brothers through the Lockheed F-22 Raptor, and much history, like Richard Ira Bong greatest american ace of all time, and every other famous person relating to aviation either directly or indirectly. Truly, World Class, nothing else comes close, I could live in the place. Thank You. 09/04/2008 @ 12:08 [ref: 8406] |
| David , New York | This is the greatest aviation museum in the US! It is full of WWII warbirds and the most inovative aircraft in history. The best part is that it is free! It is a must to see. Stop by! 08/04/2008 @ 16:33 [ref: 8318] |
| David , New York | This is the greatest aviation museum in the US! It is full of WWII warbirds and the most inovative aircraft in history. The best part is that it is free! It is a must to see. Stop by! 08/04/2008 @ 16:33 [ref: 8317] |
| David , New York | This is the greatest aviation museum in the US! It is full of WWII warbirds and the most inovative aircraft in history. The best part is that it is free! It is a must to see. Stop by! 08/04/2008 @ 16:32 [ref: 8316] |
| Ken , New York |  This is the biggest Air Force museum in the US and it is free. There are some exhibits outside but the majority are inside. This museum has one of the better aviation bookstore. My biggest complaint is that the lighting is very poor and this makes it very difficult to take good pictures. How about some skylights to help the lighting?? 07/13/2008 @ 17:11 [ref: 8221] |
| Max Haithcox , North Carolina | I went last week with some friends; this place rocks! I was really impressed at how well all, and I do mean all, of the planes are maintained. Looks like you could fly the Fokker Tri-plane or the X-B70 right out of the hangers. This is a must see for all, not just those who adore aircraft. In fact, we had 3 teen age boys with our group and they loved it. It’s a lot to see so plan for at least two fast paced days to get through both sites. 06/05/2008 @ 12:33 [ref: 8011] |
| Frank McDonald , Texas | I just returned from the Udvar-Hazy museum on Dullus airport. This site tops that, and I got go relate some of my experiences. Thanks for making this available on-line. Now, I need to check out some of the other museums I learned of from this web site. 06/02/2008 @ 15:12 [ref: 7934] |
| Duke , Maryland | An incredible museum that focuses on the history of the USAF. So many exhibits it's almost overwhelming. Make sure to take the tour of the hangers where the X-planes and old presidential planes are stored. Definitely a must see for any airplane buff. 05/29/2008 @ 12:55 [ref: 7846] |
| Chris Loomis Ithaca, New York | For those of you that go and complain about the lighting, remember that is is done on purpose to help preserve the materials the aircraft is made of. (Fabric, wood, paints, leather, etc..) It is best to take a tripod and/or a camera with low light ability. A flash is good, but sometimes "washes out" the natural color of the paint. 05/28/2008 @ 15:47 [ref: 7842] |
| NMUSAFM VOLUNTEER RIVERSIDE, Ohio | Mr. Kraszpulski; A common misconception of the museum is that it is a general aviation history museum. The focus of the museum is to tell the story of The United States Air Force. The museum does not intend to slight other countries contributions to war efforts. The museum is simply focusing on the United States Air Force, its personel and its stories. 05/15/2008 @ 03:53 [ref: 7688] |
External pages about this museum
| http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/index.htm |
Last updated: 02/14/00.
Send corrections/additions by e-mail to museum-info@brooklyn.cuny.edu