National Museum of the United States Air Force
Dayton, Ohio | |
Coordinates | 39°46′53″N 84°06′38″W / 39.78139°N 84.11056°W |
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Type | Military aviation museum |
Visitors | About 1 million[1] |
Director | David Tillotson |
Curator | Vacant, Deputy Director/Senior Curator[2] |
Public transit access | Greater Dayton RTA Route 11 |
Website | www.nationalmuseum.af.mil |
The National Museum of the United States Air Force (formerly the United States Air Force Museum) is the official museum of the
History
The museum dates to 1923, when the Engineering Division at
Through the 1960s, Eugene Kettering, son of Charles F. Kettering, led the project to build a permanent structure to house the collections and became the first chairman of the board of the Air Force Museum Foundation. When he died in 1969, his widow Virginia took over the project. Her "determination, logic and meticulous attention" kept it on track,[7] and the current facility opened in 1971.[8] Not including its annex on Wright Field proper, the museum has more than tripled in square footage since 1971, with the addition of a second hanger in 1988, a third in 2003, and a fourth in 2016.[9][10]
In October 2004, the name changed from United States Air Force Museum to National Museum of the United States Air Force.[11]
In June 2016, the museum open its 224,000-square-foot (20,800 m2) fourth building that expanded the museum to the current 1,120,000 square feet (104,000 m2)
On 28 February 2024, a tornado touched down in the Riverside area in Montgomery County, Ohio.[22] The museum was struck by the tornado causing damage. The base commander, Col. Travis Pond, said that "the damage was isolated to the southern side of Area B. Damaged buildings included the Museum’s Restoration Hangar 4, Gate 22B, and other nearby facilities."[23]
Exhibits and collections
The museum is divided into galleries that cover broad historic trends in military aviation. These are further broken down into exhibits that detail specific historical periods and display aircraft in historical context.
The museum's collection contains many rare aircraft of historical or technological importance, and various memorabilia and artifacts from the history and development of aviation. Among them is the
In 2010, the museum launched its 360-degree
In 2018, the Boeing B-17F Memphis Belle was placed on permanent public display in the World War II Gallery.[24] The aircraft and its crew became iconic symbols of the heavy bomber crews and support personnel who helped defeat Nazi Germany.
Presidential aircraft
The museum has several
All presidential aircraft are now displayed in the Presidential Gallery, in the fourth building.[27]
Pioneers of flight
A large section of the museum is dedicated to pioneers of flight, especially the
Uniforms and clothing
The museum has many pieces of
Other exhibits and attractions
The third building houses post-
The fourth building has four galleries,Presidential, Research and Development, Space and Global Reach, housing more than 70 aircraft, missiles, and space vehicles. Also in the fourth building is an enlarged educational outreach area with three science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) Learning Nodes. Previously these collections were housed in an annex facility on Area B of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (the former Wright Field). Because the annex was physically located on the base itself, museum guests were required to go through additional security checks before taking museum buses to the hangar.
The museum owns other USAF aircraft, including former
For an additional fee, guests can view aviation- and space-oriented films in a large format theater interspersed primarily with other documentaries. In 2013, the Air Force Museum Theater was upgraded from IMAX to digital 3D. The renovation included a new stage, theater seats, and a new theater screen to support a broader range of programming—including educational presentations, live broadcasts and expanded documentary choices. It also included a 7.1 surround-sound system, audio devices for the hearing or visually impaired, and personal closed captioning systems.[28]
Air Force Museum Foundation
The Air Force Museum Foundation is a private, non-profit organization that supports the mission and goals of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.[29]
Other Air Force museums
See also
- American Air Museum in Britain
- Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum
- National Museum of the Marine Corps
- National Museum of the United States Army
- National Museum of the United States Navy
- U.S. Navy's equivalent facility to the NMUSAF)
- United States Air Force Memorial
- United States Army Aviation Museum
- Related lists
- List of aerospace museums
References
Notes
- ^ a b "History of the National Museum of the United States Air Force". National Museum of the United States Air Force. June 2007. Archived from the original on 8 April 2009. Retrieved 12 September 2008.
- ^ "Krista Strider". National Museum of the US Air Force. 28 April 2015. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
- ^ "Visitor info". Archived from the original on 26 November 2011. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
- ^ "Home of the Wright Brothers". National Aviation Heritage Area. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
- ^ "Airfoce Museum Attendance". Archived from the original on 8 April 2009. Retrieved 5 April 2009.
- ^ US Air Force Museum Foundation (1972). US Air Force Museum.
- ^ McIntire, Bill (29 March 2012). "Virginia Kettering". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
- ^ Hartzer, Ronald B.; Walker, Lois E.; Gatewood, Rebecca; Grandine, Katherine; Kur, Kathryn M. Leading the Way: The History of Air Force Civil Engineers, 1907–2012 (PDF). pp. 240–241. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
- ^ Air Force Museum Foundation
- ^ Expanding the Legacy. Air Force Museum Foundation. p. 19. Retrieved 31 December 2015 – via Issuu.
- ^ "History of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force". United States Air Force. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
- ^ "National Museum of the United States Air Force Expansion".
- ^ USAF Museum opens 4th building
- ^ "New Air Force museum hangar to open June 8".
- ^ "Air Force Museum to open fourth building". www.aopa.org. 26 May 2016.
- ^ "XB-70 Valkyrie moved into museum". National Museum of the United States Air Force. 27 October 2015.
- ^ "Exotic XB-70 towed to new hangar draws a crowd".
- ^ Nagy, Attila (3 November 2015). "The New Home of the Most Exotic Bomber Ever Built Is Aerospace Heaven".
- ^ "Presidential Gallery". National Museum of the US Air Force.
- Gross Domestic Product deflatorfigures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
- ^ "Air Force Museum Foundation provides funding for museum" (Press release). National Museum of the United States Air Force.
- ^ [email protected], daryl herzmann. "IEM :: PNS from NWS ILN". mesonet.agron.iastate.edu. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
- ^ Roza, David (28 February 2024). "Tornado Damages Wright-Patt and National U.S. Air Force Museum". Air & Space Forces Magazine. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
- ^ Bardua, Rob (19 March 2018). "B-17F Memphis Belle moves to WWII Gallery as exhibit opening nears" (Press release). National Museum of the US Air Force. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
- ^ Keen, Judy (20 November 2009). "JFK Relics Stir Strong Emotions". USA Today. Retrieved 20 November 2009.
- ^ "Air Force One temporarily off display at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force" (Press release). National Museum of the US Air Force. 22 September 2009. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012.
- ^ Bardua, Rob (7 June 2016). "National Museum of the U.S. Air Force fourth building now open" (Press release). National Museum of the US Air Force. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
- ^ "Theatre - Air Force Museum Foundation". www.afmuseum.com. Archived from the original on 20 July 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
- ^ Air Force Museum Foundation. Retrieved 4 February 2010.
Bibliography
- Schlitz, William P. (March 1969). "The Air Force Museum: Caretaker of a Legend". Air Force and Space Digest. Vol. 37, no. 11. pp. 102, 106–109. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
External links
External image | |
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Aerial photo of the museum in its previous location |
- Official website
- Air Force Museum Foundation official website
- SR-71 Online – National Museum of The United States Air Force – A guide to the museum and its displays.
- US Air Force Museum Photos – Photos of exhibits in the National Museum of the USAF in Dayton, OH
- Photo website with 360-degree VR panoramas and HDR images
- List of engines at the museum
- Air Force Materiel Command Mission Directive 417