The bus ride down Friday night was a little "rock and rolly" due to the high winds but we made it to our hotel around 11 PM and got a good nights sleep.
We arrived at the museum just after 9 AM Saturday morning. The museum is comprised of 3 adjoined giant hangers with an IMAX theater on one end and a missile silo on the opposite end.
We started with the beginning of flight exhibits, moving from gliders to the Wright Brothers and beyond. The Wright Brothers were from Dayton so the home town connection is strong (ie Wright-Patterson Air Force Base) and there was a lot of Wright Brothers memorabilia.
Wright Brothers Flyer
It is hard to believe that man went from the first flight of the Flyer (above) to landing on the moon in 70 years!
Spad
Jesse, how'd you get so tall!
Pea Shooter
We continued through the WWI exhibits into the WWII displays. The number of beautiful planes on display was amazing. Each plane had a detailed description, many with provenance such as the actual B29 "Bockscar" that dropped the nuclear bomb"Fat Boy" on Nagasaki, Japan.
Fat Boy
B17 Flying Fortress
From the WWII area we proceeded through the Korean War, Cold War and modern era displays. The B36 and B52 bombers were absolutely huge. It was amazing that so many large planes fit in these hangers. There were also many planes and helicopters hanging from the ceilings.
B52
SR71 Blackbird
YF22 Raptor
We had a great day and were home by 11 PM. I would highly recommend this as a great destination to visit but, suggest spending two days. One day did not allow us to spend a lot of time in each of the display areas or, see the IMAX movies or, do the presidential plane walk throughs.
For more great photos and information see this site:
http://www.williammaloney.com/Aviation/USAFMuseum/index.htm
Dave.
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