| United States Air Force Museum |
Avg. visitor rating:  (138 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
| Scott Ferguson fairfield, Ohio |  I think the last few reviews have hit the lighting problem on the head. The only reason for putting exhibits in low light levels are for dramatic lighting, or too cheap to put uv protected glass on the display cases. I've been going to this museum for over 20+ years and have seen it evolve and decline in it's exhibits. It's not world class like the Paris museum, or the Duxford museum. Go to the Air & Space museum to see how it's supposed to be done. I'm frustrated by exhibits done wrong like .50 cal guns in most of the WWI aircraft(.30 cal is correct). Look closely at almost every exhibit and you'll see mistakes. Winter uniforms in the Caproni bomber display instead of summer,most display aircraft are missing wiring; some are missing engines that are in storage. If it didn't fly into W-P it isn't restored. The crowning glory of lazy exhibits is the Norway "Carpetbagger" display. Did we really drop non-functional weapons to them to fight the Germans? The bolt is missing in the SMLE rifle. Has been for almost 10 years. This could be a world class aviation museum with a new direction. Don't just throw it together, restore it like the Smithsonian does. Please take some pride in your work if you're going to call yourself "The keepers of their memories" 03/15/2010 @ 10:58 [ref: 9299] |
| MR Roger W. Barbour JR LEXINGTON, Kentucky |  since 2005 the United States Air Force Museum has be called the National Museum of the United States Air Force 01/06/2010 @ 14:36 [ref: 9218] |
| Mike Minnick , Maryland |  what a fantastic place. i live near both the air and space and udvar-hazy museums, and this beats both. 12/03/2009 @ 13:01 [ref: 9182] |
| Dave Oxberry Reading, Berkshire., Ohio | Well said Tom McManus (see below). We all understand the need to protect the paint on this quite unique collection, but why must the level of lighting be reduced to that of Dracula's castle! As the man says, you may as well leave you camera at the door unless you've got a super-hyper flood flash fitted. Having said that don't miss this exhibition. It really is very special. You'll see B-29 atom bomber 'Bockscar', a B-36, a B-58, all in immaculate condition and a host of other rare planes. Just make sure you've got some fancy software on your PC if you want to be able to see your souvenir pix! 11/09/2009 @ 05:21 [ref: 9154] |
| Thomas P. McManus Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |  This could be a really great A/C museum, it they'ed only TURN THE LIGHT ON!!!! Two of the three galleries are so dark it's next to impossible to photograph the exhibits. (it's like walking into a cave, check your camera at the door, for the most part it will be of little use) The displayed A/C are beautifully restored. Spoke to the director relative to the poor lighting conditions, his response was that it was to protect the paint pigment of the exhibits. Strange other museums don't seem to have that problem, I have a feeling it's his personal preference to use theatratical lighting. Great gift shop, good restaurant, Now if they'll only turn the lights on................ 10/12/2009 @ 09:37 [ref: 9129] |
| Dan Vanarsdall , Texas | No doubt about it, this is the BEST there is. End of story. Plan at least a day. [no less] and it's FREE!!!!!!!! 06/30/2009 @ 12:15 [ref: 8809] |
| Kathleen Masters Athens, OH, Ohio | My husband and I attended through the Ohio Gun Collector's Association. What a wonderful exhibit! My Dad served with honor and pride both WWII and Korea and my father-in-law served with honor and pride in WWII. The history is overwhelming! We must instill in our children that "freedom is not free" and that those that designed and served on these vessels are truly heroes! THANK YOU for all that you do! P.S. My husband said he would gladly take any "cast off" planes that you might have!! With our greatest respect! Kathleen and James Masters 05/31/2009 @ 14:35 [ref: 8798] |
| Tom Fox Cleveland, Ohio | Truly an awe inspiring museum. It is huge, and the number of aircraft is astounding. The book store has everything you could ask for as well. Plan for several days... come in the summer and catch the Dayton Air show as well. 02/15/2009 @ 20:09 [ref: 8683] |
| Josh Meader Denver, Colorado | BEST AVIATION MUSEUM IN THE WORLD!!! 11/05/2008 @ 13:35 [ref: 8506] |
| 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] |
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