Bi-planes and Tri-Motors
The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force

Looking for a different Ohio field trip destination? Rather than flying up and down on the roller coasters at Cedar Point, you can learn about early flight and see military aircraft at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at the Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton. Within 17 acres of indoor exhibit space, more than 300 aircraft are displayed. Due to the outstanding exhibits and educational programs, the Museum hosts over 1.2 million visitors (children, adults, and military personnel) a year.

After an easy four-hour drive from Cleveland, you will find yourself standing among history looking up at the largest collection of military aircraft in the world. Within three connecting humongous Quonset-style huts (large airplane hangars), there are authentically restored bi-planes and tri-motors, fighter and cargo planes, and located at a neighboring site, the Presidential fleet of Air Force One aircraft.

In the museum lobby entrance stands a large statue of Icarus, a figure in Greek mythology who was known as the first man to fly, but he died as a result. His wax wings melted because in his excitement, he flew too close to the sun. The museum exhibition starts with Wilbur and Orville Wright, natives of Dayton, who owned a bike shop there and applied bicycle design to their first airplanes.

History buffs and military aficionados will love walking through the Early Years Gallery (from 1903 to 1940) to see pictures, memorabilia, and full sized planes including the Sopwith Camel, a rare SPADXII, and a MB-2 bomber. An inflated weather dirigible, 92 feet long and 32 feet in diameter, hanging from the Gallery ceiling was originally used during World War I to let the Allied troops know what weather conditions to anticipate.

Multimedia exhibits throughout the Museum help to showcase the technological improvements of the aircraft. The Air Power Gallery covers military aircraft from World War II including the B-29 Bockscar that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki. The Modern Flight Gallery exhibits a variety of airplanes (F-86, MIG-15, and F-4) used during the Korea and Southeast Asia conflicts. The Cold War Gallery includes modern aviation favorites like the B-52, B-1, F-117 stealth fighter, the Predator, and the B-2 stealth bomber. The Missile and Space Gallery, housed in a tall, 140-foot silo structure to accommodate the Titan and Jupiter missiles, was opened to the public in 2004. For the wanna-be astronauts and other fans of space missions, the Apollo 15 Command Module, Mercury and Gemini capsules, and rocket engines and satellites are also on display here.

For those people not interested in lettered and numbered military aircraft, they can see aviation films in the IMAX theatre and walk around a Holocaust exhibit highlighting personal stories of Holocaust survivors from the Dayton area. Visitors can enter a 14-seat Morphis MovieRide Simulator unit to personally experience the thrill of flying in a jet fighter. There is a unique display of World War II leather aviator jackets featuring shapely women and flying demons, hand-painted by the pilots adding a light touch to their serious missions. As a tribute to the entertainer Bob Hope for his performances to military personnel, there was an extensive collection of pictures spotlighting his shows in support of the troops.

Nine presidential aircraft are permanently displayed at the Presidential Gallery. Visitors can board Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s C-54C “Sacred Cow,” Harry Truman’s VC-118 “Independence,” and Dwight D. Eisenhower’s VC-121E “Columbine III.” Most popular of all, the “Air Force One,” a Boeing 707 which flew President Kennedy’s body back to Washington D.C. from Dallas and served as the site of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s swearing in. For more information about the National Museum of the United States Air Force located at the Wright Patterson Air Force Base visit http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil. Bring your walking shoes, there is so much to see but it is well worth the trip.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Susan Schaul, who says the act of writing is like assembling a jigsaw puzzle. The challenge lies in getting the pieces to fit together and make sense. (:divend:)