Those Magnificent Flying Machines - list of aviation museums

Travel America, Jan, 2001 by Jim Kerr

OHIO

United States Air Force Museum, 1100 Spaats St., Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton; (937) 255-3286. It is doubtful the Wright Brothers ever fully realized the enormous military implication of their invention, but here at their namesake Air Force Base in Dayton, the reality of it is almost overwhelming. This is the oldest and largest military aviation museum in the world. More than 300 aircraft are exhibited, from ancient biplanes to missiles. Displays and exhibits are well-explained for self-guided touring, and special features include presidential aircraft, an IMAX film, a research facility, and flight test hangars.

TEXAS

American Airpower Heritage Museum, 9600 Wright Drive, Midland; (915) 567-3009. Located mid-way between Dallas and El Paso at the old Midland Army Air Field, the museum is now headquarters of the Confederate Air Force, a group dedicated to preservation of World War II military aviation. The CAF preserves, in flying condition, the largest collection of combat aircraft flown by the U.S. in World War II. If you want to see a P-38 or P-51 Mustang up close and personal, this is the place.

WASHINGTON, D.C.

National Air and Space Museum, 7th and Independence Ave., SW, Washington, D.C. 20560; (202) 357-2700. This is the top gun of aviation museums. It houses the largest collection of historic air and spacecraft in the world, and you can spend days here. About 70 percent of the original Wright Flyer of 1903 is here as well as the Apollo 11 command module that carried three men into moon orbit in 1969 prior to the first landing. And you'll find everything in between, including Lindbergh's original "Spirit of St. Louis" and the Bell-X 1 that first broke the sound barrier in 1947. A new display, opened in September, 1999, features the Breitling Orbiter 3 Gondola, which made the first trip around the world with a balloon. In all, there is 161,000 square feet of exhibition floor space and 23 exhibit galleries on two levels, attracting more than 10 million visitors a year.