This month’s Daytrippin’ is a trip to Dayton, Ohio to make a visit to the National Museum of the Air Force. The trip is a little more than a day trip but if you are in the Dayton area it is worth a stop. This is a great venue to view the evolution of aviation and see the advances in technology through the years. They have numerous galleries spread out over multiple buildings.
From the Early Years of Flight to Space and Missile technology, there are hundreds of displays and exhibits to see. Even though tis museum is largely based on airpower, they also have a nice selection of support vehicles, uniforms, and munitions to explore as well.
We really enjoyed the Presidential Planes over the years. The Air Force One 707 Aircraft (Military designation C-137C) was really an interesting plane to explore. This is #26000, and it flew six US Presidents: Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Reagan. This plane carried Kennedy to Dallas, Texas on the day of his assassination, it transported the president’s body back to Washington. Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as President on this aircraft and Nixon left Washington on this plane after his resignation. Originally this plane was painted with a red color scheme that was changed to the iconic blue at the request of Caroline Kennedy. Earlier versions of Presidential Aircraft are also displayed, “The Independence”, a McDonald Douglas VC-118 aircraft that served as Harry Truman’s presidential plane from 1947 to 1953 is really fascinating to look at. It was named in honor of his hometown of Independence, Missouri, where he grew up and began his political career. Also included are Helicopters and smaller aircraft from the Presidential Fleet.
There is Missile Gallery that we were able to view with a guide describing what we were looking at in the room. The Missile Launch Control Room was really well done with multiple viewing locations.
The Space Gallery takes you through the history of space travel and the development of the space program. There was a full mockup of the space shuttle as well as satellites and support vehicles to explore.
This is a very large museum so take your time and enjoy the exhibits. Take advantage of the volunteers to hear their stories and knowledge of the exhibits. It would be very easy to spend the entire day to thoroughly explore the galleries. They have a restaurant onsite to allow you to have lunch without leaving the property. Admission is free but if you want a map (I really recommend a map), they ask for a donation. They do have a gift shop with a very good selection of souvenirs. For a fee, you can ride the simulators, and they have a number of movies as well. There is a great deal of walking and some of the aircraft have airstairs to climb. Take your time use the ample seating area to rest and enjoy the atmosphere. If you are traveling in the Dayton Area, we would highly recommend this museum.
