There was a small museum called “Combat Air Museum” as I recall outside Topeka, Kansas. At least thats how I remember it. Driving west towards Topeka, I swear there was a billboard every 2 miles for the joint. It is at an old Air Force base that I don’t recall the name of. Named after a famous flyer from the area. I remember he was killed in the flying wing (memory getting hazy).
Anyway, it had a prety nice selection of aircraft, many still operational. They had the airplane that was used in the film “The Misfits” that was filmed on the dry lake bed I now live on, so that was kinda cool. They had an F-86, like my dad flew and that was neat, too. They had a Super Constellation also. It was open to the public and you could wander around in it. One of these crashed in the mountains near where I grew up and we used to go to the wreck site. It was interesting to see one intact.
Actually, the whole place was mostly deserted and the tour was a “self-serve” operation. You could walk all around the aircraft, get touchy-feely and really satisfy your curousity.
And Topeka had some of the best fajitas I ever had.
Along the way, stop at the Stennis Space Center off I-10 in Mississippi for their pretty-fine museum. It’s about space, rather than aviation, but I don’t know many people who like one but not the other, right?
Also in the Pacific Northwest is the Evergreen Aviation Museum, home of the Spruce Goose, and another SR71, plus a lot of other planes. They don’t let you climb inside the Goose however, but it’s pretty nteresting nonetheless.
No need to travel cross-country for this experience, Ringo. The Collings Foundation takes its WW2-era bombers on a nationwide tour every year, and if you can afford to hand them a couple of C-notes (tax deductible, BTW), they’ll let you fly in one of the planes. I did a B-17 flight a few years back, and thought the experience was great. You had just missed their stop in Houston this year (details here), but wait for next spring and check them out.
A great aviation tour (it’s not really a museum) that aparently is closed to the public in the post-9/11 world is the boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson. Many many many old and not-so-old military aircraft there, as well as quite a few experimental and one-of-a-kind aircraft. The website says they’ll do tours for groups of vets or civic leaders only.
If it IS closed now, it’s probably because it’s rusting apart. I’m glad I got to go on it; I wish I’d thought to take pictures inside to show Mom the claustrophobia. (It was her father who serve aboard Drum’s sister ship, the Harder.)
We just got back two weeks ago from a weekend in Dayton Ohio at the Air Force Museum. I know exactly this much about planes: I think the P-51 Mustang is the cutest thing ever. So now you know I’m not exactly aviation-savvy. That said, though, the people I was with are airplane nuts, and they loved the place. They had some very cool historical stuff.
Man, it just keeps rolling in. Great suggestions. I think if I try to work in Stennis with the D-Day Museum, the USS Alabama and Pensacola (first thing out of my co-worker’s mouth - old Navy guy) I’ve got a full 9-day trip laid out for this summer. The I-10 East Av Tour.
The Northeast in '05 and PNW Av in '06?
Thanks, folks.
And thanks, Earthling, for the Collings tip - maybe I’ll ride a B-17 next Spring.
I seem to recall Sauron posting the OP for that thread around the 25th of March, so it may be recent. You’ll hafta drag him in (or hope for a vanity search) ((or search for the thread)), but I swear he said it was closed for renovations or something.
Let me recommend a book GUIDE TO 900 AVIATION MUSEUMS by Michael a Blaugher. Its a paperback just listing what the title says. 952 museums that have something to do with aviation. It lists location, hours of operation, admission and a listing of aircraft. Amazon lists the 21st edition at $20.00. He had his own website but I can’t find it right now.
I’ll let my dad know. He’s a volunteer there and finished polishing the thing about a week ago.
The US Air Force Museum has one of the largest collection of aircraft of historical aircraft anywhere on the planet and include some huge aircraft such as the b-52, the b-29, and the b-36. In my humble and biased opinion it is the best aviation museum there is.
More of a general museum that has aircraft and space items is the Virginia Air and Space Center in Hampton. My 16 yo son was impressed with it, and he thought the Children’s Museum in Indianapolis sucked because it was aimed at grade schoolers.
The City of Hampton also has Airpower Park, but I don’t have a link for it.
Here it is. He says it looked closed because the parking lot in front of it was torn up. The parking lot work was going on when we were there, and the Drum was open, you just had to go through the aircraft building to get to it.
Oh, and in case he does find this thread: The 16" guns can shoot 25 miles, not 10.
Just seconding the Hiller. It’s absolutely incredible. My son and I went there a few years ago and had a great time. I was particularly fascinated by the (sorry, I don’t remember what it’s called) single person helicopter kit that a downed person could theoretically assemble and escape from hostile territories with.
