Wright-Patterson US Air Force National Museum

[Jim Koepke]

If you like looking at images of aircraft, you will love this:

http://www.cdsg.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=381&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

jtk

[Dave Lehnert]

You should see it in person. Free admission.

http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Home.aspx

[Larry Frank]

I visited this museum this year and was blown away with all of the planes. I got to stand next to an A-10 Warthog and look in the cockpit.

It is near Dayton, Ohio and worth a visit. There is so much to see....even a B-52 in there.

[Lee Schierer]

It's been many years, but I visited there with my family. I grew up as an Air Force brat and got to see many of the Air Force planes and they transitioned from prop planes to jets. When I was in my teens, I was at the end of the runway when they scrambled 30+ B-52's. The air was thick with black smoke and the ground shook as they took of 30 seconds apart.

[David Helm]

DDon't know if this photo will show up, but it is the A/C (but the Navy version) that I had several thousand hours flying in during the cold war. We were the over water extension of the DEW Line, flying between Midway Island and the Aleutions looking for Soviet manned aircraft attacking the US.I'm proud to say that we never let it happen. Incidentally, I actually grew up only a few miles from WPAFB.http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb284/armyjunk1/Wright-Patterson%20AF%20Museum/Modern%20Flight%20Gallery/138a.jpg

[David Helm]

Forgot to mention, the Air Force called it EC-121 while the Navy called it WV-2, commonly known as the Willie Victor. It had a 250 mile range search radar (bottom dome), a height finder radar (top dome) and a myriad of other electronics equipment; all from the vacuum tube era.

[Chuck Wintle]

I have never had the opportunity to visist this museum but I really hope to go there in the near future. Planes have been a fascination for me, form the Wright brothers first plane to the SR-71 and the stealth fighters. i look at the aviation advancements made in a short 100 years or so for heavier than air craft and wonder where it will end up in the next 100. i will not be here to see it unfortunately.

[Joe Tilson]

Just seeing the aircraft that freed the captives from Viet Nam, "Freedom Bird". Was on that aircraft several times with freight and passengers. The C-141 was a real work Horse. It was called many things, but "Old T Tail" is the only one I can use here.

[Frederick Skelly]

An absolutely fascinating place. I loved every minute I was there. Two things still resonate for me.

Outside was what I'll call a Memorial Garden. Seemed to be there to commemorate significant events and units. They had a large granite monument marking the deactivation of the Strategic Air Command. They also had a monument - donated by Poland - thanking the Army Air Force for their help during the Warsaw Uprising during WW-II. Several aircrews were lost and the Pols wanted to remember them formally. It was extremely well done.

The other thing was a hangar full of experimental aircraft dating back into the 50's. Every experimental plane you saw in library books as a kid was there. They were just shoved in like an overpacked garage. You just walked around and touched them. The best was the XB70 Valkerie. That jet was so big it reached the front and back wall of the hangar.

And thinking about it, there was one more thing in that hangar - The Air Force One Jet that brought Kennedy's casket back from Dallas. They had a plaque noting where the casket sat inside the cabin. You could see deep grooves that the plaque said were worn into the surface by the casket. Very, very sobering.