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If there ever was a reason to stop in Dayton, Ohio, the National Museum of the United States Air Force is it! With four immense hangers of aviation history to browse through - not including the Presidential and R&D hangers, the outdoor airpark or the IMAX theater - it can easily become an all-day visit.
Plan on spending at least a few hours walking through the four hangars filled with history from the early days of aviation pioneers like the Wright Brothers, up through today's modern aircraft such as the F-22 Raptor. The museum is broken into a number of different areas based on time period, with each having a variety of historical items, narrative displays, and of course, the aircraft.
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| B-36 Peacemaker |
The Presidential and R&D hangers are located in an active part of Wright Patterson Air Base and require a special pass - bring your photo ID and arrive early, as space is limited and fills up quickly. "Behind the Scenes" tours are also available on select days, but you need to register for those well in advance. The National Aviation Hall of Fame is also located in the Museum, and if that's not enough, there is also a gift shop (with an excellent book and movie section) along with the Valkyrie Cafe.
It's hard to imagine that all this, including the parking, is free - consider making a donation!
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| Half of the Cold War Hangar |
Once you check this museum off your list, head down to Pensacola Florida for its twin - the National Museum of Naval Aviation.
For Photographers...
if you plan on handholding this is fast ISO territory. A wide angle lens helps because some planes are packed closely together, while a short telephoto provides some interesting closeups and helps eliminate other visitors from the shots. If you have more patience, bring along your tripod as exposures can rise into the multiple second range at small apertures. The other benefit of a tripod is panoramas/composites - some of the pictures in the photo gallery are composites of several frames stitched together. The best time I've found for photographing the museum is early Sunday morning (9:00am). You'll have about 1.5 hours before the crowds start arriving.
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| Outdoor Air Park |