Page 18 - Volume 13 Number 9

Taken inside the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. While the Air France Concorde and the Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer dominate this view of the museum’s main hangar, less noticeable is the King Air suspended above the tail of the Concorde. This is “King Air 65-90,” which actually started life as a Queen Air. It was later converted to what would eventually become a King Air C-90 configuration. During its operational life, it not only served in this test bed role, but also flew over 7,000 hours for a variety of corporations.
Each branch of the U.S. Military has a representative aviation museum, dedicated to the aircraft utilized within that branch.
The National Museum of the United States Air Force: Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, Ohio. This enormous collection is housed in four matching, Quonset-style hangars with storage and restoration annexes and some outdoor storage. You’ll see everything from pre-World War I Army-Air Corp flyers to the Convair B-36 (the massive post-World War II, ten-engine strategic bomber) to next-generation fighters and drone aircraft.
The National Naval Aviation Museum: Pensacola, Florida (also represents Coast Guard aviation). The Navy’s proud history in flight is well represented here with some incredibly rare aircraft on display in a well- designed setting. From Grumman’s entire “cat series” of fighters to giant flying boats, to World War II torpedo bombers, to Top Gun, carrier-based, jet fighters – it’s one of the finest collections in the world.
United States Army Aviation Museum: Fort Rucker (Daleville), Alabama. An odder assemblage of aircraft would be hard to imagine. While many famous fixed-wing Army aircraft are represented, it is the incredible variety of oddball helicopters, tilt rotors and experimental rotor-wing machines that really make this collection truly unique.
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The National Museum of the Marine Corps: Triangle, Virginia. This joint public-private venture represents all facets of Marine Corps history, including an impressive aviation component.
Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum: Marine Corp Air Station Miramar, San Diego, California. Specific to Marine Corp Aviation, this collection is largely outside where you can partake of it while enjoying the SoCal sunshine.
A list of all sizable aerospace museums is available on Wikipedia, organized by country. Within the United States, the list is further broken down by state. It is not a truly comprehensive list, but it is certainly exhaustive enough to keep you busy for decades worth of layovers! Some other large collections include:
The United States Space & Rocket Center: Huntsville, Alabama. If you’re into the history of the Space Age, NASA and military rocketry, this is a must-visit. It is also home of the hugely successful youth Space Camp for those aspiring to a career in aerospace.
Pima Air & Space Museum: Tucson, Arizona. The dry desert environment of Tucson is perfect for storage of vintage aircraft and artifacts and this is one of the largest non-government funded aviation museums in the world, with over 300 aircraft on display. While in town,
SEPTEMBER 2019