USA air museums to visit [Archive]

longer ron

14th Mar 2023, 09:06

Visiting the states - it is what you have to miss out on that makes planning difficult LOL
Udvar - Hazy definitely
The Mid Atlantic at Reading,Pa is not too far from U-H ,we did not visit the Mid Atlantic museum per se but attended the great airshow/reenactor event in June (?).
Next door to that is the lovely Golden Age Air Museum at Bethel,Pa - a gorgeous grass field with lots of lovely biplanes etc.
Old Rhinebeck (NY State) is a different sort of experience but great fun if they have a flying day on.
New England Air Museum,Windsor Locks - has the gorgeous Sikorsky VS44 Flying Boat,the unique surviving Burnelli CBY -3,B29 and some rare helicopters,one of the docents came in on his day off to show us round the restoration hangar where the Burnelli was (at that time) being restored and also took us into the storage hangar.
Depending on your route - the Curtiss Museum at Hammondsport is a lovely little spot and also fairly close to the Soaring Museum at Elmira.

Over to the west
WAAAM - (Western Antique Aeroplane And Automobile Museum) at Hood River,OR is an absolute WOW - a phenomenal collection of aircraft,cars and gliders.
Erickson Collection at Madras,OR is a lovely collection of mostly airworthy a/c.
Evergreen at McMinnville,OR of course has the Spruce Goose and other lovely a/c.
Tillamook,OR is worth visiting just for being inside the huge wooden airship hangar.
Further south - Castle AFB is quite a collection with a couple of real rarities.
And depending on time of year you are visiting - it is the final ever Reno Air Races at Reno/Stead this year (september),definitely worth a visit to the pits.

Not_a_boffin

14th Mar 2023, 09:16

https://www.midway.org/

Try that. Gutless Cutlass latest exhibit.

longer ron

14th Mar 2023, 09:29

Meanwhile in Colorado
At Colorado Springs you can dine either inside or underneath a KC97 at the The Airplane Restaurant :)
Then just down the road is the lovely National Museum of World War II Aviation/West Pac restorations - then just across the runway is the Edward J. Peterson Air and Space Museum which is based around the original Air terminal - but is located on an active AFB so one needs to email prior to visit (for permission to visit) and then pick up permit from the 'Guardroom' on the way in.
There is a Fly In at Montrose,CO which we attended in 2018 - it was a really well attended fly in inc a B52 but don't know what it will be like post covid.

@ desertjockey - if you are interested in Steam Railroads we have loads of info on some of them too ;)
2 weeks is never enough time to do the states unfortunately - our last visit to colorado was squeezed into a paltry 12 days :)

Decafkid

14th Mar 2023, 09:57

I recall going to one near Galveston in Texas which was good. I have been to the Evergreen museum with the Spruce goose. If its any use even my ex wife commented that it was interesting and one of the better ones we had visited.

Pima and the Boneyard are a must, San Diego is also good and obviously the Smithsonian goes without saying.

Personally I was recentally in Savannah where there is a museum dedicated to the 8th Air Force. A B47 and B17 etc however the sheer amount of history, memorabilia and dedication to those who served in the East of England was simply fascinating. I bitterly regret not allocating more time to it as it was simply one of the most interesting museums I have been to.

Meikleour

14th Mar 2023, 11:03

Palm Springs has an excellent museum foccusing on naval aviation.

sandozer

14th Mar 2023, 11:22

The National Museum of the USAF, in Dayton, Ohio is the premier collection of aircraft in the US. Give yoursel two days, three if you
can. Great collection of all nations aircraft in a great setting.
After that, Pima, Az. is way up there too.

Peter Fanelli

14th Mar 2023, 11:43

If you are going to Tucson for Davis Monthan AFB and Pima Air Museum make time for the Titan Missile Museum as well.
https://titanmissilemuseum.org/

Vzlet

14th Mar 2023, 11:47

Should you end up driving from Washington to Dayton, you might consider a stop a the Hagerstown (Maryland) Aviation Museum. It's a collection of Fairchild aircraft, housed at the former Fairchild plant. (Photos of the collection: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmJLLw1v (https://flic.kr/s/aHsmJLLw1v) )
Don't be put off by the lack of information or published hours on their website (their FaceBook is a better source); they're very tolerant of walk-ins.

aeromech3

14th Mar 2023, 12:05

I was lucky enough to be shown around 'The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force' whilst on a GE CF6 course; it a ride outside Cincinnati towards Dayton.

Fargo Boyle

14th Mar 2023, 12:29

If you are in California, a visit to Chino, near LA, is a must. There are 2 excellent museums, both with a large number of airworthy warbirds, as well as various restoration companies.

Home Page | Planes of Fame Air Museum (https://planesoffame.org/)

Yanks Air - Airplane Museum California, Air Shows at Chino Hills, Aviation Museum (https://www.yanksair.org/)

teeonefixer

14th Mar 2023, 13:33

It very much depends on your aims for the holiday, are you mixing aeroplanes with leisure /sightseeing?

San Diego is a wonderful place to visit with its harbour & beaches. As mentioned above, the Museum there is very good, but not huge. There is also a collection on a Carrier. You could spend an hour or so at Coronado Beach and watch the US Navy in operation from North Island.
March AFB further North has a very good Museum too.

Most Bases have a nice collection of Gate guards which are often easy to see, as in HaveQuick's post #3.

Boeing Field in Seattle is also recommended, as is the Carrier in New York.

2 most excellent Museums are The US Navy Museum at Pensacola, Fl, and the US Army Museum at Fort Rucker, Al. However (according to conversations on "Fighter Control" website) you need to pre-book your visits and this is a bit hit and miss.

Four Types

14th Mar 2023, 13:52

Dayton - See the Memphis Belle
8th Air force museum - Pooler Georgia.....a lot on money spent here, by those that came back in honour of those that didn't
https://www.mightyeighth.org/

If you are passing - https://warbirdsnews.com/aviation-museum-news/carolinas-aviation-museum-to-reopen-in-2023.html
here you can see the Miracle on the Hudson plane, flown by Sully!

rigpiggy

14th Mar 2023, 15:46

The EAA museum in Oshkosh

teeteringhead

14th Mar 2023, 15:50

A very good Navy one in Pensacola.

https://www.navalaviationmuseum.org

Haraka

14th Mar 2023, 16:09

Forty years ago ,having previously seen most of the Museums near Washington,I drew up a map of locations of museums which likely fulfilled my interests and which could be most visited in a 16 day or so circuit . In my case this resulted in a swing though the Southern States down to to Texas and back in a hired ( cheap) Plymouth Chevette staying in mostly small town hotels with generous hospitality. I can't think much has changed to negate a similar approach..

tdracer

14th Mar 2023, 17:52

Of the ones I've visited, here is my ranking:
1) Tie - USAF Museum in Dayton (be sure to see the lone surviving XB-70) and Smithsonian Udvar-Hazy near Dulles Airport (Washington DC Area).
3) Smithsonian Air and Space on the Capitol Mall
(big gap...)
4) Seattle Museum of Flight (Boeing Field) (I contributed to a few displays there)
5) Flying Heritage and Combat Armor Museum (Paine Field near Everett, WA - this used to be the private collection of the late Paul Allen - his heirs sold it to one of the Walton family (Walmart) who has said they intend to leave it as is - it's been closed since Covid hit but is supposed to re-open soon)
5a) If you're at Paine field, be sure to also check out the Future of Flight (connected to the Museum of Flight) and the Historic Flight Museum (another rich guy's private collection that he's put on display)
6) San Diego Air and Space Museum
7) New England Air Museum (Bradley Airport in Connecticut).
8) Pueblo Air Museum (Pueblo, Colorado Airport)
9) Palm Springs Air Museum (Palm Springs, California airport)

GlobalNav

14th Mar 2023, 18:30

Palm Springs has an excellent museum foccusing on naval aviation.
It actually has a variety of warbirds, not just Navy. Excellent display of the real stuff.

GlobalNav

14th Mar 2023, 18:40

Assuming a modest budget and a 2 week time frame, what air museums on mainland USA would be worth visiting? Would be prepared to cross the country as required. Obvious choices would be USAF in Dayton, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center and Smithsonian, Davis Monthan. Any hidden gems or slightly off track/beat places to be recommended?

I like what the others have suggested, been to most of them. Pima Air Museum in Tucson is a don't miss, not far from the boneyard at Davis-Montham. It has perhaps the broadest variety of extremely interesting aircraft, plus an excellent building dedicated to an 8th Air Force bomb group with a restored B-17, plus a ton of personal momentos, oral histories, etc. I needed several days to plum the depths of this museum.

Another fascinating museum is the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson Kansas. https://cosmo.org

Display Nav of Old

14th Mar 2023, 18:44

We were lucky enough to get a tour of the Air Force Flight Test Museum within Edwards AFB, lots of unique stuff. Check their website for details of when it’s open to the public.

RAFEngO74to09

14th Mar 2023, 18:55

If visiting Pima Air Museum, AZ, there is a Titan ICBM Museum nearby https://titanmissilemuseum.org/

Also note that it is no longer possible to get a bus tour of the Boneyard

https://www.visittucson.org/listing/davis-monthan-air-force-base-aircraft-boneyard/1134/

There is a SR-71 indoors at March Field, Riverside, CA

https://www.marchfield.org/aircraft/sr-71-blackbird/

A collection of Century Series fighters outside the gate at Edwards AFB https://www.air-and-space.com/20070926%20Edwards%20Century%20Circle.htm

MPN11

14th Mar 2023, 19:21

...
Personally I was recentally in Savannah where there is a museum dedicated to the 8th Air Force. A B47 and B17 etc however the sheer amount of history, memorabilia and dedication to those who served in the East of England was simply fascinating. I bitterly regret not allocating more time to it as it was simply one of the most interesting museums I have been to.Visited that in 2015 ... many detailed exhibits, a bit short on airframes. Much enjoyed.

Liffy 1M

14th Mar 2023, 19:31

I don't think anyone has mentioned the Air Mobility Museum at Dover AFB, Delaware, which has a great collection of "heavy metal" - tankers and transports of all sizes and other types besides. Also in the general area of Washington DC is the Glenn L. Martin Maryland Aviation Museum at Martin State Airport near Baltimore. There are good indoor displays about Martin aircraft, many of which were built there, and an outdoor collection further down the field, which is accessed with an escort from the museum staff.

judyjudy

14th Mar 2023, 19:43

Kitty Hawk, NC for the site of the first powered flight. It’s surprising how short that flight was - and they didn’t even lose Wilbur’s luggage!

Ant T

14th Mar 2023, 19:53

Kermit Weeks’ Fantasy of Flight museum and restoration center in Central Florida was a fantastic day out when I was there in 2013, but sadly it has scaled back to a very small display, with only about 25 aircraft on regular show.
According to their website, it is still possible to book a personal guided tour to the complete collection - pricey at $500 per head, but if money is no object, a fascinating view of restoration workshops as well as a vast collection.

(Kermit Weeks’ YouTube videos are a great watch as well, walk rounds and in flight video of his collection).

MightyGem

14th Mar 2023, 19:58

The SAC & Aerospace Museum, a few miles south east of Omaha off I-80. Visited a few years ago. They have a B36 and it is huge! They also have a Vulcan.
https://www.sacmuseum.org/what-to-see/aircraft/b-36j-peacemaker/

SASless

14th Mar 2023, 20:05

The US Army Aviation Museum at Fort Rucker, Alabama as well as the US Navy Museum at Pensacola, Florida....not all that far from the Army Museum.

The USMC Museum near Quantico is also a good one.

Patriots Point in Charleston, SC is a good stop as well.

Pima Museum next door to Davis-Monthan AFB and its Boneyard where US Military Aircraft go to die.

tdracer

14th Mar 2023, 21:31

Oh, I totally forgot about the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon. The "Spruce Goose" along with lots of aircraft and a very, very good Space Museum. I'd put it 4th on my list, ahead of the Seattle Museum of Flight.
Plus, if the rest of the family doesn't share your interests, there is a waterpark right next door, featuring a 747 on the roof (yes, a waterslide is incorporated into the 747).
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1024x577/6320678241_6e2fd9054a_b_e503124928b56cd17a79b0f6f3b87a553d3a 1eff.jpg

Zionstrat2

15th Mar 2023, 01:56

Charlotte North Carolina is a relatively big hub, so if you're passing through, they've got a good museum that covers a wide range of space and includes Sully's a320 that ditched in the Hudson.

Hampton roads Virginia (includes Norfolk, Newport News, Virginia Beach) has tons of great museums. If you're there check out the Hampton Air and space museum and there's a small museum at the entrance to Langley Field. Of course Norfolk has all of the naval aviation and ship tours and Newport News has the incredible maritime museum.. And keep in mind that Williamsburg and Jamestown are less than an hour away.

visibility3miles

15th Mar 2023, 03:05

Give yourself a couple of days, or a full day each to visit the National Air and Space Museum in downtown DC and the Udvar-Hazy Museum near Dulles Airport in Virginia. Both are free, but you have to pay for parking at Udvar Hazy. If you have extra time, there are small museums at the College Park Airport in Maryland (oldest continuously operated airport in the entire world) and at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center visitors center in Greenbelt, Maryland, but they pale in comparison to the National Air and Space museums.

https://www.mncppc.org/1593/College-Park-Aviation-Museum

https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/visitor/home/index.html

https://usnasw.org/home/history-2-2/

NAS Wildwood at the Cape May Airport in New Jersey, but it is out of the way.

visibility3miles

15th Mar 2023, 03:18

National WWII Museum in New Orleans is worth a visit.

https://www.nationalww2museum.org/visit

USS Midway aircraft carrier museum in San Diego, California.

https://www.midway.org

With all of these, check about availability of tickets in advance (some places have “timed tickets” saying when you can visit to minimize crowds.)

Gearupandorrf

15th Mar 2023, 06:21

In January 2020 I flew to the USA from Australia and did the following in 2.5 weeks:

Land at LAX, pick up hire car and drive:
Chino- Planes of Fame/ Yanks Air Museum.
Riverside- March Air Force Reserve Base.
Palm Springs- Air and Space Museum.
San Diego- USS Midway and Air &Space.

Fly San Diego- Tucson:
PIMA Air & Space (3 days)
Davis Monthan AFB Boneyard bud tour.
Titan Missile Museum.

Fly Tucson- Reagan National:
Udvar Hazy Museum (2 days)
Smithsonian Air & Space (1.5 days)
DC sightseeing (1.5 days).

Fly DC- Orlando, collect hire Car:
Kennedy Space Centre (2 days)
Valiant Air Command Museum in Titusville.

Fly Orlando- LAX:
Chilling out on Santa Monica Pier-
fly home.

I was tired by the end, but absolutely loved it.

reynoldsno1

15th Mar 2023, 09:04

Kalamazoo, MI - especially if you have kids with you https://www.airzoo.org/

mopardave

15th Mar 2023, 09:58

Another vote for Kermit Weeks here.......wasn't aware it had been scaled back though. Watching the Fieseler Storch take off was really something.......as was just sitting in the Short Sunderland.

Good Vibs

15th Mar 2023, 11:37

So many excellent suggestions. So many excellent museums. Not enough time!
Good luck with choosing. Perhaps make a decision on main interest..props, jets, rockets, military or civilian a/c. Or History making a/c.
Again good luck on choosing.:ok:

PS:I have been to many of them:)

The Nr Fairy

15th Mar 2023, 13:13

Wings of History Air Museum, San Martin, CA - https://www.wingsofhistory.org/
Hiller Aviation Museum, Palo Alto - https://www.hiller.org/

Planemike

15th Mar 2023, 14:16

The EAA museum in Oshkosh
Yes, I will give that one a vote too..... If you time your visit for around the last week in July, they throw in another 12000 odd aircraft on the adjoining field.... ( The annual Oshkosh EAA Convention, said to be the largest air show in the world!!).

longer ron

15th Mar 2023, 15:36

Owing to the size of the country - we did our visits by region :)
2017 we flew into SFO and did the following loop....
North out of SFO - to (1) Madras,Or (2) WAAAM,Hood River,Or (Fly In) (3) Rockaway,Or (railroad) (4)Tillamook,Or (5) McMinnville,Or (6) Eureka,Ca (7) Reno,Nv (races) (8) Tahoe then Yosemite (9) Sugarpine Railroad,Ca (10) Castle AFB,Ca (11) back to SFO - from memory about 2,500 miles inc using coast road down to Eureka,Ca on way to Reno (too many roads closed on google maps at present to do complete journey :).2 week holiday

2018 we flew into Dulles then (1) Udvar Hazy (2) Reading,Pa (airshow) (3) Golden Age Museum,Bethel,Pa (4) Strasburg Railroad ,Pa (5) Scranton,Pa (steamtown) (6) Elmira (glider museum) (7) Curtiss Museum,Hammondsport,NYS (8) Niagara/Horseshoe Falls NYS and canada (9) North Creek Depot,NYS (railbike trip :) ) (10) Old Rhinebeck,NYS (11) New England Air Museum,Windsor Locks,Ct (12) Kinzua Viaduct,Pa (12b) Durbin,WV (Durbin Rocket Railroad :) ) (14) Fayetteville,WV (Stearman Ride,unplanned - family invite from Reading Airshow) .
Once again approx 2,500 miles inc a side trip to Raquette Lake,NYS
One other little attraction at Udvar Hazy is the 'Tower' (Donald Engen Tower) which gives 360 deg view of the airport and great closeish view of arriving/departing airliners - although it sometimes gets invaded by schoolkids - the day we flew out of Dulles we visited U-H for a 2nd look around whilst waiting for our return flight.3 week holiday

622

15th Mar 2023, 15:39

Owing to the size of the country - we did our visits by region :)

.... Udvar Hazy is the 'Tower' (Donald Engen Tower) which gives 390 deg view of the airport .

Those damn Americans ...always going bigger than the rest of us! :E

longer ron

15th Mar 2023, 15:44

Those damn Americans ...always going bigger than the rest of us! :E
AL 1 refers 622 :)

visibility3miles

15th Mar 2023, 15:53

sandiego89

15th Mar 2023, 16:18

I caution that a few well meaning folks have mentioned great places, but they are currently closed or have access issues- I would hate for you to plan on something and find a closed gate/building, specifically:

-The Naval Museum at Pensacola is currently closed/difficult to get to unless you have a US Military or retired ID. I think they have an escort/sponsor program, but it sounds challenging.
- Kermit Weeks/Fantasy of Flight is essentially closed until Kermit re-imagines Phase III of the site.
- The Flying Heritage and Combat Armor Museum, Washington State. Been closed for about 2 years, but plans to re-open during summer months for the next 2 years before moving to Arkansas. Details pend.
- Mention of Galveston likely refers to the former Lone Star Museum which was heavily damaged during a Hurricane. Some of the collection has been moved to their Houston site.
- Charlotte. I believe it is currently closed pending a new building/lease.

And a few that were recommended that I can pass my thoughts on (standing by for incoming!)
- World War 2 museum in New Orleans. A storytelling museum that tells the story very well, but as an aviation enthusiast it felt flat for me. The aircraft are mostly suspended and hard to see.
- Quantico. Great story telling museum of the US Marine Corps, but most of the aircraft are hung high in the Atrium or mounted above displays making them hard to see. Same flat feeling.
- Hiller Museum. Small and was OK, but don't need to go again. Would not go out of my way.

A few I can second or third:
-USAF museum, Dayton Ohio- an absolute must, 2 full days
-Udvar Hazy, Smithsonian, Virginia. Half day
-Smithsonian Mall, half day, but not fully open due to remodeling.
-Air Mobility Command Museum, Dover Delaware, great collection of "Trash Haulers" . Only place you can go inside a C-5 Galaxy (lower deck) and the C-130, C-141 are usually open and the C-133 if you ask a docent. neat.
- USS Midway in San Diego, very impressive.
- USS Intrepid, new York
- Caslte, California but a long way from anything else
- SAC Museum, but you will see most of the same the USAF Museum
- Chino, California. A must if into WWII warbirds.
- Palm Springs

And a few I can add
- Patuxent River Naval Air Station. a small collection on Naval test jets outside the main gate, but a long way form anywhere else.
- Warner Robins Air Force base, Warner Robins Georgia. Large collection, but you will see the same things if you go to the USAF Museum, and a long way from anything.
- Military Aviation Museum, Virginia Beach, Excellent WWI and WWII collection. Most are flyers. Great up close airshow in October and few smaller event each year from the grass trip.

Finally we have all recommended things all over the USA, and many visitors, especially from Europe, fail to appreciate how big the place is ("what do mean we are still in Texas, we have been driving for 10 hours!?) Some of these could take you a whole day or more to drive between. I might recommend an Eastern Focus and maybe a jaunt to California, but you can't do it all in 2 weeks on a budget. Enjoy.

tdracer

15th Mar 2023, 17:39

- The Flying Heritage and Combat Armor Museum, Washington State. Been closed for about 2 years, but plans to re-open during summer months for the next 2 years before moving to Arkansas. Details pend.

Where did you see that it was going to be moved? Last I'd heard Walton had decided to leave it in place at Paine (I only live a few miles away from Paine Field)?

-Smithsonian Mall, half day, but not fully open due to remodeling.
I believe that the Smithsonian Air and Space on the Mall has fully reopened - I'm a member of the Smithsonian and got an email to that effect not too long ago. Timed entry passes are required however, so go to their website ahead of time.

Finally we have all recommended things all over the USA, and many visitors, especially from Europe, fail to appreciate how big the place is ("what do mean we are still in Texas, we have been driving for 10 hours!?)
About 25 years ago, I was heading to a big race at Road America, Wisconsin with my wife and her sister. Driving a small motorhome pulling the racing trailer so my pace was somewhat relaxed :). Following Interstate 90, we stopped in Montana for the night, started in again at 8am. Drove a solid 12 hours before I again called it a night and we found a place to park - we were still in Montana. :ooh:

NutLoose

15th Mar 2023, 18:19

Not seen it mentioned but if you fly into say NY what about intrepid?

tdracer

15th Mar 2023, 18:28

Not seen it mentioned but if you fly into say NY what about intrepid?
Toured the Intrepid a few years ago - nice collection but a bit on the small side (and be prepared for weather since ~half the collection is on-deck). And while you're there, you can tour the "Growler" submarine - the first sub equipped to launch nuclear armed cruise missiles.

longer ron

15th Mar 2023, 20:19

.
Finally we have all recommended things all over the USA, and many visitors, especially from Europe, fail to appreciate how big the place is ("what do mean we are still in Texas, we have been driving for 10 hours!?) Some of these could take you a whole day or more to drive between. I might recommend an Eastern Focus and maybe a jaunt to California, but you can't do it all in 2 weeks on a budget. Enjoy.

Which is why I posted in post #44 that we did our museum visits by region.

Another possible factor is weather and wild fires - On our West coast holiday we were quite affected by forest fires,up at Hood River,Or - it was when the teenager caused huge fire was still burning - this seriously curtailed the fly in at WAAAM - we were extremely lucky that the museum decided to fly their (very original) Jenny,at Sugarpine there had been a large forest fire just days before and whilst we had a good look round there were no choo choos running.
On our East Coast trip we were dogged by (or rather luckily avoiding) some really nasty weather.

Our Stearman flight came up in an interesting way - there was a good looking chap at Reading (Airshow and re enactors) dressed as a private in a particular british uniform,my GF said to him ''that was my Dad's Regiment'' - we got chatting and were invited to the family tent on the flight line - the family tent was a large Army Tent and at that point we had no idea this chap had anything to do with aviation.The upshot being we were invited down to WV for a flight in his stearman,he would not take a penny for this,flew both of us and they were a truly delightful family.It meant we had to reorganise our last few days and missed an airshow but it was a unique opportunity.

GlobalNav

15th Mar 2023, 22:42

I don’t know if it is still true, but post 9/11 NASA required that foreign nationals have their passport on hand before they were allowed on the premises, so make sure you have it with you.

Years ago, I enjoyed a great tour of the Boeing manufacturing plant in Everett, Washington, but they seemed to have stopped that when Covid hit.

https://www.boeing.com/company/tours/

Interesting yes, but hardly worth the time and cost, though I have taken visiting guests there several times.
Boeing makes airplanes in very large assembly buildings with a very complex assembly line. Good for them.

tdracer

15th Mar 2023, 23:11

Interesting yes, but hardly worth the time and cost, though I have taken visiting guests there several times.
Boeing makes airplanes in very large assembly buildings with a very complex assembly line. Good for them.
For a long, long time, the Boeing Everett tour was free.
Then Phil Condit became CEO, and declared that everything had to be a "profit center" - that good PR and good marketing no longer mattered (never mind that most people who took the free tour then visited the Boeing store and purchased overpriced souvenirs). So they started charging for the tour ($7 IIRC).

LTCTerry

16th Mar 2023, 01:04

Lots of great options here. Most everything I could think of was listed. Similar to USS Intrepid, USS Yorktown is on display in Charleston, SC, with a nice airplane collection.

treadigraph

16th Mar 2023, 11:17

Not sure if anyone has mentioned these three:

Hiller Museum at San Carlos Airport just south of San Francisco is quite nice if you are in the area - also there's a small museum at Oakland Airport which has a Short Solent amongst its exhibits.

Helicopter Museum at Brandywine in Pennsylvania - lots of interesting airframes, we happened to do a touch and go in a C172, noticed an early V-22 outside and went round for a full stop and a tour. Again, worth it if you are in the vicinity.

Finally, Old Rhinebeck up the Hudson from NYC - lots of interesting old aircraft and if you can do a show, they are fun...

teeonefixer

17th Mar 2023, 08:55

Another thing to help plan your trip is to work around airshows, usually the best (only?) way to get to see the services at work and their collections.
I use info from Scramble:
https://www.scramble.nl/planning/show-dates?results=usa_canada_date

Tango and Cash

18th Mar 2023, 02:46

Another small but interesting one is Wings Over the Rockies in Denver. https://wingsmuseum.org/
Small but interesting collection, primarily Cold War focused (Century series, F-111, B-1A, F-14) housed in one of the WWII era hangers at the former Lowry Air Force Base. Can get up close and personal with the aircraft, chat with the volunteers working on restoring some of them, and view a fascinating collection of miscellaneous 'stuff' like avionics, ejection seats, and engines.

desertjockey

20th Mar 2023, 09:00

NutLoose

20th Mar 2023, 10:23

And if you escape Norf over the border...

https://www.warplane.com/aircraft/collection.aspx

GlobalNav

20th Mar 2023, 18:17

Ladies and Gents, thank you for all your replies. The thought, depth and effort put in to answer my query was humbling.
The Boss has semi approved the concept (well she didn't say no, so I am taking that as a win), I will update the story as required. Looking at Mid 24 to tie in with Oshkosh.
My heartfelt thanks again.If you get to Seattle, for the Museum of Flight and perhaps the Paine Field venues in Everett, I’d be glad to share a few pints and talk about what you’ve seen.

Copter Appreciator00

21st Mar 2023, 05:07

The American Helicopter Museum (https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=eaa2165a1747254dJmltdHM9MTY3OTI3MDQwMCZpZ3VpZD0xM2E0YzI4ZS 1hMWEwLTZmYjQtMDYzNy1kMDA5YTA4OTZlNjMmaW5zaWQ9NTU1MQ&ptn=3&hsh=3&fclid=13a4c28e-a1a0-6fb4-0637-d009a0896e63&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmluZy5jb20vYWxpbmsvbGluaz91cmw9aHR0cHMl M2ElMmYlMmZhbWVyaWNhbmhlbGljb3B0ZXIubXVzZXVtJTJmJnNvdXJjZT1z ZXJwLWxvY2FsJmg9eEFtVCUyZjFlOVRON2JDQkxmNzlyRFRjNkF5cDhvcU5m cE05JTJmb1pjeG5PZWMlM2QmcD1sb2NhbHdlYnNpdGV3YXRlcmZhbGx0aXRs ZSZpZz05OEIzQzgyMzY2QkQ0Q0I3QjI2RjVBMDUxMjI4RjMyQyZ5cGlkPVlO NzcyeDEzMjA1NTQy&ntb=1) in Brandywine Airport, in Chester, Pennsylvania, here's the website, copy n paste it (or just google the name) helicopter museum pa - Search (bing.com)

There's a V-22 on site, and also some 50s-early 60s era Piasecki-type copters. I went in 2018 or 2019 and a team was there offering AH-1F and UH-1D rides. Awesome stuff! (https://www.bing.com/search?q=helicopter+museum+pa&cvid=e4f4a9ff6e844616adcdee63aeec2a60&aqs=edge.0.0l6j69i64.12813j0j4&FORM=ANAB01&PC=W099)

Piper_Driver

21st Mar 2023, 18:04

If you’re in the Los Angeles area and have a few hours to spare check out the Western Museum of Flight in Torrance. It has a small, but unique collection of aircraft including: YF17 (precursor to the F/A-18), YF23, and an original Northrop flying wing among other interesting stuff. It is also inexpensive and uncrowded.

Wikipedia page (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Museum_of_Flight)

India Four Two

21st Mar 2023, 20:51

Another vote for the WMF at Torrance. I went there specially to see their YO-3 Quiet Star. You may have to ask to see it.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/475x307/quiet_research_aircraft_yo_3a_nasa_bcf8f869f9a60557b031b0cfc 4fd6d0f9b3eeeb2.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_YO-3_Quiet_Star

You could combine your visit to the museum with a tour of the Robinson factory.

visibility3miles

31st Mar 2023, 20:58

Yes, the National Air and Space Museum in downtown DC is still undergoing renovations, but many sections have reopened.

https://airandspace.si.edu

The downtown museum requires timed tickets (free) and they have IMAX movies (not free.)

MechEngr

14th Apr 2023, 08:10

As mentioned before, I just found out the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum now requires buying tickets for reserved time slot access up to a month ahead of time.

bafanguy

21st Apr 2023, 22:53

An aviation museum that may be tough to visit:

https://airwaysmag.com/national-airline-history-museum/

LTAfan

22nd Apr 2023, 18:44

If you’re visiting the Smithsonian museums in Washington, DC, I encourage a brief detour to the oft-overlooked College Park Air Museum just NE of the city. Based at the oldest continuously operated airport in the US, it has a delightful little museum staffed by some very knowledgeable and friendly volunteers and a small collection of interesting aircraft and artifacts. I volunteered there while in graduate school (studying the history of aviation, naturally) and always looked forward to spending my Saturdays chatting with visitors, perusing their library, and visiting their restoration shop.

visibility3miles

23rd Apr 2023, 21:08

No, you don’t have to pay for tickets to see the National Air and Space Museum in downtown DC.

https://airandspace.si.edu/visit/museum-dc/frequently-asked-questions

Parking nearby is problematic, but it is within walking distance of the Metro, which isn’t free either.

However, you do have to pay to park at Udvar-Hazy, although the museum itself is free. I’m told this arose because people realized that if they could park there for free, they could then take a taxi to the nearby Dulles Airport, go on vacation, and not have to pay for airport parking. The airport did not appreciate this trick.

visibility3miles

23rd Apr 2023, 21:13

Don’t forget the Museum of Natural History in DC if you want a break from airplanes…

https://naturalhistory.si.edu

The American Indian Museum in DC probably has the most interesting and varied food in their cafeteria.

https://americanindian.si.edu

It is close to the Air & Space Museum, but it is not cheap for what you get. Then again all of the museum cafeterias are expensive for the food served.

visibility3miles

9th May 2023, 23:47

Pacific Airshow at Huntington Beach, California

https://pacificairshowusa.com

September 29- October 1, 2023.

https://www.airshowcenter.com/airshows

I just visited the Lyons Air Museum adjacent to the John Wayne Airport in Southern California. Full of WWII era aircraft, motorcycles, jeeps, and a few vintage cars, including one Hitler paraded in while inspiring the masses. I showed up around 10 AM on a week day and got an individual tour led by a retired air force man serving as a docent.
Two DC-3’s, one for commercial passengers, the other with large side doors for rapid deployment of paratroopers.

https://lyonairmuseum.org