12/23/2009
Taking advantage of my Christmas break, we made a daytrip to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, just outside of Dayton – less than an hour and a half from Columbus.
Anyone with any interest in the history of aircraft will be in heaven here. The museum is huge – it would have to be, since it’s crammed with airplanes. The museum is laid out chronologically – from the earliest experiments of the Wright Brothers, to experimental planes of today. Maybe it’s the history teacher in me, but I liked how the museum was laid out. Sometimes these giant museums can be kind of overwhelming (The Henry Ford comes to mind, and the Detroit Institute of the Arts), so the chronological organization gave the whole experience a comfortable flow. It took us about three hours to move through the museum, and we looked at everything. Even Daniel seemed fascinated by the varied colors, shapes and sizes.
For several years I worked at the University of Akron Archival Services working on a special collection dedicated to the B-26 Marauder – which was a World War II-era bomber plane. Wright-Patterson contains one of the handful left in existence, so I made sure I got my picture with her.
When we left the museum we stopped by the Aviation Heritage Center, which has its own sharp little museum dedicated to the Wright Brothers and the poet Paul Dunbar. One of the guides at the Heritage Center took us across the street to one of the Wright Brothers’ bicycle shops (apparently, the only one of five still in existence). Kind of neat to be able to say, “We were at Orville and Wilbur’s place.”
Something I must mention about this trip – everything was absolutely free. Both the Air Force museum and the Aviation Center have free admission everyday. Both of these sites could easily charge up the nose for what they have to offer. I feel that the Air Force museum is one of the best places we’ve visited and it didn’t cost us a penny. What more can I say? Go there!
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