While many of the Presidential Libraries and Museums have remained closed for well over a year due to COVID-19, my interest in history and the evolution of aviation hasn’t waned. That’s why, after learning the National Museum of the US Air Force was again open to the public, I quickly made plans for a one-day visit. This is the official museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, 6 miles northeast of Dayton, Ohio. The NMUSAF is the oldest and largest military aviation museum in the world, with more than 360 aircraft and missiles on display. And I soon discovered Ohio claims to be the “Birthplace of Aviation.” Wait a minute, how can that be? We all know the first flight took place at Kill Devil Hills in North Carolina, right? Well, it turns out both claims are factual. Here’s why.
In today’s world, people travel halfway around the globe in a matter of hours, thanks to modern jetliners. However, there was a time, over a century ago, when air travel was considered to be impossible. Everything changed during the early Twentieth Century when Wilbur and Orville Wright designed, built, and flew the first powered aircraft on the planet. The Wright brothers made history on December 17, 1903, with their first flight in North Carolina. That flight only lasted for 12 seconds, but it changed the world, marking the beginning of the aviation miracle we take for granted today. The Wright brothers kept making improvements to their aircraft and on October 5, 1905, Wilbur flew 24 miles in less than 40 minutes! What separated them from the other pioneers was the fact that the Wright brothers designed an effective way of controlling their aircraft. The 3-axis controlling system is still being used today over a century after it was developed.
The brothers hailed from Ohio and that state has been home to numerous pioneering aviators, and the site of countless aviation inventions. However, North Carolina claimed to be the cradle of aviation, since the Wright brothers made their first heavier-than-air flight there back in 1903. North Carolina further staked their claim when they introduced the ‘’First-in-Flight’’ license plates in the state. Ohio responded by introducing the ‘’Birthplace-of-Aviation’’ plates a few years later. The US Congress ended the dispute in 2003 when they declared Ohio to be the cradle of aviation over North Carolina since the Wright brothers were from Dayton, Ohio. Besides the fact that the brothers were from Ohio, many historians also believe they drew up their design and built their aircraft in their Dayton bicycle shop.
So, armed with the knowledge of the important place Ohio occupies in aviation history, I happily made my way to Dayton. When the museum opened at 9:00 AM the morning after my arrival, I was among the first inside. Admission is free but visitors are encouraged to make a voluntary donation to the Air Force Museum Foundation. The Early Years Gallery is just beyond the entrance atrium and conveys the magic and wonder of the formative days of military air power. The gallery's aircraft collection, exhibits and artifacts combine to capture the spirit of imagination of that transformational era, chronicling the time from the Wright brothers and their contemporaries, through World War I and the lead up to the Second World War.
Harrowing and courageous moments are captured in the museum's World War II Gallery. It houses one of the world's top collections of Second World War aircraft and a variety of engaging and evocative exhibits to tell the proud story of the U.S. Army Air Forces during that war. One of the most thought provoking is “Bockscar,” the actual B-29 Superfortress which dropped the “Fat Man” atomic bomb on Nagasaki on Aug. 9, 1945, three days after the atomic attack against Hiroshima. Bockscar was one of 15 specially modified "Silverplate" B-29s assigned to the 509th Composite Group. Designed in 1940 as an eventual replacement for the B-17 and B-24, the first B-29 made its maiden flight on Sept. 21, 1942. In December 1943 U.S. Army Air Forces leadership committed the Superfortress to Asia, where its great range made it particularly suited for the long over-water flights against the Japanese homeland from bases in China. Bockscar arrived at the museum on Sept. 26, 1961.
The Korean War Gallery was next. We visitors were able to immerse ourselves in a storyline reflecting the emergence of the modern Air Force as the service experienced significant changes in roles, tactics and technology during that war. The conflict’s two most striking symbols of air power on both sides - the F-86A Sabre and the MIG-15 are on display next to one another. Mannequins used in the exhibits depict both everyday moments in the lives of airmen as well as historical images, such as the famous photo featuring pilots headed to the flight line as they walk under the MIG Alley sign. In the nearby Southeast Asia War Gallery, we viewed aircraft and exhibits that convey the U.S. Air Force's involvement in key air campaigns. These included Operation Rolling Thunder and Operation Linebacker I and II, the latter of which applied enough pressure on North Vietnam to compel them to an eventual cease-fire.
After lunch, I toured the expansive Cold War Gallery and saw firsthand how the technological achievements of that era led to the advanced systems being applied in modern combat. The gallery’s aircraft collection presents a broad range of platforms, including fighters, long-range bombers, attack aircraft, reconnaissance, heavy airlift and trainers. Modern aircraft on display include the world’s only permanent, public display of a B-52 stealth bomber. The Missile Gallery was next. Opened to the public in 2004, it’s contained in a silo-like structure that stands 140 feet high. Here, I saw missiles such as the Minuteman, Titan I and II and Jupiter Missiles from ground level and was also able to enjoy an aerial view from an elevated platform that hugs the inside circumference of this gallery. Missiles are one leg of the US nuclear deterrent “triad” that also includes US Air Force bombers and US Navy submarine-launched missiles. US nuclear forces are on alert at all times, ensuring a swift response in the event of a nuclear attack.
My favorite gallery was the final one, the William E. Boeing Presidential Gallery. It gave me the the opportunity to view an historic collection of presidential aircraft, and walk through four of them, including aircraft used by Presidents Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower as well as the Boeing VC-137C also known as SAM (Special Air Mission) 26000, which was used by eight presidents -- Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Clinton -- in addition to carrying heads of state, diplomats and other dignitaries and officials, on many historic journeys. This is the very same blue and white presidential aircraft that carried the body of President John F. Kennedy back to Washington, DC after he was assassinated in Dallas, Texas on Nov. 22, 1963. Before the plane left Love Field, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as the 36th President of the United States.
By closing time at 5:00 PM, the staff were ushering me out the door but I didn't mind as I had seen all the exhibits at a leisurely pace and also had the opportunity to view the two films being shown at different times throughout the day in the Air Force Museum Theatre. Each ticket cost only $8.00. The first, "D-Day: Normandy 1944," was narrated by Tom Brokaw and was beautifully filmed and solidly researched. The second was titled"Fighter Pilot: Operation Red Flag." It was an IMAX film centered on the experiences of a USAF F-15 Eagle fighter pilot, then-Captain John Stratton. It chronicled his experience during the Air Force's simulated air war conducted above the skies at Nellis Air Force Base near Las Vegas. I departed for home in Raleigh the next day with a better appreciation for the US Air Force and all the men and women who have and continue to serve in this outstanding service branch of the United States military.
Until next time...travel safe.
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