After my trip to Lancaster Pa for Historicon, I decided it was time to go on a road trip. I have a number of friends that live in the St Louis area and I have not seen them since Covid started. So, the time looked right and I headed out. I decided to drive this time around, to give myself some flexibility and make it easier to get around. Since I was driving, it gave me a chance to stop by the US Air Force Museum in Dayton Ohio. I have always wanted to go to this museum, but just never got round to it
The museum has five connected hangers showing off various aircraft (foreign and US), starting with the Wright Brothers until today. There is also a missile section. The final hanger is the restoration facility, but we were not able to get into there, hopefully the next time!
All the planes are nicely restored and include a nice description of their history. There is also a lot of context regarding the nations conflicts and the contributions of the aircraft and US forces.
The collection is fantastic and well worth the wait. I actually did not have enough time to see everything, so I will have to go back and spend a little more time in the back half of the museum and outside grounds. Hopefully, I can schedule to include a visit to the restoration hanger. Truly a must visit if you are into military aviation.
- Manteuffel