The United States Air Force Museum

Following construction of a couple new hangars, a name change, and a rebranding effort, the USAF Museum is no more, and this guide is now obsolete. Be sure to check out the new guide, but the old guide is kept for historical and sentimental purposes. This is what the museum looked like prior to 2003, and probably looked like this since the early 1990s when the Modern Flight Hangar was constructed (1988). Some of these aircraft are now gone or restored since the museum upgrades, like how the B-47E and B-1A have been replaced with the RB-47H and B-1B, respectively. Additionally, some of these aircraft may not be in the new museum for restoration purposes. Whatever the case may be, today's National Museum of the United States Air Force is like a completely different museum, and deserves a completely new guide.

Located near Dayton, OH at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, this is the world's oldest and largest military aircraft museum. This is the pinnacle of museums, a must see for any enthusiast. The museum houses more than 300 aircraft and missiles. There are several galleries in the museum, including the Outdoor Air Park, Early Years, Air Power, Modern Flight, Presidential, and Research and Development. As a tribute to this great museum, an online tour of nearly every aircraft on display has been compiled here.

Museum Location

Are you planning a trip to this museum or do you like what you have seen on this web site? Check here for directions to this museum as well as a detailed map.

Museum Detail

A virtual tour of this type would not be complete without some visuals of the actual museum. It is amazing how such large aircraft may be held in any building. View the exterior and the non-gallery interior portions of the building here.

Outdoors/Air Park

There are several aircraft displayed outdoors that have yet to find a home inside. Most aircraft outside are larger and consequently, there is no room for these aircraft indoors. Thankfully, some of these aircraft found their way indoors when the Cold War Hangar was completed in 2003.

Early Years Hangar

From the beginning of flight through the Great War, the Early Years Hangar at the USAF Museum has priceless artifacts like the original Wright Flyer's fabric to the P-40.

Air Power/Korean Conflict Hangar

From World War II through the Korean Conflict, the Air Power Hangar holds great aircraft such as the B-29, B-36, P-38, and P-51. This hangar also holds many other unique displays such as Ronald Reagan military artifacts and replicas of the atomic bombs dropped on Japan.

Modern Flight Hangar

Covering aviation from the 1950s to the present, the Modern Flight Hangar holds many of the greatest aircraft ever built, including the B-52, B-58, F-15, F-16, SR-71, XB-70, and YF-22. It also holds the X-planes on display at the museum, such as the X-1, X-3, and X-15.

Research and Development Hangar

A part of the USAF Museum Annex located on the grounds of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the Research and Development Hangar is home to many experimental aircraft, including the XF-92A and YF-12A.

Presidential Aircraft Hangar

Like the Research and Development Hangar, the Presidential Aircraft Hangar is also a part of the USAF Museum Annex. It is home to several presidential airplanes including the famous VC-137C #26000, as well as several other miscellaneous aircraft.

Any questions, comments, or complaints, please contact me.