Aviation museums

[jastel]

Not really a museum as such but if you are driving around Mojave, Death Valley, Nevada, Area 51, ET Highway area in the US you often see planes and choppers flying around and over you...sometimes you dont see them until they buzz you and you nearly %$#@ yourself at the noise...(Mustang convertible) also old plane boneyards around Mojave.

 

[straitman]

This weekend I'll be at the QAM, Queensland Air Museum – Queensland's Greatest Collection of Aviation History at Caloundra for a 5 Sqn RAAF reunion.


One of the better pics I got last time we were there.
RN Sea Vixen

 

[Justinf]

The Buffalo Airways hangar in Yellowknife is almost like a museum. So many old war birds there and the ancient Buffalo Joe.

 

[Limewood]

Best aircraft museum we ever went to was in Dayton USA here.

 

[AIRwin]

Has anyone visited the JAL Sky Museum at HND?
JAL - JAL工場見学〜SKY MUSEUM〜
JAL Sky Museum - JAL Factory Tour Sky Museum, Ota Traveller Reviews - TripAdvisor

 

[jb747]

Best aircraft museum we ever went to was in Dayton USA here.

USAF, USN, and NASA at Kennedy have enough to justify an entire trip to the USA. 2020 I think...

 

[FlyboyAl]

On Wednesday May 8, I will be ticking off a major bucket list item.
I'll be taking off at 6pm for a flight up the west coast of California outside Los Angeles in a B17 Flying Fortress!!!!
The attached photo is the actual aircraft that I'll be in.
To say that I'm stoked is an understatement and it comes about from being in the right place at the right time and an understanding wife who was happy to sign the cheque!!!!!
Needless to say, there will be photos. And this will be after the Planes of Fame Airshow on the 4th and 5th.

 

[AIRwin]

This weekend I'll be at the QAM, Queensland Air Museum – Queensland's Greatest Collection of Aviation History at Caloundra for a 5 Sqn RAAF reunion.

In case anyone is interested

 

[aggie57]

On Wednesday May 8, I will be ticking off a major bucket list item.
I'll be taking off at 6pm for a flight up the west coast of California outside Los Angeles in a B17 Flying Fortress!!!!
The attached photo is the actual aircraft that I'll be in.
To say that I'm stoked is an understatement and it comes about from being in the right place at the right time and an understanding wife who was happy to sign the cheque!!!!!
Needless to say, there will be photos. And this will be after the Planes of Fame Airshow on the 4th and 5th.

That would have been out of John Wayne, our local airport. The Collings Foundation does an annual tour and this year they had both their B-17 and their B-24, plus a P-40 and a B-25. They are hosted at SNA by the Lyon Air Museum, a privately owned collection that is open to the public. So for that weekend we had two B-17's and two B-25's, a B-24, a B-26, a couple of C-47, and various other aircraft here. I could see the B-24 and B-17 coming and going on the trips on all 3 days, here is a shot of the B-17 you were on and another of the route it was taking up the coast to Long Beach and back. Each trip was around 45 minutes.

The access you have to these aircraft at these events is amazing. You can literally wander around and climb in and out of them at your pleasure. They are living and breathing history, standing inside them and seeing what conditions the crews worked in gives you a whole new appreciation of what they did. And the industry that was created and produced these machines, got them to the front etc. If humans could only do the same for peaceful endeavours rather than to kill each other.

 

[FlyboyAl]

Aggie57 - yes it was The Collings Foundation, and yes, it was John Wayne!
It was interesting watching a B25, B24 and B17 taking off and landing amongst the 737's, A320's, and others.
As promised here are some photos.
What you don't get with them are the sounds of 4 big radials winding up for take off, and the smells and vibrations that go with it all.
It was a truly unique experience, and one I'll remember for the rest of my life.
And as you can see, I was able to score an upgrade to Business Class!!!!!

 

[FlyboyAl]

Over the wireless operator position is a large sliding panel in the top of the aircraft.
As the weather was OK, the panel was open.
I've never stuck my head out into a 450kt slipstream, but I now know what it feels like!!!!!!!!
However it did afford some great photographic opportunities from the aircraft. HINT. If you do this it is easier to look backwards than to look forwards!!!!
If you look closely in photo 1, you will see the Queen Mary, and old Spruce Goose hanger in Long Beach

 

[FlyboyAl]

My Dad was a Lancaster pilot in WW2 in 149 Squadron, and I figured this was as close as I'd probably get to flying in a Lanc (although I have crawled though several on the ground).
I took his cap badge with me on the flight for memory's sake.
When he did talk about the bombing flights over Germany, he was somewhat dismissive of the US Air Force "accuracy" compared to the RAF/RAAF!!!!
Here are some other ground shots taken by my wife.
I'm currently in the running for a 1 hour flight in a P51 twin seater - if it comes to pass, there will be a quick flight over the pond and a lot more photos!!!

 

[aggie57]

Wonderful photo's and what an experience! You're right about the sound, it was so amazing to hear the two 'heavies' coming and going over the weekend. I kick myself for not taking a flight. Isn't it stunning that 75 years after d-day you can still go and fly in these wonderful aircraft.

 

[ausfox]

I flew on a B17 at Oshkosh a couple of years ago.
Wonderful sounds and vibrations are good when no-one is having a shot at you.
My admiration goes out to those who flew in action.

 

[FlyboyAl]

Not quite an aviation museum, but a follow up to my flight on "909" - the B17 of the Collings Foundation.
I guess lots of things can happen to an old plane, but this old girl flew her last flight last week, when she crashed at Bradley Airport.
At this stage both pilots confirmed dead, plus 5 passengers.
I am unbelievably sad about this as I met the pilot on my flight, and spent quite some time talking to the engineer (who survived with injuries).
I will always remember my flight on that day, and now I'm remembering those who perished.
Sad.

 

[NM]

One thing I like to do when traveling is to visit interesting flight-related museums. My favourite so far is Duxford Imperial War Museum near Cambridge in the UK. On one RTW trip I was "transiting" through London with an early morning arrival into LGW (from DFW) and then an evening departure from LHR (to SIN). So I rented a car and drove around the M25, through the Dartford tunnel and up to Duxford where I spent the day. It was a windy, cold, rainy February day, and I pretty much had the whole p[lace to myself, except for a few fellows restoring a Spitfire in one of the hangers.

I could spend as much time as I wanted walking through Concorde 001 (the flight test aircraft). I was disappointed that the static display VC10 was closed that day, but did get back (with my entire family) a few years later on a more pleasant summer day when the VC10 was open for inspection.

What flight or travel-related museums have other members found interesting and why?

 

[jastel]

This list I made a while back for an old thread...
There are lots around the place wherever you go.



Some of my favourites I have visited are -

USA
Smithsonian Air and Space and Udvar Hazy in Washington DC - most famous planes/rockets ever flown
Intrepid Aircraft Carrier in New York - carrier type planes, concorde and space shuttle
Both NASA's - rockets
Ellsworth AFB South Dakota, B52's, B1 Bombers and Nuke missile silos nearby as well.
Pearl Harbour - Hawaii
Yorktown Aircraft Carrier - like Intrepid, not as well kept but can wander anywhere

UK
Duxford - UK planes, have flown into here on a light plane, the new American plane wing is now open again
Hendon - like Duxford older mainly UK planes
Yorkshire Aviation Museum is still set up like a WW2 bomber base, intact Halifax Bomber you can go inside
East Kirkby - Functioning Lancaster Bomber, taxi rides only - not flying
RAF Scampton - Dambusters Museum, Red Arrows...though I think they were moving?
RAF Cosford - excess planes from other museums
RNAS Yeovilton - UK naval aviation
Many ex WW2 stations have some remains or museums and light aircraft runways

Europe
in France many D-Day museums have aviation bits
Royal Military Museum - Brussels all Forces but a large old plane section
National Military Museum - old Soesterberg Air Base - Netherlands, all forces but pretty new
Kbely Aviation Museum - Prague lots older cold war ex Soviet planes and helicopters

Australia
Imperial War Museum Canberra
Most current RAAF bases have Museums in each state some on site some separate.
Have been to Pearce, Amberley, Pt Cook, Wagga, Adelaide, Townsville, Newcastle/Williamstown
Former WW2 bases such as Nhill, and Evans Head have started small museums as well.
Nowra Naval Museum has some planes
Temora Aviation Museum
Qantas at Longreach
HARS at Woolongong
Queensland Air Museum at Caloundra - large collection, lots outside
Small one at Caboolture as well if you are bored...
Oakey Army Aviation Museum
Woomera - Rockets

 

[justinbrett]

USAF National Museum in Dayton, Ohio. Hands down the best military aviation museum in the world. It has everything.

 

[Bundy Bear]

Museum of flight in Seattle

 

[ausfox]

PIMA air and space museum in Tucson Arizona. Huge museum plus the aircraft boneyard beside it.