Back from my overseas trip, added a dozen or so new Aviation Museums and War Memorials to my list. My Grandfather was in Bomber Command so thats why I have a WW2 plane angle.
I wrote this up for a friend so that's why it might be a bit simple for the experienced travelers on this forum...I just copied it again.
California Science Centre
California Science Center | The California Science Center
Los Angeles, California, USA
A general purpose science museum, a few space probes and capsules but the Shuttle Endeavour is the big item. It is amazing to get within feet of it, and see the scorch marks on the thousands of tiles from re entry etc. It is closing soon to be rehomed in a vertical position with boosters and the last ever fuel tank as if launching…so go back in 2025. Public Transport available, Expo Park E Line Metro or buses.
Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum
Home - Evergreen Museum
McMinnville, Oregon, USA – 1 hour South of Portland, 4 hours South of Seattle.
The One and Only wooden Sprucegoose, and many other planes and rockets. Very good museum with a plane hall and another hall across the parking lot with Space stuff including a Titan Missile Launch Bunker and a SR71 Blackbird. On the outskirts of McMinnville a smallish town of 30000 people. A Comfort Inn and small shopping complex is next to it. Suggest Rental Car.
Boeing Future of Flight
Boeing Future of Flight Aviation Center & Boeing Tour 30 mi N of Seattle
Paine Field, Seattle, Washington (State), USA – 1 hour North of Seattle.
Boeing Factory Tour, (must book online in advance) is the main attraction and had just reopened. Mostly Boeing History and future plane projects, movies etc. in the “Museum” part...no planes, but has a walkthrough International Space Station Module. Can also go up on the roof and watch whatever is happening at the airport that day. If you are buying a new Boeing aircraft this is where you pick it up.
Tour was interesting…after a movie they drive you around the factory in a bus (max 30 people currently), show you the various plants etc, whatever aircraft that are awaiting delivery etc., then you go into the main assembly building to see the assembly line. No photos allowed on the tour…they provide lockers for bags and cameras, phones etc. before you get on the bus.
This is basically in a suburb of Seattle and has several accommodation places nearby. Public Transport is available, as well as tour buses etc. Like most US cities it is spread out so some walking may be needed to the public transport. I had the car still.
Flying Heritage and Combat Armor Museum
Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum | Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum
Just around the corner from the Boeing Future of Flight, same airport but other end.
Has many flying and fully operational aircraft and tanks/artillery. Lancaster Fuselage. They run them on certain days, mainly in summertime naturally. Most things are to a very high standard as it has lots of $$$ from Paul Allen ex Microsoft.
The Museum of Flight
Home | The Museum of Flight
King County International Airport, Seattle, WA, USA – about half way (30 mins) South of Seattle CBD and SEATAC, (one hour) the main Seattle passenger airport. Easily accessed by Public Transport from the city or SEATAC, use Bus 124, stops right out front, it goes often.
This one is a must do, has many aircraft inside and out doors, hanging from roof etc. It has a Concorde, an SR71 Blackbird, the first ever 747, a Presidential Jet, the third 787 Dreamliner and hundreds more. The main hall is indoors and has the SR71 along with many other planes around it and hanging from the roof. There is a darkened Space Exhibit section with some genuine stuff and other models promoting the lunar landings.
It has relocated William Boeings Original Red Barn Workshop that was a few miles away. Another building is basically a World War I and II aviation summary complete with most American and some Jap/German planes.
Across the road via bridge outside is an open air hangar with the Dreamliner, Concorde, B17, B29 and Stratojet etc. A building here has an ex NASA Space Shuttle Trainer full size Mockup as well as more kiddie type space stuff. In a Memorial park behind it is a real B52 Vietnam Memorial.
Vulcan
Vulcan, Alberta - Wikipedia
About 1.5 hours South of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Rental Car.
With a name like that what else but Star Trek’s Enterprise …a large Model of course outside a Truckstop. UFO Centre, Spock Statue and a few murals etc. Nothing much else there but a small farm town and a Truckstop.
Ten kms away is RCAF Station Vulcan which was an Empire Air Training School station in WW2. Mostly abandoned and derelict now, one or two sheds in use.
Bomber Command Museum of Canada
Bomber Command Museum of Canada – Honouring those who served with Bomber Command.
About one hour South of Calgary, in the small town of Nanton, Rental Car.
This Museum is only about Canadian Bomber Command. There is a Memorial Wall with all the 11000 names of Canadians Killed in the War.
The main attraction is a restored Lancaster Bomber, FM159, this one can taxi and all engines run. Painted as local hero’s Ian Bazalgette’s VC. DFC. ND811 old plane. There are lots of other planes as well, mainly Canadian ones, the RCAF WW2 history, a large nose art collection, there is also a library, archive and restoration workshop. One of their current projects is rescuing and restoring Halifax 57 from a Swedish swamp and restoring a Mosquito.
The Military Museums
The Military Museums - The Military Museums
In Calgary, if you are driving up to Calgary Airport from Nanton, this is on your way.
A Tri Service Museum, the museum has 8 separate bits, the Army, Navy and Air Force Museum of Alberta, the Air Force Cold War Museum and 4 Canadian Specific parts of Lord Strathcona Horse, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, Kings Own Calgary Regiment and the Calgary Highlanders.
I was short on time so concentrated on the Air Force part, they have a decent collection of Canadian and American Planes, basically one large hangar…it also narrates the history of flight and war from Canada’s perspective. Outside were a few more planes in the carpark area. They were some Tanks outside as well.
The other bits were well done too but I really just did a walk through of the other bits as the museum was closing soon and I got kicked out.
The Hangar Flight Museum
Welcome | The Hangar Flight Museum (thehangarmuseum.ca)
Basically at the south end of Calgary International Airport, Bus 57 stops nearby.
A smallish museum with mainly smaller training type aircraft. It has a large engine collection on the mezzanine. It does have a static display Lancaster FM136 painted as Ronnie Jenkins’ KB895 plane housed in what they call the tent with a few other planes.
This is a pre fab tent type structure opposite the other main hangar. Unfortunately strong winds had torn the tent recently and the tent part was off limits so I couldn’t see it…I did get 20% off admission though.
The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum
Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum - Canadian Aviation History | Wartime Vintage Aircraft
One hour South of Toronto, or closer to two hours on public transport, bus 20 stops nearby. It is on the side of John C Munro Airport, Hamilton.
If you have a fat wallet this is the place where you can FLY in a real Lancaster Bomber, for C$4000, a B25 Mitchell, a C47 Dakota and several smaller planes. BUT 2024 Lancaster flights are already sold out after going on sale a few days ago….so start planning for 2025when they go on sale in Nov 2024.
FM213 is fully restored and airworthy, one of only two flying Lancaster in the world, (the other is in England), it is painted up as KB726, and it honours Andrew Mynarski VC.
On the original site and hangars of Number 10 Elementary Flying Training School are full of history and mostly running and many flying planes. They only fly in the summer months in good weather naturally. There are large educational displays and there were several groups of schoolkids there.
Canadian Aviation Museum
Canadian Aviation Museum
I did this from Toronto…not a good idea as it is 6 hours South by train to Windsor and then a local bus or two…then the same home again! It is beside Windsor International Airport and bus 8 will drop you pretty close by. It would be easier to do it from Detroit USA (excluding border difficulties) as that is just over the lake. Or to stay somewhere closer in Canada.
There is a Lancaster here as well…in pieces so far…but that is interesting in itself as it is mid restore, you can see how the insides work. This aircraft is FM212, the sister plane before 213 above. It was on a pole in a park for many years so a lot of restoration is needed. Don and the guys are doing a good job but the drama now is they cant assemble it until the council decides where to display it. If they assemble it where it is it cant go outside the building…so arguments continue.
Located in the original Number 7 Elementary Flying Training School hangars with big wooden beams still visible the Lancaster and its restoration take up a large chunk of space, they are also restoring a Mosquito. They have the usual assortment of smaller training aircraft as well as posters and displays and other WW2 aviation smalls. Much less “Fancy” than the others but more worklike.
National Air Force Museum of Canada
National Air Force Museum of Canada – www.airforcemuseum.ca
At Canadian Forces Base, Trenton, about 2 hours from Toronto and ¾ of the way to Kingston. I got the train to Belleville and had a friend pick me up. It is about 20 minutes drive from the train.
They are currently fixing up a Lancaster…not on display yet.
But they have the worlds second restored Halifax NA337, fully restored and not a composite like Elvingtons, it is all correct. Rescued by Karl Kjarsgaard and Co. in the 1990’s it has pride of place in the museum, you can see it from all angles and there are only another dozen or so smaller planes in the building. There are a few dozen more in a memorial section outside.
Canada Aviation and Space Museum
Home | Canada Aviation and Space Museum (ingeniumcanada.org)
In Rockcliffe Park a short distance from Ottawa’s CBD, bus 12 gets you to a nearby intersection but its still a miles walk along the highway to the museum itself. The HOHO bus goes there in summer. I got bus 7 back from a residential street after a shortcut though a forest…slightly shorter walk.
A Smithsonian Level museum with many planes tracing the history of flight WWI and II, jets, helicopters and rockets. It has a static Lancaster KB944, an AVRO Arrow nose, the original Canadarm for the Space Shuttle and many other planes. There is also a restoration hangar next door that costs extra to tour and is not well advertised, this is crammed full of rare planes as well but must be toured with a guide on a separate tour.
Very Good Museum.
Canadian War Museum
Home | Canadian War Museum
About 3 kms from downtown Ottawa. if you want to walk but the 1 Red train going to Pimisi from the Rideau Centre in the CBD is easier. Then a short downhill walk to the Riverbank where the Museum is…you can see it easy from the train station. Also across the road is a Holocaust Memorial, and there is a riverbank walk behind it as well, you can go on the roof for views in the summer.
This is a Tri Service Museum of Canada’s War History but doesn’t have very many planes at all, they are out at the CASM above. It explains all the wars up to 9/11 and Afghanistan even from Canada’s side and is quite interesting…even if somewhat repetitive to me by now. It has Hitlers car, Forceful III the famous Tank, an AVRO Arrow Nose Cone and the entire basement is full of tanks and artillery.
The best thing in this museum for me was in the walkway from the tank level to upstairs there was a lot of original Halifax nose art hanging on the wall. Some guy had seen them waiting to be disassembled in the UK and cut out the panels and bought them here.
The museum has a pointy wing like roof, that points directly at the Peace Tower on Parliament House, the windows in this bit spell “Lest We Forget” in English and French Morse Code.
Piermont Pier New York “Last Stop USA” Camp Shanks
I included this because this is where most men departed New York from to go to WW2...the Last Step on US Soil that many ever saw. It is located at Ferry Rd Piermont , New York, USA. There are memorials on the end of the pier. You can get there by catching a few different buses and trains over a few hours but I had a friend drive me around. With a car its about 1 hour from NYC proper.
This small village has the famous Pier, which protrudes 1 mile into the Hudson River to gain access to deep water. The soldiers got onto boats here and were ferried downstream to New York City Port of Embarkation where they got onto larger ships like the Queen Mary etc.
Last Stop USA Statue and Memorial is at the corner of Piermont Ave and Paradise Ave, just on the outskirts of Piermont. Search for John F Kennedy Memorial Park on google maps.
Camp Shanks Museum is the old Army Camp where soldiers stayed and were equipped to go to war. It is about 4 miles away at 20 South Greenbush Road, Orangeburg, NY. Its on a little hill near the Council Library and Fire Department, and has an Original Nissen Hut Museum. The museum is mainly open in Summer so I couldn’t go to it.
Camp Shanks Memorial Park is a small triangle of land at the corner of Independence Ave and Lester Drv…full address 122 Independence Ave, Tappan, NY. This is another couple of miles away. It is a small park with memorials to the Army, Navy and Air Force.
Back in New York City itself you can see the Piers 86, 88 and 90 where all the international ships departed from in WW2…these are still used today by cruise ships. Pier 86 is home to USS Intrepid Aircraft Carrier with a Concorde, many other planes and the Space Shuttle Enterprise…though the Concorde part is closed for renovation.
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
Homepage | National Air and Space Museum (si.edu)
In Washington DC, USA. In the National Mall, L’Enfant Metro Station is closest, yellow or green.
This is one of the worlds best and therefore busiest Aerospace Museums. Tickets are free but must be booked online before attending. I arrived for 10:00 am opening (with booking) and the line was 100m long, when I left it was still 100m long. At the moment half of it is closed for refurbishment, it is still worth a look but not what it used to be.
Smithsonian Stephen F Udvar Hazy Centre
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center | National Air and Space Museum (si.edu)
Located at 14390 Air and Space Parkway, Chantilly, Viginia, USA. This is basically a suburb of Washington DC and is also known as Dulles Airport. Take the new Silver Metro Line towards Dulles Airport and get off at the Innovation Centre, walk across highway overpass and go to Bus Stop B, then bus 983 to Udvar Hazy…you wont miss it…its huuuge. Still takes about 2 hours transport though. Museum is free but Parking is $15.
Being right at Dulles Aorport with its own taxiway planes can land here and drive in to retire.
It has many planes and is famous for having the Space Shuttle Discovery, The B29 Enola Gay, a SR71 Blackbird, a Concorde, lots of Apollo Stuff and heaps of other planes. It is far better than NASM and being a bit harder to get to not as crowded.
Pentagon 9/11 Memorial, Air Force Memorial and Arlington
Blue or Yellow Metro Line get you to Pentagon Station (not Pentagon City). Exit and head R, don’t go inside unless you applied 2 weeks ago for a tour, go outside (up escalators) and follow signs to 9/11 Memorial. Photos are allowed inside the memorial, nowhere else, people are watching and if you have a 1200mm zoom lens pointing at the building expect a few questions. The memorial is outside the place where the plane hit the building.
The Air Force Memorial is visible from the Pentagon Carpark, I just walked towards it, there are roadworks going on so it may be different soon but the access comes off Southgate Rd, Arlington Cemetery is on the opposite side of the road. The memorial is like 3 planes doing a missing man flypast, there are a few monuments and restrooms there as well.
Arlington Cemetery has its own Metro Stop on the Blue Line, follow the signs, You need to do Security. Inside are many famous Americans, The Kennedy’s Grave, The Unknown Soldier, Robert Lees House, its huuge. You can walk around or take a small train thing and hop on and off for extra $.
After exiting Arlington veer R, instead of walking back to Metro, and follow the pathway to the Netherlands Carillion. Then from there it’s a short walk to the famous Iwo Jima Marine Memorial. To get back, walk back to Arlington Metro or forward to Rosslyn Metro, where the big buildings are.
Washington Memorials
In the city, mainly along the Mall are many memorials. They include World War 2 Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Korean Memorial, Lincoln Memorial and Reflecting Pool, Jefferson Memorial, Martin Luther King Jnr Memorial, Tidal Basin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, Signers Memorial amongst others. Also you have the White House, the other Smithsonians and The Capitol Building.
National Museum of the US Air Force
National Museum of the USAF
This is at the Home of Flight, Dayton, Ohio, USA. The Wright Brothers lived not far away and used the flat land where the Wright Patterson Air Force Base is now located to test early planes. The current Air Base has stored each type of new plane since the beginning but in WW2 with Operation Lusty they bought all the new German and Japanese planes here to copy and reverse engineer. Eventually they opened a museum…Currently the world’s biggest with over 360 planes, rockets, spaceships etc it has 4 huge hangars with 19 acres under roof. You need at least 2 days to see this place properly.
Located about 10 miles from Dayton CBD, at 1100 Spaatz St, Dayton, OH, the number 11 bus goes from the CBD to a freeway ramp about 1 mile away at Old Harshman and Springfield St. Get off here and its about a 1 mile walk to the base. This is made worse by the fact you can see the museum but due it being on the base and fenced you have to walk wasted distance to go in the driveway and cant cut across the paddock in a direct route.
The famous things here are Bockcar B29, a B52 inside, B36 Peacemaker, the only XB70 Valkyrie, the Memphis Belle, Liberator, The Doolittle Goblets, a Mosquito, Cold War Migs, F117, B1 Bomber, U2 Spyplane, X15 and the new F22 Raptor and many Presidential Aircraft as well.
This is hands down the biggest and best museum of the trip. There is so much to see…all from the US point of view of course and it could have more British Planes, but it is a museum of the US Air Force not the World Air Force. As a tourist there is not much else in Dayton and Washington or Seattle with their easily accessible Museums would be a better deal, but if you are a plane nut and have seen them both then come here.
Most of the museums I did on public transport, google maps makes this very easy…though sometimes if you clicked a drop off point on the other side of the museum it would give you a far simpler route with less changes etc. Some of them have the HOHO bus going by or buses in the summer but not winter, when I did it, so YMMV and check your self. Naturally it also depends on where your start point is. If walking is a problem then I suggest rent a car…it is what everyone in USA expects…the looks I got when I walked in sopping wet or sweating after walking from the buses…
Each city has different payment methods, most larger ones have a pre paid card that you can buy then load with money and tap and go. Others use apps, this is annoying as it varies between towns. Very few buses take cash anymore, and if they do it is dollar bills only into a machine, no change given and drivers wont take money. Some have google pay where you just tap the phone, but this will usually add a currency conversion fee for us tourists so may be more expensive. Of course leaving money on a pre paid card if you don’t go back is similar.
Most bus drivers were helpful but some were having a bad day…normally the return bus goes from the opposite side of the road nearby, some of the larger museums it pulls up right there but some required a walk. Many had NO shelters and you were waiting in the weather. Like here it can be hard to find a person to ask at a train station but usually some local will help you.
