Museum Spotlight: National Museum of the U.S. Air Force

With such a broad range of artifacts from throughout the USAF’s history, curators have collected a long list of must-sees.

Kimberly Johnson

Monday, December 26, 2022 at 09:35 AM ET

Verified

Exterior view of the National Museum of the United States Air Force features a Lockheed F-104 Starfighter. The museum is located in Dayton, Ohio and is part of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. [Credit: U.S. Air Force]

Key Takeaways:

The article explores the favorite aircraft of both museum staff (curators) and visitors at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.
Museum curators, a large team with diverse interests, often favor aircraft that represent significant historical events, people, or technological advancements, with examples including the B-17F Memphis Belle and the X-15-A2.
Visitors are drawn to a wide array of iconic aircraft and exhibits across various galleries, such as the Wright 1909 Military Flyer, the B-17F Memphis Belle, Cold War stealth aircraft, and presidential aircraft like the VC-137C (SAM 26000).

See a mistake? Contact us.

We all have our favorite aircraft—even the people who are charged with caring for them at the aviation museums across the country. Since December is the birthday month of powered flight, FLYING magazine reached out to museums across the country to find out which aircraft are the personal favorites of the museum staff as well as the museum visitors.

National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, Dayton, Ohio

“Many have asked about the National Museum of the United States Air Force curators’ favorite artifacts,” a museum spokesperson tells FLYING. But with more than four dozen curators, the list is not a short one.