Recently visited several interesting Aviation Museums in the northeast. Used this dated yet still current web site which lists state by state what is to be seen. Now if you can afford the fuel costs, check out those close to your home base.
aeroweb.brooklyn.cuny.edu/museums/museums.htm.
or just GOOGLE Aviation Flight Museum
Brooklyn.cuny, part of my alma mater. Anyway, here’s the updated link.
(Just for the record, the aero-web website hasn’t been updated in five or six years!)
You’re all welcome to come visit us any time.
Canadian Aviation Museum, Ottawa Ontario.
Great collection of Canadian aviation.
My Uncle flew this S-55 in the collection.
http://newsy.smugmug.com/photos/588993-S-1.jpg
Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, Hamilton Ontario.
warplane.com/
They maintain one of two remaining airworthy Lancaster Bombers in the world.
Vintage Wings of Canada, Gatineau, Quebec.
vintagewings.ca/page?s=63&lang=en-CA
Privately owned flying collection.
If you like Military Aircraft this place is worth the trip, even if you’re far away
Western Aerospace Museum at Oakland Airport is quite interesting.
Some of the aircraft at the museum:
Aircraft include
Short Solent (the same one used in “Raider’s of the Lost Ark”, you can take a tour of it)
Lockheed L-10 Electra,
Aero 3F
RP-3A Orion
A-4M Skyhawk
TAV-8A Harrier
Bede BD-5-B
American Airpower Museum at Republic Airport in Farmingdale, NY. That’s Lawn Guyland, for those of you not familiar. Great indoor/outdoor static displays.
Originally opened in 1926 as a flight school by brothers Charlie and Alister McAllister, it was one of the longest running flight schools in the Northwest. After Charlie’s death at age 95, the school was transformed into the museum it is today. We are located at the East end of the Yakima Airport, next to Cub Crafters.
I was lucky to know Charlie.
A little further north (and across the bay) is another good place to visit, the New England air Museum at Bradley Intnl.
Of course there’s the Holy Grail, Udvar-Hazy! And the Garber refurb facility which I find more interesting than the actual aircraft displays at NASM.
Similarly, if you can get to the refurb facility at Wright-Pat, it’s the perfect dessert for the full-course meal of the museum itself.
We (AVM folks) have been invited out on several occasions for private tours of Wright-Pat’s Skunk Works, those who were able to go have raved about the experience.
The flight museum at Boeing Field is also excellent. They have an SR-71 Blackbird among other amazing planes. Not an EADS product in sight, however.
They have at least one EADS product. Aerospatiale, along with British Aircraft, made the Concorde.
Aerospatiale is one of the companies merged with some other European aerospace companies to make EADS.
Yes, you need to include predecessor companies. The DC-8, for example, is not strictly a Boeing product but it is considered one now because Boeing purchased McDonnell Douglas.
Excellent museum with heavy emphasis on WWII planes. Many of the docents fought in the war.
If going out west, stop by Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson. They have quite a variety there, including an SR-71, and a great tribute to the 390th Bombardment Group. Also, they have a buttload of stuff outside, from a Cessna 120 to B-52’s and everything in between. Tours are available to the Boneyard at Davis-Monthan AFB next door.
In San Diego, the San Diego Air & Space Museum is the best game in town. Includes the Apollo 9 Command Module, an airworthy replica of Spirit of St. Louis, and a tribute to PSA. A refurbished Gee Bee R-1 was recently added. Their restoration facility is located here at KSEE. Their F-14 was the only one actually flown in after its retirement. all the others were shipped in or restored there.
Not meant to be an endorsement of these places… I just think they are well worth the trip.
That’s my local one.
Among other things, they have:
SR-71B Blackbird
F-14A Tomcat
F-18 Hornet
P-39 Airacobra
P-40 Warhawk
P-47 Thunderbolt
F4F Wildcat
F6F Hellcat
F7F Tigercat
F8F Bearcat
F9F Panther
F-86 Sabre
Mig-15
Mig-21
It’s a cool place, I usually go there at least once a year.
The American Helicopter museum at KOQN is a nice place to visit if you in the area. They have a boeing 360 and one of the test Ospreys. If your in the area give it a look.
These are some great pictures from Udvar Hazy
http://pa.photoshelter.com/gallery-slideshow/G0000hoLOKIwFOpg/
Pima is very nice… where else can you kick the tires of a B-52 ? And it’s across the road from Davis where they have all the mothballed military aircraft, and a bus tour through Davis…
You can eat your lunch under the wing of a B-52D at South Dakota Air and Space Museum at Ellsworth AFB! As an added bonus, you can watch Bones shoot touch-n-goes all day!