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{{Short description|Military and aviation museum in Dayton, Ohio, US}}{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}

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Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio39538438region:US-OH_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}| type = Military aviation museumPUBLISHER=NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE URL-STATUS = DEAD ARCHIVE-DATE=8 APRIL 2009 ACCESS-DATE=12 SEPTEMBER 2008, | director = David TillotsonPUBLISHER = NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE US AIR FORCE DATE = 28 APRIL 2015, Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority>Greater Dayton RTA Route 11www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/|www.nationalmuseum.af.mil}}}}(File:Aerial view of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force 4.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force)File:Boeing B-17F Memphis Belleâ„¢ .jpg|thumb|Boeing B-17F Memphis Belle on display in the WWII Gallery at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.]]File:National Museum of the U.S. Air Force-Boeing VC-137C SAM 26000 (Air Force One) 02.jpg|thumb|An overhead gallery view of the fourth building aircraft at the National Museum of the United States Air Force including the Boeing VC-137C SAM 26000VC-137C SAM 26000File:Apollo 15 Command Module at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.jpg|alt=A spaceship on display|thumb|Apollo 15 Command Module Endeavour which carried David Scott, James Irwin, and Alfred Worden to the Moon in 1971 on NASA’s fourth crewed lunar landing mission ]]File:National Museum of the U.S. Air Force-North American XB-70 Valkyrie.jpg|thumb|An overhead view of the fourth building aircraft at the National Museum of the United States Air Force including the North American XB-70 ValkyrieNorth American XB-70 ValkyrieFile:HEXAGON KH-9 at USAF Museum-1.jpg|thumb|The KH-9 Hexagon photographic reconnaissance satellitereconnaissance satelliteThe National Museum of the United States Air Force (formerly the United States Air Force Museum) is the official museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, {{convert|6|mi|km|spell=in}} northeast of Dayton, Ohio.WEB,www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/visit/directions.asp, Visitor info, 23 November 2011, dead,www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/visit/directions.asp," title="web.archive.org/web/20111126080329www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/visit/directions.asp,">web.archive.org/web/20111126080329www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/visit/directions.asp, 26 November 2011, dmy-all, The NMUSAF is the oldest and largest military aviation museum in the world, with more than 360 aircraft and missiles on display. The museum draws about a million visitors each year, making it one of the most frequently visited tourist attractions in Ohio.WEB,www.whiotv.com/news/19099838/detail.html, Airfoce Museum Attendance, 5 April 2009, dead,www.whiotv.com/news/19099838/detail.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20090408015817www.whiotv.com/news/19099838/detail.html,">web.archive.org/web/20090408015817www.whiotv.com/news/19099838/detail.html, 8 April 2009, dmy-all,

History

The museum dates to 1923, when the Engineering Division at Dayton’s McCook Field first collected technical artifacts for preservation. In 1927, it moved to then-Wright Field in a laboratory building. In 1932, the collection was named the Army Aeronautical Museum and placed in a WPA building from 1935 until World War II. In 1948, the collection remained private as the Air Force Technical Museum.BOOK, US Air Force Museum, US Air Force Museum Foundation, 1972, In 1954, the Air Force Museum became public and was housed in its first permanent facility, Building 89 of the former Patterson Field in Fairborn, which had been an engine overhaul hangar. Many of its aircraft were parked outside and exposed to the weather.Through the 1960s, Eugene Kettering, son of Charles F. Kettering, led the project to build a permanent structure to house the collections and became the first chairman of the board of the Air Force Museum Foundation. When he died in 1969, his widow Virginia took over the project. Her “determination, logic and meticulous attention” kept it on track,WEB, McIntire, Bill, Virginia Kettering, 29 March 2012,www.libraries.wright.edu/special/ddn_archive/2012/03/29/virginia-kettering/, Dayton Daily News, 18 November 2018, and the current facility opened in 1971.BOOK, Hartzer, Ronald B., Walker, Lois E., Gatewood, Rebecca, Grandine, Katherine, Kur, Kathryn M., Leading the Way: The History of Air Force Civil Engineers, 1907–2012, 240–241,media.defense.gov/2015/Apr/02/2001329844/-1/-1/0/AFD-150402-022.pdf, 27 June 2022, Not including its annex on Wright Field proper, the museum has more than tripled in square footage since 1971, with the addition of a second hangar in 1988, a third in 2003, and a fourth in 2016.Air Force Museum FoundationBOOK, Expanding the Legacy,issuu.com/airforcemuseumfoundation/docs/expandingthelegacy?e=4255600/2635129, Issuu, Air Force Museum Foundation, 31 December 2015, 19, In October 2004, the name changed from United States Air Force Museum to National Museum of the United States Air Force.WEB, History of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force,www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/MuseumExhibits/FactSheets/Display/tabid/509/Article/195668/history-of-the-national-museum-of-the-us-air-force.aspx, United States Air Force, 21 February 2017, The museum is a central component of the National Aviation Heritage Area.WEB, Home of the Wright Brothers,www.aviationheritagearea.org/, National Aviation Heritage Area, 16 March 2012, On 28 February 2024, a tornado touched down in the Riverside area in Montgomery County, Ohio.WEB, akrherz@iastate.edu, daryl herzmann, IEM :: PNS from NWS ILN,mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/wx/afos/p.php?pil=PNSILN&e=202402281806, 2024-02-29, mesonet.agron.iastate.edu, en, The museum was struck by the tornado causing damage. The base commander, Col. Travis Pond, said that “the damage was isolated to the southern side of Area B. Damaged buildings included the Museum’s Restoration Hangar 4, Gate 22B, and other nearby facilities.“WEB, Roza, David, 2024-02-28, Tornado Damages Wright-Patt and National U.S. Air Force Museum,www.airandspaceforces.com/wright-patterson-air-force-base-tornado/, 2024-02-29, Air & Space Forces Magazine, en-US,

Exhibits and collections

The museum’s collection contains many rare aircraft of historical or technological importance, and various memorabilia and artifacts from the history and development of aviation. Among them is the Apollo 15 Command Module Endeavour which orbited the Moon 74 times in 1971, one of four surviving Convair B-36 Peacemakers, the only surviving North American XB-70 Valkyrie and Bockscar—the Boeing B-29 Superfortress that dropped the Fat Man atomic bomb on Nagasaki during the last days of World War II.In 2010, the museum launched its 360-degree Virtual Tour, allowing most aircraft and exhibits to be viewed online.In 2016, the museum opened its {{convert|224,000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} fourth building, bringing its size to {{convert|1,120,000|sqft|m2}}.WEB,www.bargedesign.com/project/national-museum-of-the-united-states-air-force-expansion, National Museum of the United States Air Force Expansion, The addition was privately financed by the Air Force Museum Foundation at a cost of $40.8 million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|40800000|2016}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP}}). The building houses more than 70 aircraft, missiles, and space vehicles in four new galleries - Presidential, Research and Development, Space and Global Reach, along with three science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) Learning Nodes.In 2018, the Boeing B-17F Memphis Belle was placed on permanent public display in the World War II Gallery.PRESS RELEASE, Bardua, Rob, B-17F Memphis Belle moves to WWII Gallery as exhibit opening nears,www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Upcoming/Press-Room/News/Article-Display/Article/1469798/b-17f-memphis-belle-moves-to-wwii-gallery-as-exhibit-opening-nears, National Museum of the US Air Force, 6 August 2019, 19 March 2018, The aircraft and its crew became iconic symbols of the heavy bomber crews and support personnel who helped defeat Nazi Germany.

Presidential aircraft

The museum has several Presidential aircraft, including those used by Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, and Dwight D. Eisenhower. The centerpiece of the presidential aircraft collection is SAM 26000, a modified Boeing 707 known as a VC-137C, used regularly by presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Richard Nixon. This aircraft took President and Mrs. Kennedy to Dallas on 22 November 1963—the day of the President’s assassination. Vice President Johnson was sworn in as president aboard it shortly after the assassination, and the aircraft then carried Kennedy’s body back to Washington, D.C.NEWS,www.usatoday.com/NEWS/usaedition/2009-11-20-jfkrelics20_ST_U.htm?csp=N009, JFK Relics Stir Strong Emotions, Keen, Judy, 20 November 2009, USA Today, 20 November 2009, It became the backup presidential aircraft after Nixon’s first term. It was temporarily removed from display on 5 December 2009, repainted and returned to display on President’s Day in 2010.PRESS RELEASE,www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123168955, Air Force One temporarily off display at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, 22 September 2009, National Museum of the US Air Force, dead,www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123168955," title="web.archive.org/web/20121014091222www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123168955,">web.archive.org/web/20121014091222www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123168955, 14 October 2012, dmy-all, All presidential aircraft are now displayed in the Presidential Gallery, in the new fourth building.PRESS RELEASE, Bardua, Rob, National Museum of the U.S. Air Force fourth building now open,www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Upcoming/PressRoom/News/ArticleDisplay/tabid/466/Article/792421/national-museum-of-the-us-air-force-fourth-building-now-open.aspx, National Museum of the US Air Force, 30 December 2016, 7 June 2016,

Pioneers of flight

A large section of the museum is dedicated to pioneers of flight, especially the Wright Brothers, who conducted some of their experiments at nearby Huffman Prairie. A replica of the Wrights’ 1909 Military Flyer is on display, as well as other Wright brothers artifacts. The building also hosts the National Aviation Hall of Fame, which includes several educational exhibits.

Uniforms and clothing

(File:USAF Museum Exhibit Enlisted Heritage Uniforms Exhibit.jpg|thumb|“Enlisted Heritage Uniforms” exhibit on display at National Museum of the U.S. Air Force) File:Major General Billy Mitchell Uniforms.jpg|thumb|Major General Billy MitchellBilly MitchellThe museum has many pieces of U.S. Army Air Forces and U.S. Air Force clothing and uniforms. At any time, more than 50 World War II-vintage A-2 leather flying jackets are on display, many of which belonged to famous figures in Air Force history. Others are painted to depict the airplanes and missions flown by their former owners. The displays include the jacket worn by Brigadier General James Stewart, P-38 ace Major Richard I. Bong’s sheepskin B-3 jacket and boots, an A-2 jacket worn by one of the few USAAF pilots to leave the ground during the attack on Pearl Harbor, and President Ronald Reagan’s USAAF peacoat.File:National museum USAF JTAC and Colon-Lopez exhibit.jpg|thumb|right|225px|Part of the “Warrior Airmen” exhibit on display in the Cold WarCold War

Other exhibits and attractions

The museum completed the construction of a third hangar and hall of missiles in 2004. It now houses post-Cold War era planes such as the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit stealth bomber (test aircraft), the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk stealth ground attack aircraft and others. A fourth hangar was completed in 2016, to house the museum’s space collection, presidential planes, and an enlarged educational outreach area. Previously these collections were housed in an annex facility on Area B of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (the former Wright Field). Because the annex was physically located on the base itself, museum guests were required to go through additional security checks before taking museum buses to the hangar.The museum owns other USAF aircraft, including former U.S. Army Air Service, USAAC or USAAF aircraft, that are on loan to other aerospace museums in the United States and overseas, as well as those on permanent static display at various U.S. Air Force installations and tenant activities worldwide, and at Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard installations across the United States. Most of these loaned aircraft duplicate aircraft exhibited by the museum. These other aircraft remain the property of the Department of the Air Force and are typically identified at these locations as being “On Loan from the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.” The museum’s staff has very high standards for the restoration and quality of care of loaned assets and has, in the past, revoked these loans when it was deemed that these other museums did not have the resources to properly care for an artifact. This happened in the case of the famous Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, Memphis Belle.For an additional fee, guests can view aviation- and space-oriented films in a large format theater interspersed primarily with other documentaries. In 2013, the Air Force Museum Theater was upgraded from IMAX to digital 3D. The renovation included a new stage, theater seats, and a new theater screen to support a broader range of programming—including educational presentations, live broadcasts and expanded documentary choices. It also included a 7.1 surround-sound system, audio devices for the hearing or visually impaired, and personal closed captioning systems.WEB,www.afmuseum.com/attractions/theatre, Theatre - Air Force Museum Foundation, www.afmuseum.com, 14 July 2014, 20 July 2014,www.afmuseum.com/attractions/theatre," title="web.archive.org/web/20140720083236www.afmuseum.com/attractions/theatre,">web.archive.org/web/20140720083236www.afmuseum.com/attractions/theatre, dead, The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force completed a multi-phase, long-term expansion plan. The Air Force Museum Foundation recently supported a major capital construction program that expanded the museum to the current 1 million square feet of exhibit space with the addition of the fourth building that now houses the Space Gallery, Presidential Aircraft Gallery and Global Reach Gallery. This new fourth building opened to the public on 8 June 2016.USAF Museum opens 4th buildingWEB,www.daytondailynews.com/news/news/local/new-air-force-museum-hangar-to-open-june-8/np4Zc/, New Air Force museum hangar to open June 8, WEB,www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2016/may/26/air-force-museum-to-open-fourth-building, Air Force Museum to open fourth building, 26 May 2016, www.aopa.org, WEB,www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Upcoming/ArticleDisplay/tabid/466/Article/792421/national-museum-of-the-us-air-force-fourth-building-now-open.aspx, Upcoming, National Museum of the US Air Force, With the addition of new space, more than 70 aircraft that were in storage have been put back on display, such as the XB-70 Valkyrie.WEB,www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Upcoming/Press-Room/News/Article-Display/Article/626004/xb-70-valkyrie-moved-into-museums-new-fourth-building/, XB-70 Valkyrie moved into museum, 27 October 2015, National Museum of the United States Air Force, WEB,www.daytondailynews.com/news/news/exotic-xb-70-towed-to-new-hangar-draws-a-crowd/npCqF/, Exotic XB-70 towed to new hangar draws a crowd, WEB,gizmodo.com/the-new-home-of-the-most-exotic-bomber-ever-built-is-ae-1740238853, The New Home of the Most Exotic Bomber Ever Built Is Aerospace Heaven, Attila, Nagy, 3 November 2015, The Presidential Aircraft collection is also back on site, having been moved to an outside location for some time.WEB,www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/MuseumExhibits/PresidentialGallery.aspx, Presidential Gallery, National Museum of the US Air Force, The new building’s construction was entirely funded via private donations from several different sources.PRESS RELEASE,www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Upcoming/Press-Room/News/Article-Display/Article/796643/air-force-museum-foundation-provides-funding-for-museums-new-building/, Air Force Museum Foundation provides funding for museum, National Museum of the United States Air Force,

Collection

The museum is divided into galleries that cover broad historic trends in military aviation. These are further broken down into exhibits that detail specific historical periods and display aircraft in historical context.

Air Force Museum Foundation

The Air Force Museum Foundation is a private, non-profit organization that supports the mission and goals of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.Air Force Museum Foundation. Retrieved 4 February 2010.

Other Air Force museums

{{see|List of United States Air Force museums}}

See also

• American Air Museum in Britain
• Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum
• National Museum of the Marine Corps
• National Museum of the United States Army
• National Museum of the United States Navy
• National Naval Aviation Museum (the U.S. Navy’s equivalent facility to the NMUSAF)
• United States Air Force Memorial
• United States Army Aviation Museum

Related lists

• List of aerospace museums

References

Notes

{{Reflist}}

Bibliography

• MAGAZINE, Schlitz, William P., March 1969, The Air Force Museum: Caretaker of a Legend,babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=osu.32435062368121&seq=316, Air Force and Space Digest, 37, 11, 102, 106–109, 11 July 2022,

External links

{{external media| float = right| width =| image1 = Aerial photo of the museum in its previous location}}

• {{Official websitewww.nationalmuseum.af.mil/}}
• Air Force Museum Foundation official website
• SR-71 Online â€“ National Museum of The United States Air Force â€“ A guide to the museum and its displays.
• US Air Force Museum Photos â€“ Photos of exhibits in the National Museum of the USAF in Dayton, OH
• Photo website with 360-degree VR panoramas and HDR images
• List of engines at the museum
• Air Force Materiel Command Mission Directive 417

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