This 55,000 square foot museum included many displays including WWI and WWII, the Korean Conflict and Viet Nam War, Technology and Americans in Military Aviation Exhibits, a Mission Briefing Room, a Maintenance and Restoration Hangar, and outdoor display that includes aircraft depending on availability. This is a non-profit (501) that is run 99% by dedicated volunteers. They offer rides in one of seven restored warbirds starting at $450. It costs over $1000 in fuel to fly one hour.
I think Colleen wants to fly one like this! LOL
It's pretty cool how some of these are built with folding wings. I sure hope none of them ever had a failure on the latching mechanism while they were flying!
This is one of the B17's that is still flight capable that you can purchase a ride in. They also let you walk through the inside here at the hangar.
The bomb bay from underneath the aircraft.
I couldn't imagine being cramped into here for hours on end and you better not be claustrophobic! The actually have to rotate it for the gunner to get inside and then rotate it back into fighting position. In case you're wondering no, I did not climb inside of this thing! LOL
This was the largest bay in the whole plane, everything else was tight quarters and catwalks.
Looking at the size of the exhaust on some of these planes explains why these things are so loud!
This B-17 "Sentimental Journey" nose art bears the WWII pinup pose of the late Betty Grable and permission of the painting was personally given by her widower, trumpeter harry James. "sentimental Journey" currently flies in the colors of the 457th Bomb Group, 750th Bomb Squadron which was based in Glatton England during WWII. Manufactured in 1944 and accepted by the US Army Air Force on 27 March 1945, Sentimental Journey's serial number is 44-83514. You can still take a flight in this plane or several other Arizona Wing Warbirds starting at $450.
This is one of the docents that answer questions and provide information to visitors at the museum. He was a pilot himself and was full of information! We're thankful to these people for giving their time so none of us forget our history!
The docent told us that the temperatures in these gunner turrets would drop to minus 25 degrees so they had to wear heated suits. The downside was once the suit was plugged in any areas that contacted your skin would get burned. He told us the story of a man he knew that actually had burn patterns from the heating element on his butt and his knees!
The cockpit of the B-17.
You had to crawl on your hands and knees to get through this passage to the top gunner turret and the bomb bay.
These are the controls for the top gunner turret.
This is what it looks like to be in the top gunner spot on top of the plane. They must've recruited tall people for this spot because I had to reach over my head to get this shot!
This is the catwalk over the bomb bay.
This is where the side gunners were located.
Signatures of men.
This is one of the actual planes that flew into Serbia during WWII to rescue 500 US military stranded there. After the war, Hoover vacuum company bought the plane, added comfortable seating and it still flies today.
USS Arizona Bulkhead, attacked and sunk in Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941
Pearl Harbor survivor display. He went to breakfast and was supposed to meet up with friends later. It never happened.
This is an early version of an unmanned reconnaissance drone.
A project for Cashton! This project was donated by an eagle scout group. It demonstrated how planes fly. There is a fan on the right end of the box and the left end of the box there is a screen. When you push the start button, the fan starts and it shows how the air lifts the wings of the plane.
Brain Buckets!
Cute socks in the giftshop that I thought Jessica should have.
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