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National Museum of the United States Air Force showcases military aviation in America

September 2025

The National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, is a 1,120,000 square feet museum dedicated to telling the story of the United States Air Force and its predecessor services, starting with the Aeronautical Division, Signal Corps in 1907.

The museum dates to 1923, when the Engineering Division at McCook Field, the aviation experimentation station operated by the United States Army Air Service, as the Aeronautical Division had been re-named, started a collection of technical artifacts for preservation. The museum re-located in 1927 to Wilber Wright Field, then an active U.S. Army Air Corps training base approximately 8 miles to the east.

The museum has grown from being housed in a variety of temporary facilities, to the current purpose-built facility, which was opened in 1971 across one of the runways at the now-disused Wright Field, now a part of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

Today, the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force is the world’s largest military aviation museum, including more than 350 aerospace vehicles and missiles, thousands of artifacts, displayed in both the indoor exhibition space and additional outdoor Air and Memorial Parks. The collection continues to grow every year, as does material for aviation and military researchers to pour over.

The museum is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week and admission FREE.

Indoor Museum Exhibits:

Outdoor Exhibits:

U.S. Army Air Forces in England:

Where Aeroplanes Once Flew:

Sources: National Museum of the United States Air Force – Wikipedia, National Museum of the USAF.

About the author

Bruce Forsyth

Bruce Forsyth served in the Royal Canadian Navy Reserve for 13 years (1987-2000). He served with units in Toronto, Hamilton & Windsor and worked or trained at CFB Esquimalt, CFB Halifax, CFB Petawawa, CFB Kingston, CFB Toronto, Camp Borden, The Burwash Training Area and LFCA Training Centre Meaford.

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