Air Force Museum in Dayton

We had some days off from school (snow days). Columbus temple was first on the list. Then a giant trampoline park. We had been told about the Air Force museum in Dayton and everyone who had gone, gave it high praise. So we drove another 45 min and visited it. We were pretty glad we did. Trent was in aviation heaven and the kids liked looking up and in some heavy duty machinery.

It was huge. Well organized. Good assortment of various airplanes--ours and the enemies--and fun hands on displays for the kids to keep entertained. 

(I forgot my camera, so all the following pictures are from camera on my phone).

Gift shop was entertaining in and of itself.

Fully checking out the mechanics.

The front desk gives out a little scavenger hunt paper for kids to find certain objects or names of planes throughout the museum.

Kyleigh got a little boost whenever called upon.

So many planes, so little time.

1912-first Army flyers officially recognized.

40% of cadet pilots didn't graduate flight school.

Ooops....

Studiously reading up on the history behind what she is viewing.

This is the Beginning of Flight hanger.

Old army car with crank on front to start it up

No blinkers, no windshield wipers (no windshield), no seatbelts....

I thought this was clever staging. Check out what the guys in the hot air balloon basket are pointing at.

Checking out the size of the old bombs. Trent likes the white one. B likes the big one.

Quilt made by Jewish children. Was really touching to read their thoughts on the sad event. 

Pictures of the Liberators who freed the prisoners from the concentration camps.

For being a small country, Japan sure knew how to advance...

Actual items a shipwrecked survivor wore during his 21 days in a raft in the ocean.

Brenden checking out the belly of a plane.

This was a cool exhibit. 80 silver goblets shown below commemorate the 80 men who flew in a raid against Japan. The have Reunions every so often and every time they do, they toast their commrades who have died since the last reunion and turn the goblet upside down. And the names are written twice on each goblet so that it can be read whether upside down or not.

Kids saw a real Zero.

Kent was so taken with the whole museum. I bet he can't wait to go back.

I like when the museums put life-size mannequins in action of what they would have done in that era.

I had NO IDEA that Disney participated in the war efforts like this...

They made designs free of charge and understood the value of cartoon humor to lift morale.  Nice thought.

They had pictures, letters and actual clothing the men wore that carried the Disney insignia during the war.

Some of the designs Disney came up with for specific units of the army.

This guy was good.

Kyleigh wasn't allowed to join the men on the train...they were going to a cold, bad place...(was an exhibit showing American prisoners of war being transported to a German camp).

The following are a bunch of ingenious articles and artifacts that the American POW made during their time in German camps.

It's incredible to see the types of things the men were able to make...even crochet.

Try to read some of the captions of the photos below. Incredible.

They MADE an oven from tin cans...

I bet these men were especially glad to get back to Momma's cooking.

Planes and mannequins representing the war efforts on the Pacific.

Interesting to see the different uniforms.

The planes in the photo below were lined up to be scrapped. Dang that must have taken a long time.

This display had a video running of Bob Hope speaking to the guys in several different posts. And the two men seated looked like Vets who may have been one of the boys in the crowds at the time and were recalling that moment.

WWI flyer (check out that guy's gloves)

Clothing for high altitude flying 10 years later that the above picture. Now we're in the 1920-1930s. Gloves and jacket not so bulky.

Goggles have improved by the 1940s. Boots look more heavy duty.

Then we went into the space area. They had a simulator. We all tried to hook up the pod to the spacecraft...but we all failed. The lady at the desk nearby said that the only people that can actually pass the simulator are pilots. That thing is hard!

Kyleigh in the simulator.

She had to climb the stairs behind the space suit and still wasn't tall enough to poke her head through so someone had to give her bum a little boost from behind.

Once again....thrilled to be here....(the hangers at the museum are so huge that they didn't really even attempt to heat them. There were small areas that were heated, but for the most part, it was slightly warmer than outside...so Kent had to stay bundled up while we perused the planes.

B making a valiant attempt.

More simulators that begged to be tested.....

They had a control tower simulation in this room with pictures of what the guy inside the control tower would typically see. Trent was pleased to see a Northwest airplane in view....(those are the planes his Dad flew).

It got intense...

This game was one where you had to release a lever at just the right moment to help a plane land on a ship in the water. It was fun...for all ages. :)

Great museum. If you're in the neighborhood....or not so near....try to schedule a visit. The admission is free and you can offer a donation if you like. If I ever go back, I am definitely going to get a pen in the shape of a bullet. (And one for Trent....I guess he really wanted one, but I thought he was kidding...)