Aim High

A trip to Wright Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, where the National Museum of the United States Air Force is located, was due so we headed out early but after a pit stop at the Autobahn. No, not in Germany, but in Columbus, at Schmidt's Sausage Haus - in time for the lunch buffet.

The museum starts chronologically from the beginning of flight through to modern fighters.

Early history

Along the way, there are other more interesting aircraft like the autogyro, a gyro-copter.

Autogiro

There are two jets I looked forward to: SR71 and F-117.  The SR71 Blackbird was used in the 1960s through 1990s, as well as being used by the X-Men (comics). F-117 Nighthawk was used in the 1980s through the 2000s.

SR71

With hundreds of aircraft and missiles, this is a great place for an aircraft enthusiast, not just fighting machines. The displays related to each time period are artistic and museum quality, not what I expected from a government facility (sorry). This is a beautiful exhibit and free!

- Cassaendra

National Museum of the United States Air Force
1100 Spaatz St
Wright-Patterson AFB OH 45433
Tel: (937) 255-3286