USAF museum

[Jack]

Well past weekend i visited the museum with my son, both aviation "nerds", coincidentally with memorial day (that should tell at lot......) and it was a pleasant experience to see all the exhibits in its perspective time-frame, took a lot of pictures (which i have to re-direct to display) so i'll be showing pictures afterwards but it was very pleasant to see so much history aviaton either in real "outfit" or like the B2 in a test vehicle without actual cockpit or engines (it's huge......), but i was really impressed by the presence of the big B-70 Valkyrie, dwarfing many displays below its wings, like the "have blue" vehicle and many others.

 

Jack.

[ScottsGT]

It is overwhelming!  I went probably 15-20 years back when Dad was still with us and able to do these things. He was a USAF veteran of 28 years.  Two of his stories that stood out….

 

The C-124 on display.  When we came up on it, it was like Dad met an old friend.  He spent many hours on THAT airplane on display.  Stood there telling us stories of trips on particular C-124.

 

The MIG they call Yeagers MIG, the one the NK defector flew over to South Korea.  Dad was responsible for crating it up, loading it on a transport and bringing it back to Dayton for evaluations.  He was a Loadmaster. 

[ScottsGT]

2 hours ago, MARU5137 said:

Jack,

Glad to hear your trip to the USA and USAF Museum was exceptional  for you and your son.

Thank  you for sharing .

 

Look forward to seeing your photographs. 

And ScottsGT thank you for sharing and telling your Dad's Story.

How lovely.

Another funny story about Dad.  He never really talked much about his career unless you pried the lid off.  But we’re all sitting around Thanksgiving dinner one year after we were all grown adults and had our own kids.  My brothers wife is of German heritage, as is my wife.  All of a sudden, dad starts talking to them in German. 
We were all like 

Dad? Is there something you need to tell us?  
“Well I did spend a year working the Berlin Airlift!”  
Yea, in 1948!  (This was well into 2000 something) 

Then he starts telling us about flying a mission with the CIA in a C-130 with a huge camera in the back of it filming the Amazon river for shipping routes for getting nuclear bomb building materials out.  Sometime back in the ‘50’s. 
 

[kalashnikov-47]

I've been going as often as I can ever since I talked my dad into taking me when I was a kid back in the 1960's. 

It's been great watching the place grow over the decades.  Next scheduled visit is coming up on 28 November. 

Some guys I knew when stationed at Ramstein Air Base get together for a reunion of sorts.  Always a great time!

[Jim Barry]

Love that place. I only had a few hours there in 2017.  I ran to the exhibits! The Valkyrie does steal the show. 

[Jack]

On 11/20/2022 at 5:10 AM, kalashnikov-47 said:

I've been going as often as I can ever since I talked my dad into taking me when I was a kid back in the 1960's. 

It's been great watching the place grow over the decades.  Next scheduled visit is coming up on 28 November. 

Some guys I knew when stationed at Ramstein Air Base get together for a reunion of sorts.  Always a great time!

 

Ramstein, Bitburg, Wiesbaden, you name it, it was a time preriod that was "filled" with USAFE  squadrons in our region, together with the only  USAFE "royal" squadron in the Netherlands, the 32nd squadron at Soesterberg AB flying with the F15 Eagle with their royal crest, it is all in the past, with memories to match.......

[mydesign]

Jack

 

I am jealous !  The USAF Dayton museum is still on "my bucket list"  

[treker_ed]

Managed to get to the museum back in 2016. Spent 2 days there. Loved every minute, and took hundreds of pictures. This was 2 weeks before they opened the 4th hanger! I was gutted I didn't get to see the Valkyrie, and other experimental aircraft. Maybe one day I'll get to return! This was part of a 4 week trip with the wife, also visited USS Intrepid in New York, the Air &Space Museum in Washington, and The Udvar-Hazy Centre. Had a wonderful time. 

Edited November 23, 2022 by treker_ed

[treker_ed]

On 11/23/2022 at 9:52 AM, treker_ed said:

Managed to get to the museum back in 2016. Spent 2 days there. Loved every minute, and took hundreds of pictures. This was 2 weeks before they opened the 4th hanger! I was gutted I didn't get to see the Valkyrie, and other experimental aircraft. Maybe one day I'll get to return! This was part of a 4 week trip with the wife, also visited USS Intrepid in New York, the Air &Space Museum in Washington, and The Udvar-Hazy Centre. Had a wonderful time. 

Not too sure about the wife though It was supposed to be her sabbatical! And I dragged her round several aviation museums.... That was my compensation for the rest of the trip doing stuff she wanted.