Travelsmartplanet

National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force – Wow, right in the middle of their combat gallery you can watch volunteers restore the fuselage of a WWII B-17 bomber. It was unnerving to find out that the aluminum is so thin that your finger can make it wiggle.

Hear first-hand stories of brave men and women who were not only pilots, but navigators, ground crew, radio operators or even POW’s from 1942-1945. You can set the stage watching a 20 min. movie depicting the perils of a World War II strategic bombing mission over Nazi Germany, where at times 60% of the flights were one way (now that’s bravery).

Find the story about Tyre C. Weaver, who was so badly wounded that he asked to be thrown from his plane to parachute into enemy territory hoping to receive medical
treatment, and of the 10-year old girl who found him.

Learn about Jacqueline Cochran who founded the women’s air force and flew every plane, and Nancy Harkness Love, who delivered planes, tested them and towed targets, and Ann Baumgartner Carl, the first woman to pilot a jet.

Peer into a MIG 21 nose section. See if you can find the dollar bill signed by Clark Gable or what tora tora tora means. There’s a museum store, and outside you can view an F-4C Phantom, MiG-17A and B47 bomber.

Location: National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force,
175 Bourne Ave, Pooler, GA 31322
Hours: Opened Daily 9am–5pm
Tel: 912-748-8888
mightyeighth.org
For Regional Accommodations, Restaurants & Attractions: poolerchamber.com

How appropriate to house an aviation museum at the oldest continuously operated airport in the world, The College Park Aviation Museum, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution.

The first person to greet you is Wilbur Wright -who else? This animatronic man tells you how he came to this airfield in 1909 to teach military officers how to fly. The gallery contains historic and reproduction aircraft associated with the history of the airfield, highlighting the display of unique aircraft and artifacts and tells the story of the airport’s many 1st in flight to today.

College Park Aviation Museum is family-friendly and filled with hands-on, interactive exhibits for children of all ages. Touch, explore, and sit in the cockpit of their “Imagination Plane“, a 1939 blue Taylorcraft. Fly away in a 1911 Model B Flight Simulator where you can fly over this airport using hand controls and state-of-the-art visuals. Visit their hands-on room to learn about flight and to dress like a pilot.

Look for exhibits on the first US Postal Air flight in 1918 and the first controlled helicopter flight by H. Berliner. The airport runway is just out side the rear glass windows of the museum, so you can watch take-offs or landings as today’s pilots take to the sky.

Location: College Park Aviation Museum, 1985 Corporal Frank Scott Drive, College Park, MD 20740
Hours: Daily 10am – 5pm (Closed Sun, Jan 1st)
Tel: 301- 864- 6029
collegeparkaviationmuseum.com
For Regional Accommodations, Restaurants & Attractions:
visitmaryland.org/city/college-park

This is a UH-1 Huey helicopter shown at the Valiant Air Command Warbird museum in Florida. Here you can find a collection of vintage war aircraft, photos, uniforms and personal artifacts of the vets, and you can even meet some of these vets as they volunteer to work on the restoration of these planes.

At the northeast corner of the Space Coast Regional Airport beside the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum is this sign advertising bi-plane rides. We watched as this bi-plane coasted along the runway and rose into the air.