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Old January 6th 04, 11:01 PM
Jay Honeck
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Default Can You Name an "Aircraft-Accessible" Aviation Museum?

In another post about the fabulous new Udvar-Hazy Center (part of the
National Air & Space Museum), frustration with not being able to fly into
this terrific new facility was evident. I personally find it appallingly
ironic that museums which purport to glorify flight are not accessible by
aircraft, despite being located on an airport.

Which brings to the fore a question: How many aviation museums really ARE
accessible by light plane? I know, for example, that my two favorite
museums (the Air Force Museum in Ohio, and the Strategic Air Command Museum
in Nebraska) are NOT accessible by aircraft.

So here's my contributions to this heroic list. Let's hear it for museum
directors who have sense enough to make their airplanes viewable by those of
us who might actually fly in!

1. Rantoul, Illinois. The Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum You can taxi
right up to this one, and park just a few dozen feet away from an F-14
Tomcat. (Sadly, when we were there last month they had the back door
locked, so we had to walk around to the front of the building. This is a
giant hangar, so that was no small feat, with kids in tow...)
See it at: http://www.aeromuseum.org/

2. Topeka, Kansas. Combat Air Museum. Ditto above. Another great museum
located on the old Forbes Field air base.
See it at http://www.combatairmuseum.org/

3. Greenfield Iowa. Iowa Aviation Museum and Hall of Fame. Small, but very
good.
See it at http://www.flyingmuseum.com/

4. Ottumwa, Iowa. Airpower Museum and Antique Aircraft Association. This
is on a small, private, grass strip which is home to the most amazing annual
fly-in every summer. Call ahead for permission to land.
See it at http://www.aaa-apm.org/ .

5. Oshkosh, WI. EAA Airventure Museum. This one is only "sort of"
accessible by air. When I flew in during the winter in '95, I had to park
on the opposite side of the airport (miles away) at Basler, and they drove
us over to the museum.
See it at http://www.airventuremuseum.org/.

Can you add any more to this list?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"