National Museum of the U.S. Air Force to Celebrate Fourth Building Opening

Who will you meet in the galleries of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force? Be one of the first to visit the museum’s new fourth building, and you can find out! On June 11-12, the museum will come alive with special activities to celebrate the grand opening of the fourth building, which will feature 10 presidential aircraft and a world-class collection of flight test aircraft, along with the Space Shuttle Exhibit and huge cargo planes. Visitors can climb aboard the Space Shuttle Exhibit, walk through four presidential and three cargo aircraft, and try out the Air Force Museum Foundation’s new suite of simulator rides, including the Pulseworks’ Virtual Reality Transporter, the first of its kind in North America, featuring an exclusive Space Voyage experience.

To celebrate the grand opening, entertaining and educational activities are being planned from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on June 11-12. Throughout the weekend, the museum and a number of partner organizations will offer free hands-on activities for all ages, including educational demonstrations, special costumed characters, the Air Force’s customized Vapor Special Ops Supercar, plus a number of displays from the Air Force and other groups. Most activities are free, although there is a cost for simulator rides and movies at the Air Force Museum Theatre.The 224,000 square foot fourth building, which opens to the public on June 8, will house more than 70 aircraft, missiles and space vehicles in four new galleries – Space, Research & Development, Global Reach and Presidential. Three dedicated, interactive educational spaces, known as STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Learning Nodes, will accommodate student-centered, technology-enhanced learning through hands-on programs, demonstrations and lectures. When not in use for structured educational programming, there will be a variety of programs available to the visiting public, including science and engineering demonstrations, hands-on activities, special presentations, videos and more.

Mark your calendars for this special weekend of activities and watch the museum’s website, www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Expansion.aspx, for up-to-date details.
The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, is the world’s largest military aviation museum. With free admission and parking, the museum features more than 360 aerospace vehicles and missiles and thousands of artifacts amid more than 19 acres of indoor exhibit space. Each year about one million visitors from around the world come to the museum. For more information, visit www.nationalmuseum.af.mil.