National Museum of the United States Air Force
National Museum of the United States Air Force
Presidential aircraft at National Museum of the United States Air Force

About the Museum

Welcome to the official website of the National Museum of the United States Air Force -- the oldest and largest military aviation museum in the world -- located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, near Dayton, Ohio. This site is provided as a public service by the National Museum of the United States Air Force, Public Affairs Division.

Use the top navigation bar to find information about planning your visit as well as events and activities taking place at the museum.

Meet the Director

Learn about museum divisions. 

Museum Mission

The National Museum of the United States Air Force collects, researches, conserves, interprets and presents the Air Force’s history, heritage, and traditions, as well as today’s mission to fly, fight, win … air power anytime, anywhere to a global audience through engaging exhibits, educational outreach, special programs, and the stewardship of the national historical collection. With our educational outreach, we motivate, educate, and inspire youth interest in the United States Air Force (USAF) and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The statutory duties delegated by the Secretary of the Air Force (SECAF) are accomplished on behalf of the American People.

We are the keepers of their stories™

Playlist:
Video by NMUSAF PA
ISR Tour: Wright Flyer
National Museum of the U.S. Air Force
May 23, 2013 | 2:22
Air intelligence did not begin with the Wright Brothers. It initially became possible because of the Montgolfier brothers’ first manned balloon flight on 21 November 1783. Count Pilatre de Rozier and Marquis d’Arlandes ascended up to 3,000 feet in a hot air balloon and traveled for five miles (see model above you). Eleven years later, the French first used the balloon in combat. The Battle of Fleurus took place in June 1794, during the French Revolutionary Wars. The French defeated the Austrian Army, in part, because they could see the enemy’s troop movements from above. The gas-filled balloon L’Entreprenant stayed at 1,700 feet for over eight hours, delivering messages in bags with ballast on rings down the tether lines and via semaphore. During the American Civil War, men like Thaddeus Lowe also used the balloon to collection intelligence. Like today’s satellites and remotely piloted aircraft (RPA), the intelligence sensor collected what the warfighter needed and delivered it down the line, enabling the leaders to correctly deploy troops in response and win the battle. The Wright Brothers understood the potential of air intelligence. After Wilbur made the first “practical” long, circular flight at Huffman Prairie in October 1905, the property’s owner, Torrence Huffman, asked him, “What’s it good for?” Wilbur answered, “War.” Even the Wright Brothers realized their new invention’s potential reconnaissance value. When the Army purchased the Model 1909 Flyer in 1909, the first fixed-wing military aircraft became a reality. The 1909 Flyer put the U.S. Army in the history books as the first operator of a fixed-wing reconnaissance aircraft. However, it was the Italians that first used fixed-wing aircraft in combat.
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ISR Tour: Wright Flyer
ISR Tour: Wright Flyer
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Contact Us

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

Plan Your Visit

Air Force Mission

The mission of the United States Air Force is to fly, fight and win ... airpower anytime, anywhere.

To achieve that mission, the Air Force has a vision:

With a Total Force of more than 689,000 personnel, Airmen work to support all aspects of airpower, which includes five core missions: air superiority; global strike; rapid global mobility; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; and command and control. Airpower also requires people and resources dedicated to unit readiness, base infrastructure and talent management.