March’s theme spotlights Ohio’s influence on music, entertainment, and movies — while also recognizing the broader stories that shaped American culture. This month’s highlights explore how performance, film, and pop culture connect to Air Force history and the people behind it.

Early Years Gallery

• Evolution of the Air Force Song — Discover how the Air Force’s official song took shape, and why music remains a lasting part of Air Force tradition.

• High Flight — Read the soaring poem that captured the feeling of flight and became one of aviation’s most quoted verses.

• Curtiss JN-4D Jenny — A barnstorming-era favorite that helped turn flying into public entertainment, with pilots performing aerial stunts for cheering crowds.

• Free-for-All Trophy — A keepsake from early Air Service racing, when speed competitions helped make aviation a nationwide spectacle.

• Gordon Bennett Balloon Trophy — A trophy tied to famous balloon races that drew huge public interest and pushed aeronautical innovation.

• Eugene Jacques Bullard — Before becoming a legendary aviator, Bullard was also a prizefighter—an example of how sports and popular culture intersected with the era’s aviation story.

World War II Gallery

• Maj. Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band — Discover how music boosted morale during WWII through one of the era’s most famous military bands.

• Boeing B-17F Memphis Belle™ — One of WWII’s most celebrated bombers—made famous by its crew, artwork, and the story that captivated the home front.

• "Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress" — Explore the film that helped turn the Memphis Belle into an American legend and brought the WWII air war to audiences at home.

• Celebrities in Uniform — A look at well-known entertainers including actors Clark Gable, Jimmy Stewart, and President Ronald Reagan, who served in uniform, and how their service connected the war effort to popular culture at home.

• De Havilland DH 98 Mosquito — A fast, versatile aircraft that became a movie star, inspiring aviation storytelling on the big screen. Exemplar of the aircraft featured in: “633 Squadron” (1964) and “Mosquito Squadron” (1969).

• Disney Pins on Wings — How Walt Disney and his artists contributed to military insignia and nose art, blending animation with wartime identity.

• AAF Prisoners of the Germans — Handmade games and artifacts created by American POWs, showing resilience, creativity, and how people found ways to cope.

• USAF Fighter Gunnery Competition Trophy — A trophy from competitive gunnery events that tested skill and precision—part sport, part training, all bragging rights.

Korean War Gallery

• Itazuke Tower — Explore how music and broadcasts shaped daily life during the Korean War era.

• Republic F-84E Thunderjet — An early jet fighter “Four Queens” featuring eye-catching nose art.

Southeast Asia War Gallery

• Bob Hope: 50 Years of Hope — A tribute to Bob Hope’s decades of entertaining troops and the enduring role of comedy and performance in morale. (online only)

• Sawadee! The Party Suit Tradition in Southeast Asia — A cultural look at entertainment and social traditions connected to the Southeast Asia War era. (online only)

• Bell UH-1P Iroquois — The iconic “Huey,” whose unmistakable sound and silhouette became a symbol of the Vietnam era—and a fixture in films. Exemplar of aircraft featured in movies such as: “Apocalypse Now” (1979) and “We Were Soldiers” (2002).

• Boeing B-52D Stratofortress — A Cold War and Vietnam-era giant that entered the public imagination and remains one of the most recognizable bombers in history. Exemplar of aircraft featured in the movie: “Dr. Strangelove” (1964).

Cold War Gallery

• Musical Ambassadors — How Air Force musicians represent the nation through performances that build connection at home and abroad.

• Convair B-36J Peacemaker — A massive Cold War bomber whose size and mission helped fuel the era’s fascination with airpower. Exemplar of aircraft featured in the movie: “Strategic Air Command” (1955).

• Boeing RB-47H Stratojet — A sleek reconnaissance jet from the Cold War. An aircraft type often seen in era-defining aviation films and media. Exemplar of aircraft featured in the movie: “Strategic Air Command” (1955).

• North American F-86D Sabre — A jet-age interceptor featuring classic comic-strip nose art, Dennis the Menace.

• 1962 Bendix Trophy — A trophy from headline-making cross-country air races that celebrated speed, technology, and aviation achievement. (pretty sure I took a better photo of this trophy for the tour book)

• Willys Quarter-ton Jeep — A vehicle that became an American icon, recognizable from wartime service to movies and modern Jeep culture.

• Berlin Wall: Concrete Symbol of the Iron Curtain — A powerful fragment of a world-changing moment. History that played out on television screens around the globe.

• X-1 Mustang and Vapor Special Operations Supercar — Modern performance cars with aviation-inspired design, built to look and feel like speed.

• Brute Force: B-52 Nose Art from Desert Storm — During Operation Desert Storm, B-52 crews used nose art to add personality to their aircraft—often drawing from the pop culture of the moment. Pop culture inspirations featured in the exhibit include: “Let’s Make a Deal” — Donald Duck (Disney); “Brute Force” — inspired by Frank Frazetta’s Dark Kingdom (also know from the cover of Molly Hatchet’s Flirtin’ With Disaster; “What’s Up Doc” — Bugs Bunny (Warner Bros.); “Specter” — Dungeons & Dragons, Dragon Magazine No. 126 (cover art by Daniel R. Horne)

• Convair B-58A Hustler — A futuristic, high-speed bomber that looked like science fiction and helped define the jet age. Exemplar of aircraft featured in the movie: “Fail Safe” (1964).

• Northrop B-2 Spirit — One of the most distinctive aircraft ever built—an instantly recognizable icon of modern airpower. Exemplar of aircraft featured in the movie: “Broken Arrow” (1996) and “Armageddon” (1998).

• HH-60G Pave Hawk — A rescue helicopter associated with dramatic real-world missions often reflected in news, documentaries, and film. Exemplar of aircraft featured in the movies: “The Perfect Storm” (2000) and “Black Hawk Down” (2001).

Missile Gallery

• CONVAIR LV-3B / SM-65D ATLAS — A milestone in the missile-and-space era that shaped America’s early space-race imagination. Exemplar of missile featured in the movie: “The Right Stuff” (1983).

Space Gallery

• North American X-15A-2 — A rocket plane that pushed the edge of space and still feels futuristic today. Exemplar of aircraft featured in the movies: “X-15” (1961) and “First Man” (2018).

• Apollo 15 Command Module — A direct connection to lunar exploration and one of the most enduring stories in American film and documentary history. Exemplar of aircraft featured in the movies: “Apollo 13” (1995) and “Apollo 11” (2019), and TV series “The Last of Us.” (2025)

Research and Development

• McDonnell Douglas F-15 Streak Eagle — A record-setting aircraft featuring bold “Americana” nose art.

Global Reach

• Fairchild C-82 Packet — A distinctive cargo aircraft tied to postwar airlift stories often retold in books, films, and aviation lore. Exemplar of aircraft featured in the movie: “Operation Haylift” (1950) and “The Flight of the Phoenix” (1965).

• Humanitarian Exhibit: Relief and Rescue — Modern examples of real-world rescue stories becoming major films: “The Rescue” (2021) and “Thirteen Lives” (2022).

Presidential Gallery

• Flying the President (Playing cards) — A fun, approachable artifact that connects presidential travel history with everyday popular culture.

Air Park

• Boeing C-17 Globemaster III — A modern aircraft that’s not only operationally significant—it’s also appeared in major movies, bringing contemporary airlift into pop culture. This is the actual aircraft featured in the movies: Transformers (2007), Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009), Iron Man (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), Man of Steel (2013)