In support of an official event 

The Museum will be closed Sunday, May 25
In addition, the Fourth Hangar will be closed Saturday, May 24

Access to the Presidential Gallery will be limited from May 15 to June 5
 

Fact Sheet Alphabetical List

Fact Sheet Search

  • German Ace and American Citizen Lt. Arthur Rahn

    Arthur Rahn was born in East Prussia in 1897. In January 1915, six months after World War I began, the seventeen-year-old Rahn volunteered to join the Imperial German Air Service. He began flying school in the spring of 1915 in the town of Koslin, near the Baltic Sea. During his combat flying career

  • WWI U.S. Ambulance Service Patch

    Note: This item is currently in storage. At the outbreak of World War I, the American Field Service was organized by Americans who were living in Paris. They volunteered themselves to be ambulance drivers and medical staff for the French and British Armies. The United States had not yet entered WWI

  • JN-4D Aircraft Fabric from Lt. Mather's Aircraft

    Note: This item is currently in storage. This item, which is 14-15/16 inches high by 10-3/8 inches wide, is a handwritten note to the Kalamazoo Gazette editor on piece of JN-4D aircraft fabric. The text as written is:   “Kalamazoo Gazette     Feb. 3, 1918Kalamazoo Mich  Dear Editor: Perhaps you

  • 1st Aero Squadron Aircraft Insigne

    Note: This item is currently in storage. This is the first aircraft insignia taken from an airplane used by the U.S. Air Service in World War I. The aircraft was an Avion Renault observation type AR-1. This aircraft was given to the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) by the French at Amanty, France,

  • 141st Aero Squadron Aircraft Insigne

    Note: This item is currently in storage. The 141st Aero Squadron was organized in January 1918 at Rockwell Field, Calif. It trained with the Curtiss JN-4 aircraft. As part of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF), the 141st Aero Squadron deployed to France as a pursuit squadron and fought on the

  • Wright Modified “B” Flyer

    This airplane is a modified version of the Wright “B” Flyer, the first model produced in quantity by the Wright brothers. It is representative of the Signal Corps Airplanes No. 3 and No. 4 purchased by the US Army in 1911, and it was used for training pilots and conducting aerial experiments. At

  • 27th Aero Squadron Aircraft Insigne

    Note: This item is currently in storage. The 27th Aero Squadron is one of the oldest fighter squadrons in the U.S. Air Force. It was organized as a U.S. Army flying unit in July 1917. The Nieuport 28, SPAD XIII and Sopwith F-1 Camel were a few of the aircraft flown by the 27th Aero Squadron during

  • Hospital Walls from Iraq

    "Small Things with Great Love" For U.S. service members, signing a wall is a time-honored way to say "I was here" and to share sentiments with anyone who happens to pass by. These walls are from a hospital at Joint Base Balad, Iraq. Many people, including some well-known leaders, signed them. The

  • World War I Binoculars

    Note: This item is currently in storage. Binoculars, known as field glasses, were a very important piece of equipment for U.S. soldiers -- especially critical for observation (by land or balloon). "Field glasses" were in short supply, many soldiers either brought their own personal binoculars or

  • Sikorsky HH-3E Jolly Green Giant

    The U.S. Air Force developed the Sikorsky HH-3E helicopter, nicknamed the "Jolly Green Giant," to perform combat search and rescue (CSAR) to recover downed Airmen during the Southeast Asia War. A highly modified version of Sikorsky's CH-3 transport helicopter, the HH-3E carried both armor plating