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

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  • XB-36 Landing Gear

    When the XB-36 was designed during World War II, specifications called for two main landing gear wheels to be equipped with the largest aircraft tires produced in the U.S. to that time. Manufactured by Goodyear, the tires were 110 inches in diameter and 36 inches in width. Weighing 1,320 pounds,

  • Clarktor-6 Towing Tractor

    The Clarktor-6 Towing Tractor, built by the Clark Equipment Co., has been used by the USAF since the early 1950s for towing small to mid-sized aircraft and ground support equipment.Click here to return to the Cold War Gallery.

  • Convair XC-99 Model

    Using various types of wood, Lt Col Howard T. Meek (USAF, Ret) constructed this 1/72 scale model of the Convair XC-99 from scratch. The Convair XC-99, a transport version of the Convair B-36 bomber, made its first flight in November 1947. Designed to carry 400 troops, 335 litter patients, or 100,000

  • Keeping the Bear at Bay

    The Convair B-36 Peacemaker served as the U.S. Air Force's primary strategic nuclear bomber in the 1950s. Although the aircraft never dropped a bomb in combat, its range and nuclear weapons capability made it a powerful deterrent to communist aggression.In 1941 when Britain's survival appeared

  • Military Liaison Mission Sign

    Immediately after World War II, the Western allied powers made agreements with the Soviet Union to allow the establishment of small military liaison missions within the German zones of occupation. The United States Military Liaison Mission (USMLM) to the Soviets was established in Potsdam, Deutsche

  • Berlin Airlift Honors

    A grateful nation honored the service personnel who participated in the airlift, primarily with three awards. The Air Medal was awarded for the completion of 50 flights into Berlin. An Oak Leaf Cluster was awarded for each 50 additional flights. The Medal for Humane Action was initially authorized

  • Berlin Airlift Victory

    The blockade of West Berlin ended on May 12, 1949. This was not just a victory for the Allied Forces, but a victory shared with all of the citizens of Berlin. These were citizens who braved the hardships, the hunger and the cold. These were the citizens who toiled long hours unloading aircraft and

  • Tech. Sgt. John H. "Jake" Schuffert

    Tech. Sgt. John H. "Jake" Schuffert made a unique, valued and memorable contribution to the Berlin Airlift. Schuffert, an aircraft radio operator, volunteered to do cartooning for the Airlift Times, which was a newspaper published by the U.S. Air Force for Airlift personnel. His keen sense of humor

  • Maintaining the Berlin Airlift

    An equal challenge to supplying the city of Berlin was the need for the Airlift forces to supply and maintain themselves. During the Airlift's peak months, the U.S. Air Force provided maintenance support not only for the 324 assigned aircraft, but also for 1,600 motor vehicles and 500 ground power

  • Berlin Airlift SCR-658 Radio Receiver

    This model SCR-658 Radio Receiver was installed at Tempelhof Central Airport in Berlin by U.S. occupation forces in 1945. During the Berlin Airlift, Air Force weather forecasters used it to track weather balloons, measure the wind's direction and speed, temperature, humidity and air pressure by