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100th Anniversary Logo with the 100 in large letters and the museum logo
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  • Mechanics at BT-14 Accident

    A Flight Training Mishap This exhibit demonstrates what could happen to a student pilot’s aircraft when taxiing and applying his brakes too hard. Accidents, both minor and major, left many aircraft unfit for flying. Since cadets were learning, more accidents were bound to happen. This, combined with

  • Musical Ambassadors

    Airmen serve as musicians, arrangers, and audio engineers in United States Air Force bands, where they represent the USAF to audiences worldwide. The bands’ inspirational performances honor veterans and connect the public to the Department of the Air Force through music.All band members are enlisted

  • Missile Technicians: Always Ready

    Enlisted missile technicians have supported nuclear deterrence since the late 1950s by ensuring that the USAF’s strategic missiles are always ready to launch.  Following successful test flights of the world’s first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in 1957, the Air Force began recruiting

  • More than Courage: Enlisted Firefighters

    In addition to great courage, enlisted firefighters apply advanced technical knowledge and skill to protect people and property.US Air Force firefighters protect people, property, and the environment from fires and other disasters. Operating on Air Force bases in diverse locations all over the

  • Master Sergeant Delorean Sheridan Responding to an “Insider Attack”

    On March 11, 2013, then USAF TSgt. Delorean Sheridan, a combat controller, was preparing for a mission with US Army and Afghan Special Forces teammates in Wardak Province, Afghanistan, when he saw puffs of smoke and heard gunfire. Turning toward the noise, Sheridan saw an Afghan National Police

  • McDonnell Douglas F-15C Historic Double MiG Killer

    For 78 days in 1999, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) conducted an aerial bombing campaign over the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, known as OPERATION ALLIED FORCE. On March 26, Captain Jeff "Claw" Hwang piloted this F-15C on display, as the Mission Commander for an air support mission.

  • Madden Kit: Improving the Odds

    Wartime needs often lead to battlefield innovations. This was the case with the Madden Kit, a rescue kit made from a hollow Mk 24 parachute flare canister.In February 1971, Skyraider pilot Captain James Madden was in the second day of a rescue mission over Laos. Night fell over the Mu Gia Pass with

  • Model A7LB Extravehicular Mobility Unit—1971

    The Apollo model A7LB was the ultimate moonwalking suit. This Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) allowed a crewman to work on the moon for up to seven hours. The suit’s red stripes identified the mission commander. This one represents the one worn by US Air Force Col David Scott in July 1971 on

  • Model A7L Space Suit—1969

    This suit represents the model A7L worn by U.S. Air Force Col. (later Maj. Gen.) Michael Collins in July 1969 on Apollo 11, the first moon landing mission. Collins’ suit was not made for moonwalking, but instead was designed to be worn mainly inside the spacecraft. He piloted the orbiting command

  • Mercury Space Suit—1963

    Early space suits for the Mercury program (1961–63) were derived from a 1959 US Navy aviation suit design. The tight-fitting suit served as a backup to keep the astronaut alive in the tiny Mercury spacecraft if the vehicle developed a leak and lost its atmosphere.This suit represents the one worn by