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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  • Sergeant's Field Uniform, U.S. Army Air Service, WWI

     The intertwined "ASM" at the top of his left sleeve identifies him as an Air Service Mechanician. His rank is on his right sleeve, while the red chevron on his left sleeve is a postwar addition, denoting service in the Great War. This sergeant served one year overseas, as denoted by two six-month

  • St. Mihiel Offensive

    During the summer months, while America's seven combat squadrons were fighting over the Marne, the Air Service continued its build-up on the Toul Front and by Sept. 12, 1918, when the St. Mihiel Offensive began, 20 additional squadrons -- seven pursuit, nine day-observation, three day-bombardment

  • Standard J-1 (Fabric Removed)

    The U.S. Army Air Service used the Standard J-1 during World War I for primary flight instruction. Although 1,601 J-1s were produced by four manufacturers (Standard, Dayton-Wright, Fisher Body and Wright Martin), the J-1 never achieved the popularity of the more numerous JN-4 Jenny.The fabric

  • SPAD XIII C.1

    In 1916 a new generation of German fighters threatened to win air superiority over the Western Front. The French aircraft company, Société pour l'Aviation et ses Dérives (SPAD), responded by developing a replacement for its highly successful SPAD VII. Essentially a larger version of the SPAD VII

  • SPAD VII

    The famed American volunteers of the French Lafayette Escadrille were flying the SPAD VII in February 1918 at the time they transferred to the U.S. Army Air Service, becoming the 103rd Aero Squadron. Several other U.S. units also used the SPAD VII, although most American Expeditionary Force (AEF)

  • Sturtevant 5A

    The Sturtevant 5A engine, rated at 140 hp, powered the Sturtevant S-4 and some L.W.F. V-1 training airplanes used by the Signal Corps at North Island, Calif., and Mineola, N.Y., during 1916 and 1917. Neither of these airplanes proved suitable, partly because of the 5A engine's high power to weight

  • Standard J-1

    The Standard Aircraft Co. J-1 was a two-seat primary trainer used by the U.S. Army Air Service to supplement the JN-4 Jenny. Similar in appearance to the JN-4, the J-1 was more difficult to fly and never gained the popularity of the legendary Jenny.Standard developed the J-1 from the earlier Sloan

  • Schneider Schulgleiter SG 38

    The SG 38 served as the standard glider used by Luftwaffe student pilots for basic flight instruction in the late 1930s and into the 1940s. The SG 38 stands for Schulgleiter or "school glider" and the year it first flew, 1938.After World War I, the Germans faced strict limits on developing or using

  • Signals Between Aeroplanes and Artillery

    Note: This item is currently in storage.This Royal Flying Corps instruction book and signal guide was produced on heavy card stock and provided quick reference for pilots and observers directing artillery fire by airplane. This guide belonged to Lt. John A. Sperry, a pilot with the 139th Aero

  • Story Ideas

    The National Museum of the United States Air Force offers the media a wide range of interesting and unique topics that can serve as the basis for an attractive feature story. Particular possibilities include:NASA Crew Compartment TrainerWork continues on the NASA Crew Compartment Trainer (CCT)