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Air Force Museum

Call FBO at Greene County to setup parking and rental.

It is an all day visit, hope you can set up enough time.

Renting a car or Uber, should be able to help.

https://www.airnav.com/airport/I19/MACAIR#c

Next nearest are KMGY and I73 Moraine. I19 is easiest traffic-wise.

Hotels are most around the base complex back to Beacercreek/Fairborn, they fill up for conventions/gatherings, so ask/check happenings during your planned dates.
 
I would suggest 2 days. There's definitely too much for 1 day!

2 days?

Maybe only if he doesn't know how to read! If he does, plan on a week...maybe 2? :D

My folks live 30 miles away, and I have been to the museum dozens of times, dating back to when I was a small kid and the collection was a shadow of what it is today.

I can still get lost in there for hours on end, so much so that my wife is convinced if I didn't have to eat or use the bathroom, I'd still be wandering around in there from our last visit a few months back...

She's learned to just send me up there on my own and we are both much happier! :p
 
It is an AMAZING museum. You can "race" through it in 2 days but to really enjoy it takes many more. Remember, there are 4 massive hangars of aviation related artifacts so plan accordingly. It's the world's largest military aviation museum. IMHO, I19 is definitely the airport to fly into when visiting the USAF Museum.

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AF Museum Day Trip

Reading this thread tweaked a buried desire for me to go back to the museum. I've been there several times (the first in 1958 when my dad took me as a kid and most of the planes were outside), but every time seemed like a quick walk through. So - since the weather from Alabama to Ohio was favorable yesterday and it was only about a 2 hour RV flight, I decided to do a day trip and concentrate on absorbing everything from just one gallery.

Take off from Moontown (3M5) at 0625 CDT and engine shutdown on the ramp at Xenia - Green County (I19) two hours later at 0925 EDT. Tailwind at 9500 ft helped. Fueled the plane, ordered up an Uber, and was at the Museum front door at 1020 EDT.

Spent 3-1/2 hours attempting to absorb everything in the "Early Years" gallery (reading all the wall displays, looking at all the artifacts, and oh yeah the airplanes too). The "Early Years" takes you all the way up to just before WWII.

Late lunch at the Valkyrie Caf? at the museum (Disney World food prices :eek:) and then a trip into the WWII gallery to look at the Memphis Belle.

Back out side the Museum front door a little before 1500 EDT, ordered up another Uber, and was back at I19 and taking off for home at 1540 EDT.

Had to pay for that morning tailwind on the way back as well as serpentine a bit through cumulus build ups at 10,500 ft. Landed back at 3M5 after 2.3 hours at 1700 CDT.

Observations:

* RV's are great! (but you already knew that).

* I19 is a good airport for this purpose, plenty of parking, good fuel prices ($4.89 yesterday), closest to the Museum. I was kind of ignored by the staff yesterday - the "Assisted Self Service" fuel turned out to be actual Self Service. Not really a problem though.

* Uber was quick and pleasant. 6 minute pickup time from the airport with $18.77 ride to the Museum. 9 minute pickup time from the Museum with a $19.18 ride back to I19. Nice drivers with nice cars both times.

* One gallery was about my limit. This old guy's feet were hurting after standing/walking for 4 hours or so. I felt the 3-1/2 hours I spent in the Early Years gallery was enough to really see everything there. I suspect this would also work for the other galleries as well - we shall see.
 
I19, Greene County is all you need. If no Uber, there?s an Enterprise car rental office a couple miles from I19, easy to get a car. One full day there would be considered a high-speed pass....
 
Hello John.

I19, Greene County is all you need. If no Uber, there?s an Enterprise car rental office a couple miles from I19, easy to get a car. One full day there would be considered a high-speed pass....

I have not heard that name in a long time now. And John is more than correct, if you even halfway like aircraft, you would be Hypersonic if you went for a one day pass there. Just like with the others above, my advice would be go when you have two or three days to spend there. They just opened another new big hangar there, I think early last year. That give you maybe 20-25% more things to see just in the main buildings. Well worth the trip anytime.
Yours, R.E.A. III # 80888
 
It's incredible. I lived there when the new location was broken in during tricky dick. Sometime after my draft number 26 came out...

I never miss going there when I head back that way. 1 day or 2 you'll miss something. I think the RV-15 (if not a high winger) should be a metal XB-70~

Bob
 
As I get back to flying, one of my favorite trips is to the AF museum in Dayton. Used to go into Morraine air park, now looking at I19.

BUT

My direct route is smack dab through the middle of Cincinnati. I used to fly VFR just west of it's airspace. With all the traffic, I figured it best to talk to them.

The usual response was:

"... radar contact, turn left heading 270, maintain ..."

And I wouldn't get a turn back for 15 minutes. So, for being a cooperative pilot, I get a giant routing penalty. I'm looking now at passing to the east, going into I19.

Anybody know the best way around or through Cincy?
 
Over the top.

+1 on this...

Additionally, while airline traffic is rebounding post-pandemic, CVG isn't near at the level it was in years past, even with the Prime Air hub getting bigger.

I took a niece on a circle-of-the-city tour out of Warren County (I68) 3Q of '20 and approach control couldn't have been nicer.

In Class B the whole time at from 3-5000' MSL. No headings/vectors/etc.
A few traffic pointouts along the way and a "havva nice day" when I signed off. Piece o' cake.

After all, all they can do is say "no"...

Rob
 
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