Air museums

From every corner of the globe, air museums delight the young and old.

Flight is among one of our species’ greatest accomplishments. The ingenuity and advancements in air technology are spectacular. And how better to showcase these incredible machines of flight than to put them into their very own museums. Not an easy undertaking. But hundreds of museums around the globe exist. Some are astonishing in their vastness, uniqueness, and sometimes quirkiness. There’s sure to be something for every member of the family when visiting any type of aviation museum.

The History of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force is known as the world’s largest and oldest military aviation museum. It dates back to 1923 when it began in the corner of an aircraft hangar at McCook Field near downtown Dayton, Ohio- home of the Wright brothers.

Museums may contain reproduction aircraft, exhibits, photographs, clothing, and equipment used by aviators -among other items. They can be owned by governments of varying entities- national, regional, local, or privately. Some look at the history of space exploration, diving into the close association between aeronautics and astronautics. Others may concentrate on military or civil aviation- or that of a particular era. 

Following are links to the top air museums in the world, a list of U.S. museums, and those in and neighboring the state of Idaho. And as amazing as these museums might be, there is even an online one at The Aviation History Online Museum. 

The best of the best

• Top 10 aviation, air and space museums in the world  
• 20 best aviation museums around the world

Locations

• List of museum in the USA by state
• Museums located in Idaho and neighboring states from the Aviation museum directory

Idaho

• Bird Aviation Museum & Invention Center, Sandpoint, ID
• Legacy Flight Museum, Rexburg, ID
• Teton Aviation Warbird Collection, Driggs, ID
• Warhawk Air Museum, Nampa, ID

Montana

• Malmstrom AFB Museum, Great Falls, MT
• Museum of Mountain Flying, Missoula, MT
• Stonehenge Air Museum, Fortine, MT

Nevada

• American Museum of Aviation, Las Vegas, NV
• Cactus Air Force Wings and Wheels Museum, Carson City, NV

Oregon 

• B-17 Alliance Group, Milwaukie, OR
• Classic Aircraft Aviation Museum, Hillsboro, OR
• Erickson Air Museum, Madras, OR
• Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum, McMinnville, OR
• Oregon Air and Space Museum, Eugene, OR
• Oregon Aviation Historical Society, Cottage Grove, OR
• Tillamook Air Museum, Tillamook, OR
• Western Antique Aeroplane and Automobile Museum (WAAAM), Hood River, OR

Utah

• Hill Aerospace Museum, Ogden, UT
• Historic Wendover Airfield, Wendover, UT
• Vintage Aviation Museum, Salt Lake City, UT (Opening in 2017)
• Western Sky Aviation Warbird Museum, St. George, UT

Washington

• Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum, Everett, WA
• Future of Flight Aviation Museum, Mukilteo, WA
• Heritage Flight Museum, Burlington, WA
• Historic Flight at Kilo-7, Everett, WA
• McAllister Museum of Aviation, Yakima, WA
• McChord Air Museum, McChord AFB / Tacoma, WA
• Museum of Flight, Seattle, WA
• Olympic Flight Museum, Olympia, WA
• PBY Naval Air Museum, Oak Harbor, WA
• Port Townsend Aero Museum, Chimacum, WA

Wyoming 

Museum of Flight and Aerial Firefighting, 2534 Hiller Lane (near the South Big Horn County Airport). Several aircraft, many of WW II vintage. A short distance west of Greybull on U.S. Hwy 16. Open during May 15– Oct. 15.