A Museum Tour Through Aviation History

Introduction

The collection of aircraft, spacecraft, and artifacts at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC provides an excellent backdrop from which to summarize the history of aviation (including spaceflight). Each of the Museum's major galleries displays vehicles and artifacts from a specific era or area of aviation. So, join me on a short "museum tour" of aviation history. This tour will be more or less in chronological order, but will be based on the groupings in which the various aircraft and spacecraft have been displayed by the National Air and Space Museum.

But before we begin, a few words about the photographs displayed on these pages. Unless otherwise noted, the historical photographs of the aircraft and spacecraft are taken from publications and/or videos of the Smithsonian Institution and are copyrighted by the Institution. They are used here to present a loving tribute to the Institution's National Air and Space Museum. Likewise, unless otherwise noted, the museum photographs of the aircraft and spacecraft were taken by the author during one of his many (perhaps more than 50) visits to the National Air and Space Museum since his first visit in 1970 (before the Museum's current building even existed).

Tour Menu

• Milestones of Flight
• Balloons and Airships
• Early Flight
• The Great War in the Air
• Pioneers of Flight
• Golden Age of Flight
• Air Transportation
• General Aviation
• Vertical Flight
• Special Aircraft Exhibits
• World War II Aviation
• Sea-Air Operations
• Jet Aviation
• Flight Testing
• Looking at Earth
• Flight Enters the Computer Age
• The Last Aviation Records
• Rocketry and Spaceflight
• The Space Race
• Apollo to the Moon
• Exploring the Planets and Stars
• Flight and the Arts
• The Steven Udvar-Hazy Center

| Home | Intro | Ventures | Sea | Air | Space | SciFi | Racing | Movies | Art | Travel | Exit |

| Intro | Aerobatic Teams | Blue Angels | Thunderbirds | National Air & Space Museum | Aviation History |

Last Updated: August 28, 2003