Upcoming Events

How did he inspire such persistent loyalty and devotion? Why did a nation of cultured and well-educated people embrace the monstrous Nazi regime which implemented the unspeakable horrors of the Holocaust and the brutal occupation of Europe? In this program historian Ed Gordon will dig deeply into how propaganda was effectively used to help create and sustain one of history’s greatest illusions. Presenter: Dr. Edward Gordon

Built as a replacement for the training planes of WWII, the T-34 Mentor developed into an aircraft cherished by the military and civilian pilots alike. In fact the T-34 remains in service more than six decades after it was first designed. Come visit us as a group of  T-34 pilots drop into the Air Museum for a weekend of flight exhibitions, formation flying, contests and just plane fun.

Nazi Germany had limited access to the oil it needed to fight World War II. A primary source was Romania and its refinery complexes at Ploesti. Jay Stout describes the disastrous low-level bombing raid the Americans sent against Ploesti on August 1, 1943, and also reviews the bombing campaign which was mounted the following year that finally reduced this irreplaceable source of oil to rubble. Presenter: Jay Stout

Born to a family of sharecroppers in Texas, Bessie Coleman was the first African American woman and first Native American to hold a pilot license in 1921. In those days African Americans, Native Americans, and women had no flight training opportunities in the United States, so she saved and obtained sponsorships to go to France for flight school. She went on to become a high-profile pilot in notoriously dangerous air shows in the United States. Her pioneering role was an…

Save the date for this very important event honoring our heroes of aviation and military service. Our annual fundraising gala. Museum will be closed during the day, prepping for the evening's gala.

Between November 1945 and 1946, 24 high-ranking Nazi leaders were brought to trial before an international court assembled in Nuremberg, Germany. They were indicted on such charges as crimes against peace and crimes against humanity. This was the first time in history for a trial that established precedents and procedures for dealing with wartime genocide and other atrocities. In this program historian Ed Gordon will tell the important story of how these German leaders were brought to trial, charged, and…

During the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, the Convair B-58 Hustler proved to be a difference maker, but by the end of the decade was retired. This tribute and historic reappraisal of this iconic USAF supersonic nuclear strike bomber is based on first-hand accounts from those who flew this record-setting aircraft for SAC during the Cold War. Presenter: George Haloulakos DAYTON, Ohio -- Convair B-58 Hustler at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo)

Canada participated in many ways during WWII, more than people realize. Canadian forces landed on Juno beach on D-day, Canada played a large part in the Battle of the Atlantic and by the end of the war, and Canada had the 4th largest allied air force in the world. The Canadian military has fought alongside the United States in most major conflicts since World War II, including the Korean War, the Gulf War, the Kosovo War, and most recently the…