luv my dayton
40 posts
Jun 15, 2012
9:00 PM
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For years the AF museum was in the center of Fairborn. Does anyone know when it was moved to its current location?
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Calhoun
40 posts
Jun 16, 2012
4:27 AM
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It was in the early 70s, probably 71/72. President Nixon came in for the opening, and I was in HS but not driving yet.
The Fairborn site wasn't the original AFM, btw. Bldg 12 in Area B (large building on the west side of the base along Springfield St) was the original Air Corps Museum. I spent my last couple years pre-retirement in the building after it was renovated. The folks who work in the basement see a ghostly figure in coveralls wandering around and through walls.
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tlturbo
331 posts
Jun 16, 2012
1:33 PM
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Fun (for a while) story about the old museum.
My dad worked at Wright Patt and my friend next door's dad was a Colonel on the base. (thank goodness for this fact later). Anyway, my friend had a secret way to sneak his moped onto the base so one evening we went to the old museum site. Yes, all the planes back then were outside. We found a way inside the B-36 (I think - it was a BIG bomber though). The plane had a little wagon device on a track that you pulled on an overhead rope to travel the length inside the plane. We were having a ball taking turns rolling from one end of the plane to the other UNTIL the AP (Air Police) shined a flashlight in a window and hauled out little butts out. Like I said earlier, thank goodness his DAD was a Colonel. We sure were scared but survived.
Also, they had a big Atlas missle at the entrance gate near the museum and at Christmas they would put a Santa hat on the top and I think a beard.
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87 Buick GN
Last Edited by on Jun 16, 2012 1:36 PM
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smurfnana
45 posts
Jun 16, 2012
8:40 PM
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My dad was a sargent in the Carpenters Shop, and was instrumental in building many of the displays in the old museum. We loved going out there as kids as Daddy would tell us which ones he built. And I remember Santa well.
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luv my dayton
41 posts
Jun 17, 2012
4:15 AM
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Thanks for the responses. Nice stories and alot of great memories to pass on.
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Tdfes
1 post
Jun 17, 2012
1:19 PM
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The Museum opened at its current location in 1971. My father was asked by Mrs Virginia Kettering to be the Construction Manager for the Air Force Museum Foundation. The 2 hanger shaped buildings nearest the outdoor exhibits were the original buildings. The gift shop and atrium were the 2nd phase he managed and I don't recall if he managed the imax theater addition. My dad's primary hobby was photography and I have about a thousand slides he took while working for the Foundation during construction.
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AllenN71
356 posts
Jun 17, 2012
4:03 PM
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Couldn't have been '71, T. I didn't even enlist until 1971 and when I visited the Fairborn site I was giving the nickle tour to the son of another Security Policeman who had gone PCS to Wright-Pat from the Canal Zone. And I could have driven to the Fairborn site blindfolded, and that's where we went. You must mean 1981. The sands of time haven't gotten into my lunch, at least not yet.
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Calhoun
41 posts
Jun 17, 2012
8:05 PM
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I know it wasn't 1981 because President came to the dedication. I didn't get my driver's licence until 1973, and I know the Museum was dedicated before that. 71 or 72 sounds right, 81 isn't even in the running.
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PaulH
106 posts
Jun 17, 2012
8:45 PM
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Nixon did his thing for the new museum in 1971, but I believe that the big movement of the airplanes down SR 444 was in 1974 just before I went to Germany. If you can access the Skywriter archives, they had pictures of the aircraft movement. Yes, they did do a lot of dismanteling. Especially for the XB-70.
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KennyE11
78 posts
Jun 17, 2012
8:46 PM
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The Museum's official website didn't indicate when it opened at its present location (at least, not that jumped out at me). If you trust Wikipedia as any kind of authority, the 1971 date is correct.
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PaulH
107 posts
Jun 17, 2012
10:30 PM
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Check out this fact sheet from the Museum itself. The only thing it doesn't cover iscwhen they moved all the aircraft from the old Fairborn site to the new one at Wright Field.
http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=430
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Ol'Roy
26 posts
Jun 18, 2012
5:16 AM
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The new museum opened in 1971. I was dating a certain girl at the time and we attended the dedication when Nixon came in. His speech was outside. Of course, the Vietnam War was going on at the time.
Some demonstrators started yelling and shouting near us and the security started moving everyone back. My girlfriend got scared so I got her out of there. We didn't even get to go inside the museum.
I've still never gone there.
Ol'Roy
Last Edited by on Jun 18, 2012 5:17 AM
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FAITH
72 posts
Jun 18, 2012
7:53 AM
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Went to the new museum several times as a kid, then made sure to take my boys when they were old enough to appreciate it. One Saturday when I was a junior in high school ('80 or '81), a favorite teacher took a few of us to the museum and then to what he called the Museum Auxillary, where we toured an old Presidential Plane. We felt really honored to be able to do that. Now I think its on public display.
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DaytonDennis
49 posts
Jul 04, 2012
3:21 PM
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I went to the original museum around 1960 on a school field trip. Didn't go back until early 80's. Now I go every August as my uncle comes down to church camp in Springfield so he and my brother (and sometimes cousins) visit the museum. He was a tail-gunner during WWII and was shot down over Germany and became a POW for some time. We always spend a while at the restored B-17 there and he talks about his experiences. If you go there, don't forget the annex which houses the Air Force One that LBJ was sworn into Presidency on in 63. Allen is right, there is A LOT to see there and it's definitely worth visiting.
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PSzymeczek
2 posts
Sep 16, 2012
2:22 PM
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The Air Force Museum and Carillon Park was the standard 5th grade field trip for students at Concord Elementary in Troy. I remember when it was moved in 1971 and the news showed planes being towed down the highway. It had to be that year, because I went to the new location in 1972; It was one of the first IMAX theaters
Last Edited by on Sep 16, 2012 2:24 PM
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Marck1957
150 posts
Sep 17, 2012
6:57 AM
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Where did they move tha Air Force Museum from?
Last Edited by on Sep 17, 2012 6:59 AM
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luv my dayton
145 posts
Sep 17, 2012
9:34 AM
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Last I can remember it was in the center of Fairborn either before or a little after the movie theatre off to the left. Went by the old place recently and the building still there. Not near as large as it is now. I also remember during the Vietnam war I would go with a friend of mine and drive behind Langs dealership and with big bright lights aluminateing the area we'd watch them load the big carriers with whatever was needed to send to Nam. Our children were in awe of the size of the planes and quite honestly it was kind of scarey. My son in law is now a reservist and a loadmaster, the planes now are even bigger! Wouldn't Orville and Wilbur be astounded on where aviation has been taken and all due to them.
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theWiz
21 posts
Sep 17, 2012
10:14 AM
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Back in the early 60s I found out that there was a research library upstairs in the old museum. I would spend hours looking thru all kinds of books,documents,etc. I got to talk to Royal D Frey, who was the Director and a WWII P-38 pilot. He was shot down and became a POW---some of the stuff in the current POW exhibit is from him.
LOTS of good memories from the old museum!!!
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jaime40
6 posts
Sep 26, 2012
3:09 PM
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B-17 , picture taken when the US Air Force Museum collection was moved from Patterson Field to Wright Field in 1971.
Dozens of aircraft were moved simultaneously on public roads for a towing distance of about six miles; it was accomplished on a Sunday morning to avoid high traffic.
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