According to some estimates, there are 800 aviation museums around the world. Here we’ve picked out the best five to indulge air and space geekery.
The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum – Washington D.C., USA
• Total number of aircraft: 50,000 artifacts – world’s largest aviation collection
• Star attraction(s): Apollo XI command module, Spirit of St Louis, the original Wright Brother’s 1903 flyer, SR-71 Blackbird, Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay and Space Shuttle Discovery
• Non-aviation attractions: N/A
• Adult entry: Free
• Nearest city: In the heart of Washington D.C. (secondary site located in the city’s Dulles International Airport)
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Imperial War Museum Duxford – Duxford Airfield, England
• Total number of aircraft: nearly 200
• Star attraction(s): Air shows, Spitfire, Lancaster, fastest ever Concorde
• Non-aviation attractions: military vehicles, artillery and minor naval boats
• Adult entry: £17.50
• Nearest city: 12.5 miles south of Cambridge
National Museum of the United States Air Force – Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, USA
• Total number of aircraft: More than 360
• Star attraction(s): Former Air Force One Boeing VC-137C SAM (Special Air Mission) 26000, Memphis Belle Flying Fortress, B-2 Stealth Bomber
• Non-aviation attractions: Bob Hope exhibition
• Adult entry: Free
• Nearest city: Dayton, Ohio
Technik Museum Sinsheim und Speyer – near Heidelberg, Germany
• Total number of aircraft: Over 60
• Star attraction(s): Air France Concorde and Tupolev TU-144 (Sinsheim); Buran space shuttle and access to the wing of a 747 (Speyer)
• Non-aviation attractions: 300 classic cars, 200 motorcycles, 40 racing cars, Formula 1 exhibition, 20 locomotives and IMAX 3D theater (Sinsheim); 1967 U-boat (Speyer)
• Adult entry: €35 (access to both museums and one IMAX show)
• Nearest city: One hour south of Frankfurt (museums are 25 miles down the autobahn from one another)
Central Air Force Museum – Monino Airfield, Russia
• Total number of aircraft: Over 170
• Star attraction(s): numerous once-classified Soviet military jets, Tupolev TU-144 (Russian equivalent of Concorde) and captured U2 pilot Gary Powers’ uniform
• Non-aviation attractions: N/A
• Adult fee: Around 350 rubles (not including camera and video camera surcharges)
• Nearest city: 25 miles east of Moscow
Honourable mentions
China Aviation Museum near Beijing
Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York
Written by insider city guide series Hg2 | A Hedonist’s guide to…
(Featured image: donjd2)
