Georgia's Museum of Aviation showcases history of flight

A USAF Thunderbird stands poised in a hanger at Museum of Aviation. (Atkeison)

WARNER ROBINS, Ga -- A massive museum of aviation featuring aircraft and artifacts from the early days of flight through today are on display on the grounds of Robins, AFB in central Georgia.

History echoes through the museum's halls featuring aircraft flown during World War II, Korea and the Vietnam War, and includes related historic artifacts and exhibits located in four aircraft hanger buildings and on static display outdoors.

"It's Fantastic!" states Museum of Aviation guest Gene Milton, who along with his family, visited last week on their way home to Tampa. "There is so much here to see... we've been here for nearly three hours."

The U.S. Air Force museum is home to popular static displays of military aircraft including the Thunderbirds F-16A "Fighting Falcon", and artifacts representing Georgia's active role in aviation spanning nine decades.

The museum is also home to the NASA Regional Educator Resource Center in which teachers work in a classroom session to discover new areas of STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) education. The NASA office is also a gateway to briefing materials for Georgia teachers.

Several static displays located upon the 51 acre aviation museum feature the P-40N Warhawk and an SR-71 Blackbird on the museum's list of stunning aircraft.

Several departments offer visitors an insiders glance of American soldiers in mock-ups of select operations during World War II.

"There's an eerie feeling as you watch and listen to the paratroopers as they prepare to take part in the D-Day invasion," Milton added. "My son and I enjoyed the historic enactment aboard the plane."

Only one aircraft from a country other than the United States sits inside one hanger of the museum.

A 1950's built MiG-17 which soared for the Bulgarian Air Force has called Georgia home for two decades. As the Vietnam War raged, American fighter pilots downed sixty-one MiG-17's between 1965 to 1968.

The museum is also home to the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame.

On display in the museum's Century of Flight Hanger, the Hall of Fame was created in 1989 "to promote and encourage the growth and public support of aviation within the state of Georgia by honoring aviation leaders," the GAHoF states.

The Tuskegee Airman exhibit located in the Scott Exhibit Hanger recently expanded to allow one to take a trip back to 1942 to witness America's first black pilots squadron train for combat missions.

The Tuskegee pilots trained at Morton Field in Alabama during World War II, and eventually saw combat in the air as their planes arrived in the European theater.

As they fought discrimination in the barracks, these Red Tail pilots eventually rose to the occasion to shoot down over 100 axis aircraft before the war's conclusion.

The museum also features an aviation themed cafe high above in the observation deck and a gift shop souvenirs .

Georgia's largest aviation museum is free to the public and open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday thru Sunday and closed for major holidays. The center is located at GA Hwy 247 and Russell Parkway, in Warner Robins.


(Charles Atkeison reports on aerospace, science and technology. Follow his updates via Twitter @AbsolutSpaceGuy.)