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Naval Air Museum Offers Glimpse
at Aviation History
 Photo:
The National Museum of Naval features 140+ fully restored Navy, Marine
Corps and Coast Guard aircraft.
Naval Aviation transcends both time and space, from wood and fabric biplanes
to the frontiers of space. The National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola,
Fla., captures Naval Aviation's heritage and brings its story of challenge,
ingenuity, and courage to you.
The museum is one of the largest and most
beautiful air and space museums in the world. RVing visitors can share in the
excitement of Naval Aviation's history and see more than 140 restored aircraft
representing Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard aviation. These historic and
one-of-a-kind aircraft are displayed both inside the museum's 291,000 square
feet of exhibit space and outside on the museum's 37-acre grounds.
The Naval
Air Museum, preserving the history of Naval Aviation, is the most visited museum
in the State of Florida. There is no charge for admission, and it is open to the
public from 9 am to 5 pm seven days a week, except for Thanksgiving Day,
Christmas Day, and New Year's Day.
Visitors can soar with the Blue Angels in
the dazzling seven-story glass and steel atrium that showcases four A-4 Skyhawks
in a diving diamond formation. You can also view them at eye-level from the
mezzanine. To feel like you've had a bona fide ride with the Blue Angels, see
"The Magic of Flight", the museum's IMAX® film projected on a seven-story high
screen.
While at the museum enjoy guided tours, including the Flight Line Bus
Tour, a free 20-minute tour of about 40 aircraft displayed on the flight line
behind the Restoration hangar. Another favorite is to fly an F/A-18 mission in
Desert Storm through our motion-based flight simulator. Afterwards, enjoy lunch
at the CubiBar Cafe, decorated with over 1,000 squadron and unit plaques
reassembled from the historic Officers' Club at Cubi Point in the
Philippines.
The Museum also tells the human side of Naval Aviation and
features memorabilia from each era of fighting, including personal mementos from
historic battles, flight logs, vintage equipment and flight clothing.
The West
Wing is devoted almost exclusively to World War II carrier aviation and
showcases a full-size replica of the USS Cabot's aircraft carrier island and
flight deck. Famous World War II aircraft such as the Corsair, Dauntless and
Hellcat stand nearby ready for take-off on the wooden flight deck. Kids of all
ages love strapping into the many cockpit trainers for "test flights" or try
their hand at defending a ship from Cabot's anti-aircraft gun battery.
RVers
visiting the Museum can use the west entrance to NAS Pensacola at the end of
Blue Angel Highway. For directions, call 850- 453-2389 or 800-327-5002. For
information on the National Museum of Naval Aviation, call 850-452-3604 or visit
www.naval-air.org.
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