Alabama Air Museums - Southern Museum of Flight & Hall of Fame. Birmingham Alabama

[Kyushuj7w]

After visiting the Huntsville arsenal where the infancy of our space program began with the help of a lot of captured German materials and scientists,we hit this small museum on the way to Pensacola.


This is an example of a great regional museum that you might pass by if you were not looking specifically for these types of places.
Entry fee is just $7 and well worth it. They have a lot of flight sims that can keep younger kids happy for hours at no cost. Small gift shop and lounge. What makes it a bit unique is its tribute to the Air America crews lost over Laos and Cambodia. These guys get little mention in most museums and many of the stories were incredible . I never knew one of our Huey crews shot down enemy aircraft in that war.

They really need to bring her in . The aircraft outside are just beaten by the elements.

Ty never missed a landing. I crashed every time ....

The CIA

 

[Kyushuj7w]

Helos did shoot down a few aircraft in the vetnam era. An entire room deveoted to Air Amaerica and cia missions some of which went bad. Unique to any museum I've ever been in. Lots of interesting aircraft and exhibits including scratch built Uss Birmingham. More on the next post

 

[Kyushuj7w]

Lots of different things like a crop duster display sans DDT

Trainers and all the outside jets. Time frame here 2018

The aircraft positioned just around the corner a few hundred yards away from the actual museum are behind hangers at the airport. They are protected by a large fence from vandals but are rather worse for wear. Alabama's climate is not as forgiving as Arizona or Southern Cal. The Navy and Airforce are pretty particular about their loaner aricraft.

 

[Kyushuj7w]

Unless you get to Oshkosh you might never see this many in one place. The home build amphibians are of particular interest to me.

 

[Kyushuj7w]

There was a special on TV a while back about a B-25 recovered from a lake. It suffered an engine malfunction while skip bombing training and ditched in the lake. It was recovered and it and another B-25 are undergoing reconstruction efforts. What was also interesting was a watch a crew member left on the plane . It seems his fiancee bought this expensive item and had to continue making payments on it for quite some time. She was not happy.

The best way to end the day. No one does BBQ better than in the south.

 

[Gnomey]

Nice shots!