Museum open late on first Thursday of each month

The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force will continue offering evening hours on the first Thursday of each month the rest of the year.

During these select evenings from 5-8 p.m., the museum will offer the public an opportunity to get an up-close look at a different aircraft from the collection each month.

On the evening of Oct. 1, visitors will be permitted to walk through the cargo hold of the C-133A Cargo Master. Visitors will be required to follow social distancing guidelines while inside the aircraft. The first C-133A made its initial flight on April 23, 1956. Its rear-loading and side-loading doors allowed the C-133 to handle a wide variety of military cargo. Museum volunteer Maj. (Ret.) Wil Davis will be available to talk to visitors near the aircraft.

On Nov. 5 visitors will have the opportunity to look inside the B-58A Hustler and learn more about this supersonic bomber from museum volunteer, and former B-58 Navigator, Col. (Ret.) Chuck Jones. The supersonic bomber made its initial flight on Nov. 11, 1956. Jones has time in the B-58 on display and he boasts that he lost the coin-toss to deliver the aircraft to the museum in Dec. 1969.

Visitors can look inside the cockpit of the F-111A the evening of Dec. 3. The U.S. Air Force F-111A first flew 56 years ago in December 1964. The F-111 was unofficially referred to as the Aardvark, it did not receive the name officially until it was retired in 1996. Former F-111 pilot and museum volunteer Lt. Col. (Ret.) Eric Puschmann will be available to talk to visitors about the aircraft.

For a complete schedule of 2020 Thursday evening opening dates, visit https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Upcoming/Events/.

The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, is the world’s largest military aviation museum. With free admission and parking, the museum features more than 350 aerospace vehicles and missiles and thousands of artifacts amid more than 19 acres of indoor exhibit space. Each year more than 800,000 visitors from around the world come to the museum. For more information, visit www.nationalmuseum.af.mil.

NOTE TO PUBLIC: For more information, contact the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at (937) 255-3286.