March Air Field is one of the oldest US military airfields. It was established in 1917 to train pilots to fight against the Germans in WWI. It’s role has changed over the years and now it serves as an Air Reserve Base.
Airplanes from a replica of a 1903 Wright Flyer to a SR-71A Blackbird reconnaissance plane are on display in two large hangers. Informative exhibits with many artifacts and personal stories cover the history of military aviation in the US. The outside display has more than 50 planes and helicopters.
The museum is accessible. The entry door and the door from the inside area of the museum to the outside are heavy but both have pushbuttons. The pushbutton to the outside display was not working when we visited. All of the other doors are light and easy to open. The audio in many of the displays was very low and hard to hear. We did not visit the outside display because of rainy weather. Sidewalks circle around all of the planes for easy viewing. The ground is covered with gravel so it may be difficult to get close to some of them.
The parking lot is large enough for any RV.
Museum 33.88415, -117.26724
I've seen three replicas of the Wright Brothers plane, I still haven't made it to DC to see the real one yet.
ReplyDeleteSeeing the real thing is somehow different - a feeling of awe at what these two men accomplished, that it was in this plane right in front of you, and how they started us on a path that has advanced so rapidly.
DeleteAny plans to go to DC?
My goodness, the sky looks ominous in your last photo! As many years as I lived in SoCal, I never made it to March Field. We should go. We've also seen Wright Bros replicas, but not the real deal. One of these days ...!
ReplyDelete