This past Labor Day weekend, our family drove down to Warner Robbins, Georgia to visit the Museum of Aviation located next to the Robbins Air Force Base. First of all, the museum is free – completely and totally free. No  paid parking, no huge requests for donation, but free — and well worth the trip.

The museum complex consists of four large buildings, an outdoor amphitheater, picnic grounds and areas for planes. In fact, a B-1 bomber is located right outside the main entrance.

The most extensive building and the one I suggest starting with is the Eagle building. Inside, an F-15 (remember Tom Cruise in Top Gun) is given center stage in a round, three-story atrium.  To the right, is an exhibit on the Flying Tigers beginning with the history, the key players and planes.

Personally, I was fascinated by this as my mother’s brother, J.P. was a navigator for the 491st bomb squadron of the 341st Bomb Flying Group. He was shot down and presumed dead in March 1944. The building also hosted an exhibit on the Korean War, as well as a gift shop, cafe and administrative offices.  From the second and third floors, pictures of the F-15 could be taken.

En route to the WWII hangar, we passed by several planes including a Lockheed C-141C “Starlifter” cargo plane.  This hangar had an excellent program on the D-Day invasion and the Battle of the Bulge, including a short movie with actual soldiers narrating their thoughts on those events. A section was devoted to the Tuskegee airman.

Next door was the Century of Flight Hanger, which housed a significant number of aircraft. Then, there was the Georgia Hall of Fame exhibit upstairs and a brief history of Delta and Eastern Airlines.

Lastly, we went to Hangar One, which was dedicated to the Vietnam War. By this time, our children were ready to leave so we didn’t get to explore this as much as I’d like. It will have to be for the next trip down there. For more information visit the museum’s website at www.museumofaviation.org.