Best Aviation and Aerospace Museums

Interested in aviation? Books and articles are great ways to learn more, but one of the best ways is to visit a museum to get some hands-on experience! Not only are museums more engaging, but they also provide you with invaluable experiential learning through seeing and doing. Museums exist to feed our curiosity and educate ourselves and future generations, and perhaps this list of some of the best aviation and aerospace museums in the country will inspire you to take flight.

Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center – Washington, DC

The National Air and Space Museum boasts 60,000 artifacts in its collection, including the 1903 Wright Flyer, the first successful aircraft. As one of the largest and most visited museums, it has reason to make it onto our list as one of the best. Visitors can sate their curiosity by viewing everything from pilot uniforms and spacesuits to engines and equipment. The satellite Udvar-Hazy Center is home to the Discovery shuttle and the Enola Gay bomber.

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex – Cape Canaveral, FL

If your love of aviation takes you to outer space, then the Kennedy Space Center is the perfect place for you. The center has a multitude of offerings, from numerous artifacts to astronaut training simulators. Visitors can learn more about NASA’s past and present work here. One of the most exciting things to experience at the Kennedy Space Center? If you’re lucky, you may get the chance to witness rocket and shuttle launches.

National Museum of the US Air Force – Dayton, OH

As the name would suggest, this museum’s focus is on military aviation. The National Museum of the US Air Force is the world’s largest and oldest aviation museum, and what’s more, it’s completely free to visitors! Among the things on display are a Missile Gallery and a Space Gallery. Exhibits here feature World War II, the Korean War, the Southeast Asia War, and the Cold War.

Museum of Flight – Seattle, Washington

The Museum of Flight is dedicated to teaching visitors about the importance of flight. With tens of thousands of artifacts, an interactive cockpit exhibit, and a 3D movie theater (and so much more), there is a little bit of everything pertaining to air and space under the roof of this museum.

Air Zoo – Kalamazoo, MI

Air Zoo is part museum and part indoor amusement park, providing a unique experience, especially for families with children. The historic air and space crafts and artifacts bring you up close and personal to these flying machines. If you’re looking for a thrill, book a bi-plane ride between July through September.

Six Interesting Facts About Flying

Nearly 4 billion passengers boarded planes across all global airlines in 2017, and that number shows signs of increasing as the years continue to progress. Despite so many passengers frequently flying across various airlines, there are many things individuals don’t know about flying. Here are six interesting facts about flying that explain why passengers experience dry eyes, mood swings, and more while traveling on planes.

Taste is Reduced During Flights

While airplane food may appear inherently unappetizing, it’s mostly rendered unappealing due to altitude. When it comes to traveling via airplanes, cabin pressure can reduce taste by as much as 30 percent. With about a third of taste buds numbed, it’s no surprise food eaten on airplanes tastes bland. Interestingly, altitude also tends to enhance savory flavors, making tomato juice so much more appealing.

Cabin Air is as Dry as a Desert

Humidity in a home is, on average, over 30 percent. A plane’s pressurized cabin keeps humidity low, typically less than 20 percent, which is about the average humidity of the Sahara Desert. While low humidity doesn’t present any health risks, passengers are advised to wear eyeglasses to prevent dry contact lenses and discomfort, use moisturizing lotions, and limit consumption of alcohol and caffeine on long flights to avoid internal dehydration.

Turbulence Typically Drops a Plane Only a Few Feet

While turbulence may be jarring to passengers, traditional, run-of-the-mill turbulence typically only drops a few feet in altitude. Moderate turbulence can drop a plane between 10 and 20 feet, whereas severe turbulence has the potential to move a plane 100 feet.

During a Crash, the Tail is the Safest Place

When it comes to choosing seats, the last seats prove the safest. While plane crashes are rare, according to a Popular Mechanics study, passengers who sit near the tail of a plane are about 40 percent more likely to survive a crash than those seated in the first few rows of the plane.

Planes Can Still Operate With Only One Engine

While failed engines are unsettling, commercial jets are actually able to fly with only one operable engine. They are also able to land safely without any engine power.

Traveling By Plane Can Influence Moods

Many passengers admit to feeling emotional when traveling by plane. According to a 1988 study, decreased oxygen and mild hypoxia caused by altitude influences moods. This can cause individuals to experience depressive episodes, become irritable, anxious, and apathetic.

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Scott Beale has been working in the aviation industry for more than two decades, successfully growing founded and acquired businesses. For similar reads, visit this blog.

Overcoming Your Fear of Flying by Scott Beale

The fear of flying is relatively common, but it can prevent people from traveling to see the world or for business. Overcoming that fear takes some time and effort, but it opens up a huge number of opportunities. It is worth the effort for most people, and there are a few different ways to get started.

Exposure & Professional Support 

To read the full blog and learn more about exposure and professional support, please visit my website: ScottBealeAviation.net.

Did You Know This About Air Force One?

Most Americans are familiar with Air Force One. It’s the big jet that the President uses for all his air travel. Many folks probably don’t give it much thought, preferring perhaps to focus on where the President is going and what he will be doing rather than the aircraft itself.

Air Force One, however, has a storied history and many interesting facts. Many of these points of interest were recently discussed in a Robb Report article. Here are a few of them:

Is there only one Air Force One?

At the present, two aircraft serve as Air Force One. Each one is a Boeing VC-25. In fact, Air Force One is a call-sign, not an aircraft. Any well-maintained aircraft can serve as Air Force One.

 

To read the full blog and learn more interesting facts about Air Force One, please visit my website: ScottBealeAviation.com

 

Flying Is the Safest It’s Ever Been

Thanks to advances in technology and new regulations, flying is safer than it has ever been. Numbers show that last year was the safest year for commercial passenger air-travel in recorded history, even though more flights are being taken now more than ever before.

To read the full blog, please visit my website: ScottBealeAviation.net

6 Surprising Facts of Flying

More than 8 million people travel via plane each day. While most people are familiar with the concept of flying, there are several facts associated with this modern method of transportation that often go unnoticed.

1. Flight Attendants Are Paid Only When the Plane Is Moving

While different airlines have their own policy, most only pay their flight attendants when the plane is moving. If it takes an hour for all passengers to board, that’s an hour of unpaid time for the flight attendants. They are generally only paid when the plane is taking off, flying or landing. As a result, many flight attendants complain about flight delays or other issues preventing the plane from moving.

2. Flying Causes Dehydration

Many air travelers feel thirsty upon boarding a plane because of the cabin’s low humidity. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the average humidity inside a plane’s cabin is less than 20 percent. To put that number into perspective, most homes have a humidity level of 30 percent to 50 percent. With less moisture vapor in the air, passengers often experience the effects of mild dehydration, including dry mouth, fatigue and itchy skin.

3. All Planes Have Ashtrays But Smoking Is Prohibited

It may sound contradictory, but the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires all flights in and out of the United States to have an ashtray in the lavatory even though smoking is prohibited. CNN explains that ashtrays provide a safe way for passengers to extinguish their cigarette if they decide to light up even if smoking is prohibited.

To read the next three surprising facts, please visit my website: ScottBealeAviation.com

Navigating an Airport Traffic Pattern

This post was originally featured on my website: ScottBealeAviation.com

A Glossary for Aviation Jargon: Part III

If you’ve read my first two blogs on airline jargon, you now know twenty new terms! This is my last segment for the airline glossary, provided nine more words, to make you an expert the next time you travel through an airport. Thanks to Patrick Smith, and his book the Cockpit Confidential, here are the last few terms in this series.

LAST MINUTE PAPERWORK
If you’ve ever been on a flight that seemed to have taken forever to leave the terminal, you were probably waiting on “last minute paperwork.” This is typically for a revision to the flight plan or waiting on the maintenance team to get the logbook in order.

NONSTOP
In the first of this series, we discussed what was a direct flight. Go back and re-read that definition. A nonstop flight is a flight that does not have any stops between take-off and landing at your destination.

THE OFF-POSITION
When the flight attendants are asking you to put your electronics in the “off-position,” they are simply just telling you to turn it off.

A Glossary for Aviation Jargon: Part II

Last month I wrote a blog about popular airline jargon and the various definitions. This month, I’m going to continue that trend and teach you eight new words. With the help of Patrick Smith, and his book the Cockpit Confidential, here are the next few terms in this series.

FINAL APPROACH
Pilots and flight attendants have slightly different meanings to the term “final approach.” According to the pilot, the final approach is when the airplane is on its last straight segment of the landing pattern. Simply put, the plane is aligned with the center of the runway for landing. If you were to ask a flight attendant the meaning of “final approach,” they may tell you it’s the last portion of the descent.

FIRST OFFICER (COPILOT)
As outlined in my past blog, the copilot and the captain are both well equipped and know how to fly the plane. However, the first officer, often referred to as the copilot, sits to the right and is second in command. The first officer will alternate shifts with the captain in the event of a long flight where the captain will need to take a break.

FLIGHT DECK
The flight-deck is another term for the cockpit, where the pilots sit.

A Glossary for Aviation Jargon

If you’ve ever taken a flight, domestic or international, I’m sure you’ve experienced some form of confusion by the jargon either spoken over the microphone or face-to-face by airline workers. Travelers who make dozens of flights a year can find themselves having only a vague understanding of this airline language. Patrick Smith wrote the book about everything you need to know when it comes to air travel, Cockpit Confidential. Here are a few terms he describes.

AIR POCKET
An air pocket is a colloquial term for a jolt of turbulence.

ALL-CALL
When a pilot comes over the intercom announcing “…all-call,” they are looking for all the flight attendants to report from his or her stations as part of the arming/disarming procedure.

ALLEY
Also known as the “ramp,” this is the passageway or taxiway between terminals.

APRON
This references where the planes park for servicing or any large space of Tarmac (asphalt) that is not being used as an alley or runway.

AREA OF WEATHER
Area of weather is a less alarming way for the pilot to announce a detour due to a thunderstorm or heavy precipitation ahead.