We
heard a lot of great things about this museum from a variety of people, so we
definitely wanted to check it out. (Okay, let’s be honest ~ Brad was really
interested, Suzanne mildly……) The National
Naval Aviation
Museum is on a navy base,
so bring photo identification, as it will be checked. The museum is free, as well as the
parking.
We
arrived close to lunch time, so we ate at the Museum’s Cubi Bar Café. This is a
replication of the famous Cubi Point Officers’’ club closed in 1992 that was
located on a Philippine base. The original club was used by Navy and Marine
squadrons and other military units for more than 40 years. All the original 1000+
plaques were sent to the museum where the layout and spirit of the original
club was replicated as much as possible. We were we told that retired military
personnel now come to the Museum’s Cubi Bar Café to find their names on the
plaques and have a beer. The food was just okay. The sandwiches are probably
the best thing to get on the menu. There is seating out on a deck overlooking
one of the hangars of the museum. This helped make up for the food.
Now
that we were fortified it was time to explore the museum. The museum is comprised
of three hangars. The first floor of the main two hangars consists of an IMAX
theatre, the gift shop, and various aircraft from WWI, WWII, the Vietnam War,
the Korean War, as well as various other naval aircraft. The second floor of
the main hangars had a WWII carrier exhibit, Hall of Honor, four Blue Angel
planes, an art gallery, space exhibit and a few different flight simulators. There
were also a few cockpits one could go into ~ we’ve decided that Brad’s
definitely too tall to be a pilot!
At
each plane or exhibit were informative plaques explaining the purpose of the
plane, strengths and weakness, as well as specifications including speed,
distance it could travel and payload. The “skins” on some of the planes were open
in sections so you can see the tight quarters the pilots and crew had to deal
with. We were surprised that the WWI planes were wood frames covered by
canvass. In addition, there were many airplane engines on stands next to the
plane in which they were used. This included old piston engines as well as the
turbines used in modern aircraft. The
information plaques for the engines included the horse power generated, top RPMs
and other facts that a gear head like Brad would enjoy ~ Suzanne often
overheard him say “wow” under his breath as he approached and studied an engine
display. (Under her breath, one could hear her say, "What a dork." :-)
Hangar Bay One is a separate single story building which houses
the Marine One helicopter for Presidents Nixon and Ford. There is also Coast
Guard aircraft, an area dedicated to POWs, and even more modern planes.
The
most interesting exhibit (fur us) simulated the flight deck of an aircraft carrier. This
included real footage of helicopters and various planes taking off and landing.
The simulation provided the intense sound, vibrations, wind and the smell of
burn aircraft fuel. It was very interesting and left you with an appreciation
of the enormity and sophistication of our military. This is one experience at
the museum that you should not miss and it’s free to boot, unlike the other
simulators and IMAX theaters.
The
museum is a must-see if you are in the Pensacola
area. Plan on spending 2-3 hours at least
Two
other areas at the base that are open to the public are the Pensacola
Lighthouse & Museum and the Gulf Islands’ Fort
Barrancas. We passed on
the Fort (since we plan to go on a range talk of Fort Pickens
where we’re camping, and one fort is more than enough for us), but we did
check-out the lighthouse.
The
Pensacola Lighthouse was established in 1859 and remains an active aid to
navigation to this day. For $5, one can climb the 177-steps to the top, but we
passed on this, as we’ve been to the top of many lighthouses (and Brad was
getting hungry again).
One
other thing the public can do on the base is watch the Blue Angels practice
sessions, of which one will be happening while we’re here. Since the Gulf Islands National Seashore
campground is just across Pensacola
Bay from the navy base,
we’ll be able to see everything from our campsite, so we plan to grab a cup of
coffee, sit back, and enjoy the show.
Easy and affordable - no matter where you are!
At
each plane or exhibit were informative plaques explaining the purpose of the
plane, strengths and weakness, as well as specifications including speed,
distance it could travel and payload. The “skins” on some of the planes were open
in sections so you can see the tight quarters the pilots and crew had to deal
with. We were surprised that the WWI planes were wood frames covered by
canvass. In addition, there were many airplane engines on stands next to the
plane in which they were used. This included old piston engines as well as the
turbines used in modern aircraft. The
information plaques for the engines included the horse power generated, top RPMs
and other facts that a gear head like Brad would enjoy ~ Suzanne often
overheard him say “wow” under his breath as he approached and studied an engine
display. (Under her breath, one could hear her say, "What a dork." :-)
The
Pensacola Lighthouse was established in 1859 and remains an active aid to
navigation to this day. For $5, one can climb the 177-steps to the top, but we
passed on this, as we’ve been to the top of many lighthouses (and Brad was
getting hungry again).
