Arkansas Air & Military Museum Facts for Kids

Arkansas Air & Military Museum
Exterior of the Arkansas Air & Military Museum
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Established	1986
Location	Drake Field, Fayetteville, Arkansas
Type	Aviation and military museum
Visitors	6,000 (2014)

The Arkansas Air & Military Museum is an exciting place to visit in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It's located at Drake Field and is the biggest museum of its kind in Arkansas. Here, you can explore amazing airplanes and learn about military history.

Museum History
Where the Museum Is
What You Can See
Gallery

Museum History

The museum first opened its doors in 1986. Back then, it was called the Arkansas Air Museum. In 2012, something cool happened! It joined up with the Ozark Military Museum, which was right next door. Together, they became the Arkansas Air & Military Museum we know today.

For a while, the museum faced some challenges. After a new highway and airport opened in 1998, fewer people visited Drake Field. This meant fewer visitors for the museum too. Even with fewer visitors, the museum has continued to share its amazing collection thanks to many dedicated volunteers.

Where the Museum Is

The main building of the Arkansas Air & Military Museum is a special wooden hangar. This hangar is one of the few left from the 1940s. It's so important that it's listed on the Arkansas Register of Historic Places. During World War II, this building was a key spot for training military pilots.

Today, the museum uses this historic hangar to show off many of its aircraft. They also rent it out for events. There's a second hangar that holds even more airplanes and vehicles. A third, smaller building displays military aircraft, old weapons, and other cool items.

What You Can See

The Arkansas Air & Military Museum has a fantastic collection of aircraft. You can see planes from the 1920s all the way to more modern times. They have many famous Golden Age racing planes. You'll also find military aircraft from World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War.

Amazing Aircraft

Here are some of the awesome aircraft you might see:

Bell AH-1S Cobra: A powerful US Army attack helicopter.
Bell UH-1H Huey: A famous US Army utility helicopter.
Boeing-Stearman NS2S: A Navy version of a military training plane.
Curtiss-Wright CW-1 Junior: A small, early aircraft.
Dassault Falcon 20: A fast executive jet.
Douglas A-4 Skyhawk: A US Navy attack aircraft.
Ercoupe 415C: This plane once belonged to Walmart founder Sam Walton! It was his very first aircraft.
Howard DGA-11: A cool general aviation plane from the Golden Age of aviation.
Howard DGA-18K: An open-cockpit training plane.
Learjet 23: An executive jet that was once the only one of its kind able to do aerobatics.
Lockheed C-130 Hercules: This large plane was once used by the commander of the Arkansas Air National Guard.
LTV A-7 Corsair II: Another US Navy attack aircraft.
North American T-2 Buckeye: A US Navy training aircraft.
North American SNJ Texan: A US Navy training plane.
Piasecki H-21C Shawnee: A US Army cargo helicopter, also called "The Flying Banana."
Piper J-3 Cub: A popular plane used for training pilots.
Piper Tri-Pacer: A general aviation aircraft.
Stinson Junior: Another Golden Age general aviation plane.
Stinson L-13 Grasshopper: A rare plane used for connecting different military units.
Travel Air Model R "Mystery Ship" replica: A copy of a very famous racing plane.

Other Cool Stuff

Besides airplanes, the museum also shows off different aircraft engines. These include a Curtiss OX-5, a Rolls-Royce Spey, and a Westinghouse J34. You can also see a 1940 Packard car. The museum has military vehicles too, like ambulances, jeeps, trucks, and a British Ferret armored car. Plus, there are smaller military items like uniforms, helmets, and even parts of a Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero plane.

Famous Aviators

The museum also has special displays about famous pilots from Arkansas. These include Commander Richard O. Covey, Field Eugene Kindley, Captain Pierce McKennon, and Louise Thaden. Louise Thaden was a pioneering female pilot who won the Women's Air Derby in 1929. She also received the Harmon Trophy in 1936, which is a big award in aviation!