kids encyclopedia robot

National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force
National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force Logo.png
Mighty 8th Air Force Museum, Pooler, GA, US.jpg
Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
Established 14 May 1996
Location 175 Bourne Avenue
Pooler, Georgia
Type Aviation museum
Founder Major General Lewis E. Lyle

The National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force is a special place in Pooler, Georgia. It's near Savannah. This museum teaches people all about the Eighth Air Force. This was a very important part of the United States Army Air Corps. They served in Europe during World War II.

You can see many cool things here. There are exhibits, real items, and old documents. You'll learn amazing stories from the war. The museum has real airplanes too! You can see a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber. It is being restored right in front of you. There's also a model of a Messerschmitt Bf 109G fighter. Plus, a smaller model of a P-51 Mustang fighter. Outside, you can find other planes. These include a B-47 Stratojet, a MiG-17, and an F-4 Phantom II. These planes are from the Cold War era, after World War II.

History of the Museum

How the Museum Started

People started planning this museum in 1983. They wanted a place to honor the Eighth Air Force. After 13 years of hard work, the museum opened. This happened on May 14, 1996.

Special Recognition and Gifts

In 2003, the state of Georgia gave the museum a special title. It became the official center for character education. In 2009, the museum received a big project. The National Air and Space Museum sent them a B-17 bomber to restore. A cool old fire truck was also donated in 2011. This truck was used at Hunter Army Airfield during World War II.

What You Can Explore

The museum has several interesting areas to visit:

  • Major General Lewis E. Lyle Rotunda
  • Colonial Group, Inc. Art Gallery
  • Miss Sophie's Restaurant
  • Museum Gift Store
  • Memorial Garden

Aircraft You Can See

Here are some of the amazing aircraft on display at the museum:

  • Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress
  • Boeing NTB-47B Stratojet
  • Boeing-Stearman N2S-3 Kaydet
  • McDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantom II
  • Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17

Museum Photos

  • F4 Phantom at Mighty 8th Air Force Museum, Pooler, GA, US

    F-4 Phantom II in front of the museum

  • MiG 17 at Mighty 8th Air Force Museum, Pooler, GA, US

    MiG-17 in front of the museum

  • Boeing B-47 at Mighty 8th Air Force Museum, Pooler, GA, US

    Boeing B-47

  • B-17 at Mighty 8th Air Force Museum, Pooler, GA, US

    B-17 being restored

  • B-17 tail at Mighty 8th Air Force Museum, Pooler, GA, US

    Tail of B-17 being restored

  • B-17 tail at Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum, Pooler, GA, US

    B-17 tail view

  • B-24 nose art at Mighty 8th Air Force Museum, Pooler, GA, US

    B-24 nose art

  • B-47

    The B-47 before being repainted

  • SAC logo on B-47

    Strategic Air Command logo on the B-47

More to See

  • List of aerospace museums
kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.