Friendly Skies: The Aviation History Online Museum

I've been to Kitty Hawk to see the Wright Brothers' airplane models.  I also went to Arctic Thunder 2010, a daylong air show at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage.  Beyond that, my knowledge of air transportation is limited.  So I was glad to find the Aviation History Online Museum because, at least in some cases, it provides a lot of interesting and engaging information.

The best part of this museum is its Aircraft gallery, which lists many different airplane models (alphabetized by manufacturer).  For almost every model, you can view photos and a few short paragraphs of information.  You also have the option to see a much longer and more technically detailed history of the aircraft.  I love the way this is set up with two different levels of information because visitors who are really into aviation will be curious enough to read the longer texts, while those who are novices will find the shorter interpretation to be a good introduction.

I also really like the Early Years section, which details all the different inventors whose ideas led up to the first airplane.  The information here is truly interesting and not overly long, and it's presented in a way that lets you see how each person piggybacked off previous discoveries.  The Theory section also does a good job of taking difficult scientific concepts and explaining them for visitors to understand.  There's also a nice selection of videos that show clips of the Battle of Okinawa, the history of TWA, and many other relevant subjects.

There are a few sections that might be tough for the average visitor to get through, like the series of articles posted to the museum.  They're long and too much like Wikipedia, and I imagine that only the nerdiest of aircraft enthusiasts would find them interesting.  The same is true for the section on engines and, disappointingly, the gallery featuring famous aviators.

All in all, though, this is an unexpectedly engaging museum.  It makes aircraft and the history of flight fun and accessible to visitors of all interest levels.  There's a lot of pictures and simple explanations for those of us who have never considered why we fly, and there's also plenty of technical information for airplane enthusists.  I would recommend this museum to anyone, because I guarantee you'll learn something and maybe even become more interested in flying.


The Aviation History Online Museum
Website:  www.aviation-history.com