Hill Aerospace Museum

Hill Aerospace Museum
A Northrop F-89H Scorpion in the outdoor air park, in front of the museum
Established 1981[1]
Location Hill Air Force Base
Roy, Utah
Type Aviation museum
Collection size 70+ aircraft[2]
Visitors 265,000 annually[1]
Website Aerospaceutah.org
B-1B Lancer on display in the outdoor airpark.
AIR-2 Genie nuclear air-to-air rocket sitting on a MF-9 Transport Trailer inside the jet hangar of Hill Aerospace Museum.

Hill Aerospace Museum, located in Roy, Utah, is a U.S. Air Force museum that is part of the United States Air Force Heritage Program.[1] The museum is located off Interstate 15 and is near Hill Air Force Base.

The museum, founded in 1981[1] and moved to its current location in 1991,[1] displays over 90 aircraft[2] from around the world, in addition to a variety of munitions, equipment, auxiliary vehicles, and other items of historical interest.

In 1996, the museum became the home of the Utah Aviation Hall of Fame.[3]

The aircraft

The collection of aircraft is quite large and includes a variety of aircraft from around the world. Among the many aircraft on display are the B-17 Flying Fortress, SR-71C Blackbird, the venerable A-10 Thunderbolt II, and one of the first operational F-16 Fighting Falcon USAF 79-0388.

The aircraft are divided into five exhibits that focus on a specific era in the history of flight: the Beginnings, World War II, Dawn of the Jet Age, The Cold War, and Keeping the Peace.[1]

These displays simultaneously tell the story of both aviation in general and the history of Hill AFB, giving visitors a unique perspective on the growth and evolution of Hill Air Force Base alongside developments in aircraft technology.

One note on the P-51 Mustang in the museum's collection. The museum's website at http://www.hill.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/397260/p-51d-mustang/ states:

"This aircraft is painted in the exact colors of Col. Chesley Peterson's P-51 aircraft when he flew with the 4th Fighter Group of the Eighth Air Force during World War II. It is named "Audrey" in honor of Col. Peterson's wife, Audrey Boyes Peterson."

This statement is false. Chesley Peterson was transferred to 8th AF HQ on January 1, 1944. The 4th FG didn't get Mustangs until later in the month. Chesley Peterson never flew Mustangs with the 4th FG.

Secondly, the colors on the rudder are incorrect. The 3 stripe configuration used by the museum was only used on the 4th FG training aircraft. The 334th FS rudder color was red, the 335th was white with a red outline and the 336th was blue.

Research and library

In addition to its collection of aircraft from around the world, Hill also houses the Major General Rex A. Hadley Research Library and Archives,[4] which contains a great amount of technical and historical information related to the aircraft on display. At this time, however, the library is not available to the general public.[4]

Admission, visiting and hours of operation

Hill Aerospace Museum is open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm and closes only on Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year's Day, and Thanksgiving. Admission is free, but donations are accepted to support museum operations.[2]

ACE Learning Center

The museum is also home to the ACE (aerospace center for education) Learning Center, a favorite of locals and a must-see for visitors who stop by from out of town. Operated by two paid staff members and a staff of volunteers as an educational resource for the community, the learning center has a become a place of discovery, particularly for children of all ages. In the learning center, visitors may learn about (and experiment with!) centrifugal force, angular momentum, gyroscopes, electricity, propulsion methods, aviation, and many others. Complete with interactive demonstrations, the learning center is a must for any age. STEM education classes are made by appointment at 801-825-5817.

Other Air Force museums

See: National Museum of the United States Air Force and Other USAF museums

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Official site
  2. 1 2 3 About the Museum
  3. ↑ Hall of Fame Archived 2011-05-25 at the Wayback Machine.
  4. 1 2 Collections and Research Archived 2011-06-03 at the Wayback Machine.

Coordinates: 41°09′43″N 112°01′10″W / 41.16194°N 112.01944°W / 41.16194; -112.01944

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.