Big day at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton!

[Zack Baughman]

The Memphis Belle restoration is moving along quite nicely. Today is a BIG day in the restoration process, as the restored left wing is mated to the fuselage and the Belle is put back on her main gear. You can follow the progress on the NMUSAF's Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/AFmuseum

[Bill Greenwood]

Belle looks good Zack. Ray and I saw her in Memphis back then.
Today is the anniversary of the first test flight of the P-51, by Vance Breese at the North American plant in Inglewood, California. 1940.
It showed potential and once the adapted a Merlin engine to it became the premier long range escort fighter of the war.

[sdilullo]

Saw her during a Restoration Hangar tour back in April... amazing how much progress they've made since then.

Photos from that day - http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/20...s-part-12.html

If you're ever near Dayton, you darn well better stop by the USAF Museum. It's an incredible place!

[Bill]

If you're ever near Dayton, you darn well better stop by the USAF Museum. It's an incredible place!

It sure is, but you'll need at least a day!

You start feeling really, really old when you see one of the aircraft (AFTI F-16, which ended life as a technology demonstrator for the F-35) that you personally worked on displayed in the USAF Museum.

[FlyingRon]

At least a day is right. Don't forget to sign up for your ride out to the presidential hangar. There's some quite interesting stuff out there (in addition to the presidential planes).
One nice difference between the Museum of the USAF and the Smithsonian is they let you in some of the planes. You can actually stand on the point where President Johnson took the oath of office in the plane that was serving as AF-1 at the time.

This museum, the Smithsonian Air and Space (both downtown and the Udvar-Hazy Center) and the Pima Air and Space Museum/Amarc (Davis-Monthan)/TItan Missile museums are must see for any aviation buf.