This unique museum caught my attention because my father is a pilot, and I thought this would be a good place for us to get out and explore during the winter when we couldn’t get outside for our usual walks. We were unprepared for how fantastic this museum was and just how much history resided there. The National Warplane Museum is dedicated to the preservation of WWII, the Korean War, and Vietnam-era aircraft, history, and those who bravely fought in these wars.
Museum
The museum is only open two days a week, Wednesdays and Saturdays in the winter. We visited on a Wednesday and quite literally had the entire place to ourselves. The Visitor Center has a gift shop in addition to a few small exhibits. One of the most impressive exhibits in the museum is the vast collection of model airplanes hand-made by Walter D. France. There are hundreds of planes representing almost all of aviation history.
The Hangar
The real heart of the museum is within the hangar and the building attached to it. Visitors are immersed in true history here. There are numerous display cases throughout the building attached to the hangar with collections of uniforms, and other relics from various wars.
Once you enter the hangar, the real fun begins. The hanger is filled with planes from all every different eras. The museum offers free tours and I highly recommend taking them up on the offer. The people who work on the planes in the hangar are the ones who provide the tour, they are very knowledgeable about the plane in the hangar and they give detailed history and mechanics of each of the planes. My dad, who I mentioned is a pilot and a fan of military and aviation history, really enjoy the tour around the hangar. Not only had he flown one of the planes at the museum, but he had also been a passenger on some of the others.
I should probably warn you about something that never crossed my mind. The hanger… it is cold! When we were making our plans to visit, for some reason, I just assumed that being an indoor museum; it would be heated. So, I didn’t dress for the occasion and only wore a fleece pullover. I quickly realized my mistake once we arrived, but by that point, it was too late. Fortunately, my dad was dressed for the weather and was much better prepared for the cold hanger than I was. Dress for the weather outside!!!!
The Planes
C-47 “Whiskey 7” – The pride and joy of the museum. This plane served throughout the war but its grand accomplishment was as the lead plane on D-Day (June 6th, 1944) over Normandy carrying the 82 Airborne Division for Operation NEPTUNE.
There were planes in the hangar that we could climb up into and get a closer look at the inside. One of the neat things about visiting in the wintertime is that many of the planes have been taken apart and are being worked on, so you really see the mechanical working of the planes.
There are so many planes in the hangar, that it was hard to keep track of all of them. In addition to the planes in the hangar, there are several on the lawn of the museum. We didn’t trample through the snow to get an up-close look, but we could see them pretty well from the parking lot and the road.
National Warplane Museum Airshow – The Greatest Show on Turf
National Warplane Museum sits hosts an annual airshow each year that draws all sorts of historic warplanes from all over the country. Visitors have the opportunity to not only see these planes fly but to also get a look inside. At one show a few years ago, the Memphis Belle (not the real Memphis Belle, but the one used in the 1990 film, although it does carry the original Memphis Belle’s markings) was at the airshow (It did live at the museum for a bit, but has since moved on to its final home in the Museum of Flight.) My son had the rare opportunity to get a look inside. The show draws all sorts of historic warplanes, so you never know what you might see.
Take a Ride
You don’t just have to just enjoy the planes on the ground, you can schedule the opportunity to take a ride in one. There are several planes, including Whisky 7 available for rides. Flights must be booked ahead of time and passengers must be at least 8 years old. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience to ride in this historic aircraft, especially Whiskey 7.
Hours and Admission
November 1 – April 30 – Open Wednesdays & Saturdays from 10 am – 3 pm
May 1 – October 31 – Open Wednesday – Sunday 10 am – 3 pm (closed Mondays & Tuesdays)
Getting to the National Warplane Museum
Address: 3489 Big Tree Ln, Geneseo