While in Florida this October, I stopped by Crestview, to visit S, one of my closest friends since high school. Crestview is a small Air Force town, sitting right on the outskirts of Eglin Air Force base, so I did not expect much as far as tourism goes. Her husband, Danny, suggested we check out the Armament Museum on base, I thought it would be a huge snooze-fest. I knew next to nothing about jet mechanics and history of aeronautics. Fortunately, S is a former jet mechanic for the Air Force (yes, a female jet mechanic) and lucky us bumped into the museum’s director on the way in, who generously gave us an enthusiastic exclusive tour! What I thought would be a quick 15 minute fly by turned out to be a very thorough walk through. It makes such a huge difference when you are able to learn first hand from people who are so passionate about their field!
Above: S nerding out over an F-16 model, which she has worked on in the past.
Above: S posing in front of the First Lady – the first C-130 ever built.
Above: terminals from the 50′s.
Above: In the cockpit of the First Lady. We were able to act like children and play and push aaaall the buttons we wanted!
Air Force Armament Museum – Official site.
Hi!
I am a huge history buff and we just got back from a Florida trip whose intention it was for my, my wife, and my two small children to see the treasures in the greater Pensacola area. Of course, we were aiming for the National Museum of Naval Aviation where we spent significant time, and the USS Alabama memorial park in Mobile, both of which were very impressive. But the Air Force Armament Museum was a hidden treasure, very different from the other two. The “first lady” was indeed the centerpiece, although there are other interesting exhibits that abound. Did you crawl into the cockpit of the B-52? I would not recommend that as it required contortions, but it was interesting nonetheless.
While looking it up my expectations were very moderate because the vibe I got was that it lives in the shadow of the Naval Air Museum which is by far much better funded. Yet this museum is a special little treasure. That executive guy, George Jones, is quite a character. He spent quite a bit of time with us as well, taking us into more than a few of his airplanes, and made a few exceptions. Sadly others like the B-25 and B-17 basically are stripped down and not even safe to walk inside, but the museum harbors many interesting artifacts and exhibits. Its lower level of funding and focused nature may lead many people to assume it could indeed be a snooze fest, or simply less interesting than what it is, but with a tour from the exec and an open mind, we were really impressed. If anything, the exec was so effusive and good with the kids that I got to have a special, “behind the scenes” guided tour (which I always try to take at these kinds of museums) WITH my children in tow, and that’s saying something!
Glad to know someone else enjoyed this hidden jewel as much as we did.
Yes! I did get to crawl into the cockpit… it did take quite the acrobatic act to get in there! I do believe George Jones was our spontaneous exclusive tour guide as well. So happy to hear you had a great time.
I completely agree – this museum is definitely a hidden treasure!!!