Air Mobility Command Museum

The Air Mobility Command Museum (AMCM) is dedicated to military airlift and air refueling aircraft and the men and women who flew and maintained them. It has the largest and most complete collection of fully restored U.S. Military cargo and tanker aircraft in the Eastern United States, located about 1/2 mile south of Dover Air Force Base. The mission of the museum is to collect, preserve and exhibit the artifacts and human stories significant to the development and employment of military airlift and air refueling in the USAF and the USAAF, as well as to portray the history of Dover Air Force Base.[1]

T-33A Shooting Star displayed outside the Air Mobility Command Museum in Dover, Delaware.

Museum history

While the museum itself was not officially established until 1986, the idea for the museum developed as a result of an Air Force Reserve restoration project on the B-17G bomber "Shoo Shoo Baby" in 1978.[2] This aircraft became the first of many to be restored for eventual display at the museum, which was still in the early stages of conceptualization. Then in 1986, preparations were formally advanced for the creation of an air museum at DAFB. At the same time, the C-47A "Turf and Sport Special" also underwent restoration, having been rejected by many other museums as "beyond salvage." The then Dover AFB Museum was officially recognized by the U.S. Air Force in 1995, moved from three hangars in the main area of the base to its present location in Hangar 1301 in June 1996, and its name was changed to "Air Mobility Command Museum" in February 1997.[1] Hangar 1301 is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its significance as the site of the US Army Air Force's rocket test center, and was restored in the 1990s. The facility encloses over 20,000 square feet of aircraft display gallery plus 1,300 square feet of exhibit rooms. Additionally, an attached 6,400 square foot building houses a theater, museum store, exhibit workshop, and various offices. The surrounding 100,000 square feet of outdoor ramp space allows for a closer inspection of the remaining aircraft in the collection.[3]

Airlift history

Dover Air Force Base was originally built as a civilian airport that was modified for military use as a result of Public Law 812, which funded local governments to build airports in response to the outbreak of hostilities in Europe and Asia in 1939-40. Ten days after the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the War Department employed its emergency powers to lease Dover Municipal Airfield for the entirety of World War II. The air field would serve primarily as a base for anti-submarine operations, fighter pilot training, and aerial rocket testing and development. After the war beginning in September 1946, Dover Army Airfield was placed in "inactive" status. Following the creation of the U.S. Air Force as a separate service entity, the Airfield became Dover Air Force Base on January 13, 1948. Beginning in 1952, the primary mission of DAFB focused on military airlift due to the strategic location of the base on the Eastern Seaboard, and the base was designated as a permanent U.S. Air Force installation on December 22, 1953.[2] During the Military Air Transport Service's existence from 1948 to 1965, a number of aircraft were utilized, such as the C-46, C-47, C-54, C-74 Globemaster, C-97 Stratofreighter, C-118, C-121, C-124, C-130, C-131, C-133, KC-135, and the C-141, many of which are on display at the AMCM. The Military Airlift Command was another Major Command of the United States Air Force from 1966 to 1992. During this time, the Air Force was involved in such conflicts as the Vietnam War, Cold War, Desert Shield and Desert Storm, as well as humanitarian efforts including Operation Provide Comfort and the relief of former USSR satellite nations following its dissolution. Many of the aircraft in the museum's collection are from this era. The Air Mobility Command, the current Major Command, was established June 1, 1992, and has been in existence ever since.[4] Several aircraft from this period are in the museum's collection, including the C-141, C-9, and the C-130, but operational aircraft such as the C-5M and the C-17A launching from the active side of Dover Air Force Base are visible from the museum as well.

Collections and exhibits

Aircraft collection

The Air Mobility Command Museum is home to a number of significant vintage aircraft from a variety of eras and Major Commands. Additionally, the AMC Museum houses a complete set of all significant Lockheed air lifters used by the Air Force and Army since World War II.[5]

Attack aircraft

Bombers

Cargo/Tanker aircraft

Fighters

Gliders

Helicopters

Trainers

Utility aircraft

"First, Last and Only" collection

The museum contains a special collection of rare and historically significant aircraft on display, each of which are the first, last, and/or only of their model.

The first C-141A Starlifter built; on display at the AMC Museum in Dover, Delaware.
One of the first C-9C Nightingale on display at the AMC Museum in Dover, Delaware.
The last of the 50 C-133s on display at the AMC Museum in Dover, Delaware.
One of the last functional B-17s on display at the AMC Museum in Dover, Delaware.

Other exhibits and attractions

The exhibit air control tower on display at the Air Mobility Command Museum in Dover, Delaware. The tower stood about 103 feet tall when in operation, but currently stands 39 feet high at the museum.

In addition to the aircraft and non-aircraft collections, the museum has a few other notable attractions. These include a flight simulator, commemoration park outside the museum building, and the retired control tower cab, which served as Dover AFB's control tower from 1956 to 2009.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Cacicia, Zachary (December 10, 2014). "AMC Museum: It all Started with One Wrecked Plane". United States Air Force. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  2. 1 2 Wiggins, Kennard R., Jr. "Dover AFB History". Delaware Military History. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Building 1301, Dover Air Force Base". National Park Service. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  4. ↑ "History of the 436th Airlift Wing: The 'Eagle' Wing and Dover Air Force Base: Dover, Delaware." (pdf). Dover Air Force Base. p. 12. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Air Mobility Museum displays Lockeed C-60 Airlifter". Cape Gazette. June 12, 2015. Retrieved August 14, 2015. (registration required (help)).
  6. ↑ "Lockheed 141 Starlifter". The Aviation Zone. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  7. ↑ Drummer, Janene L.; Wilcoxson, Kathryn A. (March 2001). "Chronological History of the C-9A Nightingale" (PDF). Air Mobility Command. Archived from the original (pdf) on February 26, 2015. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Douglas C-133 Cargomaster". Strategic-Air-Command.com. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  9. ↑ "QF-106 Drone 'Pacer Six Program' 1990-1998". F-106 Delta Dart. Retrieved August 14, 2015.

External links

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