Exhibitions

Millions of spectators watch aerobatic demonstrations each year, but it isn't all just for show. Aerobatic flying has influenced major advances in aircraft technology and military pilots develop aerobatic maneuvers to improve fighter tactics.

“America by Air” will emerge from the Museum’s multi-year transformation campaign refreshed with a new layout, improved graphics, interactives, and several new artifacts including the Lincoln-Standard H.S. and the Huff-Daland Duster. The exhibition will continue to trace the history of air transportation in the United States and explore how the federal government shaped the airline industry and how improvements in technology have revolutionized air travel, changing the flying experience.

In the tense years of the Cold War, applications satellites evolved down two separate paths: one devoted to national security needs, the other to civilian interests.

See examples of business aircraft ranging from small, propeller-driven airplanes for shorter hops to fast, well-appointed "bizjets" that can fly internationally nonstop.

The invention of the balloon struck the men and women of the late 18th century like a thunderbolt. The objects in this exhibition provide a sense of the wonder and excitement experienced by those who witnessed the birth of flight over two centuries ago. 

Tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War resulted in a competition to create advanced technologies aimed at gathering intelligence. Aerial reconnaissance played an important role, and the Lockheed SR-71 was a a direct result of this struggle for supremacy.

Flying was new and daring in the early years of the 20th century. Traveling by airplane was rare. Airlines, airliners, airports, air routes—none of these existed. But by century's end, you could travel to almost anywhere in America by air in a matter of hours. Commercial aviation is now both a commonplace and an essential aspect of modern life. It has revolutionized the world.  

Learn about the history and aircraft that are part of general aviation, the civilian aircraft not flown by commercial carriers or the military.

The Human Spaceflight exhibition station illustrates one of the great achievements of the modern age as nations have developed the technology for human spaceflight.

The airplane emerged from World War I recognized widely for its potential as a military weapon. In the United States, Army pilots and Navy and Marine aviators worked to realize their different visions of the airplane’s ultimate role in American defense.

Jay I. Kislak World War II in the Air will examine how the revolution in warfare that took place during the war redefined the promise and peril of military aviation, as well as explore the dramatic changes to flight and culture that continue to reverberate through society today.  

Learn about America's first swept-wing jet fighter, the F-86 Sabre, and its arch rival, the Soviet MiG-15. You'll also find out how helicopters came into their own during these conflicts.