One museum, two locations
Visit us in Washington, DC and Chantilly, VA to explore hundreds of the world’s most significant objects in aviation and space history. Free timed-entry passes are required for the Museum in DC.
Visit
National Air and Space Museum in DC
Udvar-Hazy Center in VA
Plan a field trip
Plan a group visit
At the museum and online
Discover our exhibitions and participate in programs both in person or virtually.
What's On
Events
Exhibitions
IMAX
Dive deep into air and space
Browse our collections, stories, research, and on demand content.
Explore
Stories
Topics
Collections
On demand
For researchers
For teachers and parents
Bring the Air and Space Museum to your learners, wherever you are.
Learn
Programs
Learning resources
Plan a field trip
Educator professional development
Education monthly theme
Be the spark
Your support will help fund exhibitions, educational programming, and preservation efforts.
Give
Become a member
Wall of Honor
Ways to give
Host an Event
Golden Age of Flight
Air racing, record setting, and exploration dominated the years between WWI and WWII.
This exhibit is now closed.
Americans were wild about aviation in the 1920s and '30s, the period between the two world wars that came to be known as the Golden Age of Flight. Air races and daring record-setting flights dominated the news. Airplanes evolved from wood-and-fabric biplanes to streamlined metal monoplanes. The military services embraced air power. Aviation came of age.
Aircraft displayed here included planes used for racing, record setting, business travel, and exploration. The Wittman Buster midget racer hung near the entrance. Inside was Howard Hughes' sleek, record-setting Hughes H-1 Racer; the Curtiss J-1 Robin Ole Miss, which stayed aloft for 27 days; a Beech C17L Staggerwing, designed for business travelers; and the Northrop Gamma 2B Polar Star, which traversed Antarctica.
National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC
Plan Your Visit
Related Topics:
Aviation
Interwar aviation
Sports aviation
In This Exhibit
Northrop Gamma Polar Star
Object
Beechcraft C17L Staggerwing
Object
Wittman Special 20 "Buster"
Object
Curtiss Robin J-1 Deluxe "Ole Miss"
Object
Hughes H-1 Racer
Object
You may also like
The Many Lives of Buster the Air Racer
September 06, 2019
Air Racing
May 10, 2022
Nation of Speed
National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC
On View Exhibition
Innovators in Early Flight
February 25, 2022
Stay up to date on the latest stories and events with our newsletter
Privacy
Terms of Use