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Intrepid Museum
We braved the wind and the waves to visit the Intrepid Museum, an aviation and space museum housed within the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid, a massive World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War veteran. Commissioned in 1943, Intrepid was the fifth of the 24 Essex class carriers built during World War Two. Her squadrons…
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Joe Davies Heritage Airpark
Today we hit the high desert to visit the Joe Davies Heritage Airpark in Palmdale. Although the open-air museum is free, it’s jam-packed with a priceless collection of beautiful and important airplanes. The park is owned by the City of Palmdale. It’s named after Joe Davies, a local who commanded Building 42 in the mid-60’s,…
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Blackbird Airpark
Here’s a fun opportunity: brave the winds and heat of the Antelope Valley to spend a few minutes at the Blackbird Airpark. It only takes a few minutes because the museum is tiny – just four airplanes, a fire truck and a gift store. Oh, but the airplanes there are so impressive. You start with…
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Santa Maria Museum of Flight
The next time you find yourself on the Central Coast, make a little time to visit the Santa Maria Museum of Flight. Sitting at the west end of the Santa Maria City Airport tarmac, the museum occupies a pair of hangers left over from the airport’s days in the US Army Air Force. Back then,…
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Estrella Warbirds Museum
We journeyed out through the vineyards of Paso Robles wine country to visit The Estrella Warbirds Museum, an impressive collection of vintage aircraft adjacent to the Paso Robles Municipal Airport. Estrella packs a huge number of surprises in a relatively small footprint. Their massive collection of mostly Vietnam-era fighter jets and helicopters is augmented by…
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Commemorative Air Force Southern California Wing
The Southern California Wing of the Commemorative Air Force is nestled against the south side of the Camarillo Airport, just west of the Santa Monica Mountains in Camarillo. It’s a sprawling complex of hangars jam-packed with World War II aircraft. And they are beautiful examples of airplanes from both sides of the conflict. You’ll find…
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Mojave Air Museum Legacy Park
Just off of the 14 Freeway, near where the 58 crosses it, you’ll find the Mojave Air Museum Legacy Park. It’s not a huge museum by any means, but has an easy charm that makes it a must-see if you’re on your way up to Bishop, or heading out to Las Vegas. Actually, there are…
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Point Mugu Missile Park
Naval Air Road, Port Hueneme, CA This free air and space museum is easy to find, easy to get to, easy to get in and out of, and, well, genuinely easy. The museum is quite small, containing just three aircraft and a fascinating assortment of air-to-air, air-to-surface, and surface-to-air missiles. The three aircraft are quite…
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Explore the Best Aviation Museums in the U.S.