On Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, we headed to Hill Aerospace Museum. It's one of the few places that is open on Sunday, so after church we headed there before continuing on to Golden Spike National Historic Site.
Hill Aerospace Museum is free, so it's popular. But it is so huge, it can accommodate a lot of people. It also houses so many exhibits that it can be a bit overwhelming. I found myself drifting along and reading a little here and a little there.
I was intrigued by the Navajo Code Talkers exhibit. I had heard that the Navajo language was the only unbreakable code in World War II, and it was interesting to read more of the details.
The Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) section also caught my attention. I hadn't realized how many women pilots flew in World War II, and although they helped the war effort greatly, their efforts were mostly ignored until decades later.
Seeing the huge flag at one end of the hangar reminded me of how grateful I am to all the servicemen and servicewomen for all they do. I feel very lucky to live in a country where we can take our freedoms for granted (even though we shouldn't!).
My husband knew lots of information about many of the planes and helicopters. I listened with interest, but have to admit that I didn't retain much.
Even fighter planes need a little dusting now and then.
The exhibits continued outside, with some really massive planes.
The museum has a nice gift shop. To ward off Desert Boy wanting something everywhere we went, we gave him five dollars and told him he had to choose where to spend it. This ended up being the spot, and he picked out his very own plane and it kept him happy.
We really enjoyed our visit and look forward to returning some day. By the way, the museum website has lots of information about each exhibit, so you can prepare before a visit or refresh your memory afterwards!
We were stationed at Hill when I was little (1960-62) and again when I was in junior HS (1969-72). My dad flew F-4s there. We got to visit Baker a lot during that time!
ReplyDeleteMy first thought when I saw the first photo was "Thunderbolt." Went to their website and found out I was right, it's a P-47 Thunderbolt!
ReplyDeleteI would have enjoyed visiting the museum.