The completed ‘Reaching New Heights’ project added over 238,000 square feet of exhibit space. The Kettering Cold War Gallery and the Missile and (temporary) Space Gallery opened in 2003 and 2004 respectively.

The National Museum of the United States Air Force must continue to grow to properly display the many new artifacts available to tell the stories of the courageous men and women of the USAF. Implementaton of an extensive strategic plan for the expansion of the National Museum of the United States Air Force is underway and includes a 218,000 square foot building, estimated at $47M, dedicated to three important elements in the history of the Air Force. The new facility will include a Space Gallery, The Presidential Aircraft Gallery, and the Global Reach Gallery.

The Air Force has been involved in every aspect of our nation’s space activities from the beginning. A separate dedicated Space Gallery will tell the remarkable story of Air Force activities in space during and after the Cold War and the continuing move into space. From the earliest high-altitude balloons to the development of launch vehicles used by NASA and the development of modern telecommunications and reconnaissance satellites, it has helped foster the space based-systems now taken for granted worldwide. A dedicated Space Gallery on the main museum campus will allow the Museum to develop its growing space collection, including a recently acquired Titan IV space launch vehicle and Mercury, Gemini and Appollo capsules, and to tell the USAF space story on a scale that no other institution can match.  The Space Gallery will provide opportunities to educate the public about the rich history of Air Force’s space programs and vital Air Force, NASA and aerospace industry partnerships. Together, the Missile and Space galleries will display the Air Force’s sophisticated space systems and give the public a first hand appreciation of what the Air Force has accomplished in space — from the tiny Mercury spacecraft to the space shuttle and massive Titan IV launch vehicle, and from the first satellites to the latest intelligence and communication systems — and why these systems are critically important.

A Presidential Aircraft Gallery, to be housed in the new facility, will offer a unique opportunity to present the American presidents and their planes to the visiting public. The National Museum of the United States Air Force is the repository for Air Force Aircraft that have been retired from the Presidential aircraft fleet. Currently, that group of aircraft resides in a pre-1940 hangar on Wright Patterson AFB but not contiguous with the Main Museum campus. The current collection is made up of nine aircraft, among them the Douglas VC-54 used by Presidents Roosevelt and Truman, The Douglas VC-118 used by President Truman, the Lockheed VC-121E used by President Eisenhower, and the Boeing VC-137C used by President Kennedy and all subsequent presidents through President Clinton. Preserving this important historical collection is absolutely critical.

The existing facility and its troublesome environmental and location issues do not do justice to a premier collection of such historical significance. The new Presidential Aircraft Interpretive Center on the main Museum campus will make this collection readily available to scholars, historians, students and the public as part of the presentation of this important part of Air Force history. It will allow all visitors an opportunity to see the presidential aircraft and related memiorabilia, providing greater public understanding and appreciation for the Air Force’s role as an integrated aerospace force and support for the role of the Air Force in presidential transport.

An important element of Air Force history will by told in the Global Reach Gallery. Providing airlift remains a major mission of the U.S. Air Force, and it forms a critical part of the Air Force’s ability to maintain Global Reach. To tell this vital airlift story, the National Museum of the USAF has acquired the most famous individual airlifter in USAF history: the Lockheed C-141 Starlifter known world-round as the Hanoi Taxi. Not only was this remarkable aircraft the first C-141 to carry our POWs out of North Vietnam, but it served a long career maintaining Global Reach for the Air Force and the nation. Currently displayed outdoors, this precious aircraft will be housed inside the Global Reach Gallery once it is completed. In addition, the Museum will soon receive a gigantic Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, which will join the Hanoi Taxi inside the new building. Together, these airlifters will add to the story of Presidential Airlift and demonstrate the importance of airlift in the history of American air power.

The National Museum of the United States Air Force has been unwavering in its mission to tell the stories of the men and women of the Air Force and the aircraft and equipment that have contributed so much to the security of this country. It has been a wise steward of its resources and a magnificent resource to the people of the United States. With your help the Museum will continue to be a tangible and purposeful place to remind future generations of the need for and enduring commitment to freedom.

The expansion will be funded by the Air Force Museum Foundation with your help and built for the Air Force by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The United States Air Force, which is fully committed to the continuing success of its National Museum, pays for all operating and maintenance costs. The Air Force Museum Foundation has available $34M, over seventy percent of the expansion costs, from funds accumulated from the Membership program, Museum Store, IMAX Theatre and other Foundation operations, as well as capital gifts and interest income. Your participation in acquiring the additional $13 million needed to complete this project is encouraged. Click here to participate!