Travelers often overlook exploring attractions in their backyard in favor of traveling to far-flung destinations. We are guilty.
Whenever our fellow travel-loving friend James comes to Kansas City to visit, we are inspired to explore locally. During his recent visit, we checked out the National Airline History Museum in Kansas City, Missouri.
Located at Hangar 9 at the Downtown Airport in Kansas City, Missouri, the National Airline History Museum looks unimpressive from the outside. It’s worth the visit inside, where the museum dedicated to aviation history is staffed 100 percent by volunteers.
After paying the $8 admission fee ($5 for Seniors 65+ and Active Military; $4 for kids age 13-17 and free for kids ages 12 and under), we watched a short film about aviation history before seeing displays of early aviation memorabilia such as playing cards and first class menus.
The airline uniforms through the history of commercial aviation are interesting.
Next, our volunteer guide led us into the work area of Hangar 9 where the planes are restored and made available for close-up views. There are also displays of early air traffic equipment, as shown above.
Museum visitors get to climb through one of 103 Martin 404 aircraft ever built. The museum’s Martin 404 was built in 1952 and delivered to Eastern Airlines. It flew 40 passengers, all in first class, with two pilots and one flight attendant.
This Douglas DC-3-G202A, the Museum’s latest restoration project, was built in Santa Monica, California, and delivered to Transcontinental and Western Airlines (TWA) at Kansas City, Missouri on March 4, 1941. While many DC-3 aircraft where used during WWII as transports, this plane did not and is one of the very few existing DC-3s with the rare 24-passenger, 8-window configuration. TWA flew this airplane from 1941 until 1952.
Inside the Lockheed L-1049G Super Constellation (Connie), built in 1958, there were actually sleeping berths for some passengers. The plane accommodated 53-88 passengers, depending on the configuration.
The National Airline History Museum is open year round on Wednesday through Saturday between 10 a.m.—4 p.m. The museum is closed on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays.
Are you a fan of aviation history? Have you visited the National Airline History Museum in Kansas City, Missouri?
Other aviation related posts to check out:
- Great Views Flying Into Washington National Airport on a Sunny Day
- Southwest Airlines Introduces Missouri One to Its Fleet in Kansas City Today
- How to Get a Deal on a 1-Way Flight To or From Europe
- What is Necessary to Travel by Plane with an Emotional Support Dog
- Experiencing Lufthansa First Class Mumbai to Frankfurt