Anchors A-Fly, Ahem, Aweigh!

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Having served in the Navy, along with my brother and uncle, this is downright painful to say. However, I’m going to be honest. The Museum of Naval Aviation, located on NAS Pensacola, has NOTHING on the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio. Well, except that, right now, the weather’s better. Don’t let that headline make you think that I’m saying one’s great and the other stinks. Oh, no. If you’re a fan of aviation in general, or military aviation, or anything remotely related to either, you need to see both. Naval aviation history goes back to 1910, when Eugene Ely landed a plane on the deck of a Navy ship. Early Navy aircraft carrier landing decks were wooden, a far cry from the steel of today’s floating cities. You’ll see it all there, along with planes out the wazoo. Because of the “sexy” nature of fighter jets they are seen more than the old attack planes (the ones my brother worked on). My old squadron’s C-1A trader is nowhere to be found in the museum: it’s a tiny, fat relic of what looks to be the 18th century! (C-1As and their replacements, the C-2A, fly supplies and, most importantly to the men, mail out to the aircraft carriers.) But just about everything else is there, including homage to the Blue Angels (who train on a part of the base). There’s also the importance of Navy aviation in the space program (including the fact that Skylab II’s entire crew was comprised of Navy officers). The Coast Guard — which is part of the Department of Transportation during peacetime — and the Marines are also represented. One of those Coast Guard rescue choppers in on display, and you just have to marvel at both the crew and the person getting rescued! A Marine One helicopter is on display as well (complete with a wax figure of Richard Nixon sitting on board). The most painful part of the museum is the tribute paid to the Vietnam-era prisoners of war. There is a video playing, featuring an interview with probably the most famous former POW, the late Senator John McCain. (Nearby is a tribute to the men who died in the massive fire on the USS Forrestal, which McCain barely escaped.) There’s mock-ups of ship’s quarters and rooms (my personal favorite was the weather room, where a handwritten sign said, “If all else fails, look out the window” ), and many aircraft carrier runways are painted along the floors as you walk through. No, not as good as the Air Force museum. Still, it’s a wonderful tribute to the men and women who answered the call to serve.