virginia aviation museum

Handily located near Richmond Airport RIC the aviation museum is a wonderful spot to pass away db hour or more while waiting for a delayed arrival. The highlight has to be the once super secret Blackburd SR-71 and this model broke the Atlantic speed record east to west. The are very few of these skunk works amazing aircraft around so having one located nearby is a special treat to revisit from time to time. The fuel on this plane would leak out until it reached it's very operating temperature and expansion sealed it all! A great museum to visit with kids as well!!

It's a see location if you are coming to virginia that you have to see!! Its free for military and you learn a lot about aviation!! super cool location!!

The Virginia Aviation Museum is located at the Richmond International Airport. You pass the Museum as you go to the passenger terminal. Outside is a record breaking SR-71A, F-14D and A-7D. Inside are more than 38 military and civilian aircraft. This museum chronicles Virginia's aviation history.

I fully expected this to not be very good. Walked in, saw the planes thru the gift shop/admission and both my father and I were on the fence because it was like "eh". We had nothing else going on and really wanted to see the SR-71 out front, so we paid the admission fee. WOW, am I glad we did. This was honestly one of the best small museums I have ever been to and is an absolute bargain. They do a great job of explaining what you are looking at (thru signs) and have a ton of really cool planes, hands on things to do and, if a guide is there, many many stories to tell. It's really cool to see the planes from the 20s and how they gradually got a little bigger and more aerodynamic. Some AMAZING planes/things they have are Byrd's plane he took to the South Pole. A plane that was owned by William Randolph Hearst (and used for his travel!), the actual engine from the SR-71, a Huey medical helicopter, of course, the SR-71..this is only a fraction of what they have though. So many planes.We actually spent almost 3 hours here and had to leave only because they were closing up. Not sure if kids would appreciate it, but there is stuff for them to see and do, namely the hand's on experiments and SR-71.Anyone in their 30s and up would absolutely love this place. It really is that good and I am so glad we decided to go.

This is a great museum. Outside are 2 current jet planes. Inside are older planes you can learn about and even sit in one. The placards are interesting and not too lengthy. The gift shop offers some inexpensive toys. There is even a balcony where Mom can sit and read while the kids continue to explore. It is not an overwhelmingly large place but offers many exhibits.

This aviation museum features a nice collection of small aircraft inside and outdoors. An observation deck inside lets you see the hanging aircraft and also features Kitty Hawk and Wright Brothers information. Hands on displays help kids understand airflow and flight as well as engines and pistons. No cafe but picnic tables are available outside. Reasonably priced entry and small store.

This is a good aviation museum with plenty of varying types of aircraft to see and I was particularly impressed with the hands-on section which demonstrates how an aircraft works.

The host was excellent and very personable. The documentation at the displays was excellent. A great part of the museum was an educational hands on set of experiments to illustrate Bernoulli's principle about pressure and how it affected lift, and many other do and learn experiments. Newer planes were among the older, rarer, and obscure with engines of many types on display. It is excellent for young and old alike.

I took my dad, because I thought he'd like it since he was in the Army Air Corps in WW2 … he loved it, and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it too! It has over 30 historic planes, including three that Charles Lindburgh flew, and a Medevac Huey - it's very interesting to see how the stretchers fit inside. We also saw the Stars and Stripes which is the plane that Comm. Richard Byrd used when he was the first American to fly over the Antarctic in 1929 … it’s on loan from the Smithsonian. In addition to the planes, the museum has a 1932 DeSoto and a 1913 Ford Model T. The museum also featured interactive learning activities that teach about lift, drag, the Bernoulli principle and other flight-related physics lessons … not all of them were in working order, but the ones that were, were fabulous. There's also a Piper cub that kids can climb in and pretend to fly. There's some inspiring photos and stories about women aviators, an informative video, and some excellent displays full of vintage items and fascinating information. We spent 2 very happy hours exploring everything, and we plan to go back!

Small but nice museum. Impressive collection of pre-WW2 aircraft and best model and diorama displays I've ever seen, worth your time :-)

The museum is located by the airport. It had several displays that were interactive (they could be touched, played with or sat in). A lot of attention was put into this collection, which had both private and military planes, and also included artifacts, posters, antiques and memorabilia from each time period. It was well done and worth the visit.

I've flown in and out of Richmond International Airport many, many times and often wanted to stop at this museum because of the SR-71 and F-14 out in front. Today I finally did, thanks in large part to a local deal that got us four tickets at half price. I'm glad I only paid $13. Any more and I would have felt ripped off. Sad to say, I'm also glad I never read any of the other reviews on here because that would have increased my expectations even more. We were ready to go after an hour. Caveat: my boys are 5 and 3. They may have enjoyed it more if they were older. What's good: lots of actual planes from the 30s and 40s; over a hundred scale models of other planes; several very well done dioramas of WWII battles/scenes; good facts about the rare SR-71 out front; fine collection of air force art.What's bad: the collection has very few items from beyond the 1950s, the F-14, SR-71 and A6 Corsair out front notwithstanding. Would have liked some more items from the past 50 years. It's rather small; I thought there'd be more. With the Air and Space Museum and the Dulles extension so close (and free), this suffers by comparison. I have to recommend making the drive up to D.C. or Dulles if you want something like this.

I've been to several aviation museums in the U.S. and the Virginia Aviation Museum is one of the better small ones I've visited. It's not the Udvar-Hazy National Air & Space Museum but it's also not an all day affair. Good place for parents with kids that have some interest in aviation or adults that what to spend some time in a local aviation museum with the crowds.

All kinds of great airplanes to look at, and interesting information. Some good exhibits on the physics of flight and an interesting section on byrd's flights in Antarctica. not too taxing...a nice way to spend a hot afternoon in Richmond, and not at all expensive.

Visited over the 4th of July weekend with spouse. I guess I was disappointed because I went in with high expectations and comparisons to such museums like the Smithsonian's Air & Space Museum, the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio, and the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida. This is not on par with those large collections. The obvious star of this museum is the SR-71 parked outside the front entrance, along with an F-14 Tomcat and a Virginia Air National Guard A-7 to the side. There are several placards all around the SR-71 with great tidbits of information. However, it being exposed to the elements as it is, is beginning to take a toll on this legendary aircraft. Fading paint, bird droppings on the underside wheel wells, etc. On the inside of the facility, there are several static displays, most of which are from the 1910s to pre-World War II. No warbirds with the exception of a Spad XIII; no WWII aircraft or jets with the exception of what's outside. Some interesting displays. Overall, I guess you get what you pay for at $6.50 per person. The facility is well-kept and clean, and the staff was friendly enough. All-in-all, it'll take up an hour of your day.