Rails to Victory - Fort Wayne

On July 20, 1972, three years to the day after NASA Astronaut Neil Armstrong, a native of Wapakoneta, walked on the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission, the Armstrong Air & Space Museum opened with Armstrong present. Not a static museum, it features seven interactive exhibits, 10 audio/visual elements and three simulators. Visitors can practice landing the lunar module and space shuttle, or docking the Gemini capsule. There are also the Gemini VIII spacecraft, Armstrong's Gemini and Apollo spacesuits, Apollo 11 moon rock and two aircraft flown by Armstrong - one a yellow Aeronca Champion. In the Astro Theater, visitors can watch a 25-minute documentary about Apollo 11's lunar landing.

Since 2004 the American Huey 369 Organization has been devoting itself to the preservation of various Vietnam and after Huey Helicopters. The American Huey 369 Museum is a living history museum flying since 2007. The organization flies and maintains 4 Vietnam combat veteran Huey Helicopters that current members get the opportunity to fly in. For ten years now, the membership has maintained a temporary museum on the Grissom Aeroplex adjacent to the Grissom Air Reserve Base. For the past 5 years, the museum has been actively fundraising to build the National American Huey History Museum (NAHHM) that will be built on 34 acres directly east of Grissom. The organization was founded 16 years ago and are a registered Not for Profit 501c3 educational charitable museum that boasts 20,000 members and growing. The current aircraft inventory is up to 14 Vietnam veteran aircraft with 12 Hueys, 1 Cobra, and 1 OH-6 Loach. The temporary museum is free but donations are definitely welcome. With your visit you can see the aircraft as well as other carefully put together displays. The museum is seasonal and visitors should be sure to review the museums website prior to visiting. FOR MORE INFO, PLEASE VISIT US AT OUR WEBSITE AND ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE.

The WACO airfield is a working airfield reminiscent of the grass airfields of the 1930s and 1940s, the approximate era (mid-1920s to World War II) during which the airplanes built at the WACO factory in Troy dominated the civilian airplane market. The WACO Airplane Museum includes aircraft, artifacts, historic photographs and other exhibits related to the WACO Aircraft Company and the aircraft it produced. In addition to the museum, the airfield buildings also house a Learning Center, vintage aircraft restoration area, reference library and gift shop. Also, one section of the airfield is available for radio-controlled model airplane flying throughout the year.