Aviation Museum in Wichita

[Dan208]

I was just reading about this Museum.  There was someone's pictures posted and there was a Mooney. Now I want to go even more . Has anyone been and looked at this ?

[carusoam]

Appears to be a single seat, M18, Mooney Mite... with its canopy slid into the open position....

We have a Mite section in MooneySpace.

Al Mooney spent some time in Kansas....

mite make an interesting trip..? 

Best regards,

-a-

[Dan208]

Need to travel for work . So I thought what can I do in Wichita? Looks like a cool Museum.  The Boeing Museum in Washington was really cool . Air and space in DC was awesome. That reminds me, my kids are getting old enough to go see all of these historic places. 

Now I want to learn the history of Mr Mooney , and all of his designs. 

Edited February 21, 2019 by Dan208

[KSMooniac]

I live here in Wichita and have been to this museum several times. It is in the original air terminal (very cool 1930's art deco building) near what is now McConnell AFB. It is definitely worth a visit, although it isn't on the scale of a Boeing museum or Smithsonian. Al Mooney started here the second time but sadly all traces of his original location are gone. He moved to Kerrville in 1953 IIRC and of course the rest is history!

If you're here over a weekend, you should check out the Cosmosphere in Hutchison, about 45 minutes away by car. A+ collection of space stuff, along with an SR-71 in the lobby that you can touch.

Add Hangar One Steakhouse and Stearman Field to your meal lists too.

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[Andy95W]

@Dan208 - check out MAPA (Mooney Aircraft Pilots Association).  You can still buy The Al Mooney Story.  Great reading about an interesting self-taught aeronautical engineer.

[Jeff_S]

I grew up in Wichita, the self-proclaimed Air Capital of the World. That was back when Beech and Cessna were kicking out planes by the thousands, Boeing was building B-52s, and F4s and B1s were flying out of McConnell and buzzing the whole neighborhood. It was awesome.

I went to that museum when I was back in town a few years ago and I remember seeing that Mite.  I didn't remember that the area around it looked so "under construction" but that may be just the way the photo above was taken.  Of course I knew nothing of Mooney growing up, but the museum shows where Al's shop was southeast of town.  As I recall it was on about Pawnee and 127th Street or thereabouts, only a couple of miles from our farm.  In my youth there was nothing resembling any kind of airstrip in that area, but it was still very rural. Now my old high school (Wichita Southeast...go Buffs!) fills a quarter section in that same neighborhood.  Go progress.

[KSMooniac]

I forgot to mention that Wichita is the home to Doc the B-29, and his new hangar/home/museum was just finished at the commercial airport KICT.

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[skydvrboy]

I flew the family down from Abilene, KS to visit this museum and it made for a great Saturday trip.  We flew into KICT and borrowed the courtesy car from Yingling.  I could have spent 4 hours or more at the museum, but the wife and kids were done after 2 hours.  That's about the extent of their aviation attention span. 

We then stopped for lunch before flying over to Hutchinson and visiting the underground salt mine during the afternoon (we have all been to the Cosmosphere several times).  Finished the day off with dinner at the Airport Steakhouse at KHUT before flying home.

A visit to Doc is on my list, but I'll probably wait until the Flying Monkeys clinic as that is scheduled for our Sunday mass formation.

[Dan208]

Thanks for the suggestions,  sounds like an awesome trip. What cool history .

[Igor_U]

On ‎2‎/‎20‎/‎2019 at 11:50 PM, Dan208 said:

Need to travel for work . So I thought what can I do in Wichita? Looks like a cool Museum.  The Boeing Museum in Washington was really cool . Air and space in DC was awesome. That reminds me, my kids are getting old enough to go see all of these historic places. 

Now I want to learn the history of Mr Mooney , and all of his designs. 

I suspect you are referring to Museum of flight at Boeing Field. Not owned by Boeing; it is the largest independent, non-profit air and space museum in the world or so they say.

[Dan208]

4 hours ago, Igor_U said:

I suspect you are referring to Museum of flight at Boeing Field. Not owned by Boeing; it is the largest independent, non-profit air and space museum in the world or so they say.

I assume it has been almost 10 years . I need to go back . My Boeing hat is looking old . One of my favorite parts was all of the machines made of wood upstairs.  Awe inspiring seeing what they had to go through to do tasks that are so simple today.

[Igor_U]

12 hours ago, Dan208 said:

I assume it has been almost 10 years . I need to go back . My Boeing hat is looking old . One of my favorite parts was all of the machines made of wood upstairs.  Awe inspiring seeing what they had to go through to do tasks that are so simple today.

Yes, you do, ID is not that far from SEA in a Mooney.

They had some renovations done and completed the large building to cover outside exhibits on the other side of the road (AF1, B787, Concorde, B727 etc...). While you are in the area, you fly north to KPAE and visit Museum of Flight Restoration Center where they restore aircraft for their museum. I haven't been there for years and my hangar is just across the fence.

And then there are three other museums at Paine: Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum, Historic Flight Foundation and Future of Flight Aviation Center & Boeing Tour. all worth visiting.

 

[Dan208]

On 2/23/2019 at 12:59 PM, Igor_U said:

Yes, you do, ID is not that far from SEA in a Mooney.

They had some renovations done and completed the large building to cover outside exhibits on the other side of the road (AF1, B787, Concorde, B727 etc...). While you are in the area, you fly north to KPAE and visit Museum of Flight Restoration Center where they restore aircraft for their museum. I haven't been there for years and my hangar is just across the fence.

And then there are three other museums at Paine: Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum, Historic Flight Foundation and Future of Flight Aviation Center & Boeing Tour. all worth visiting.

 

My wife's brother lives in Tacoma.  I am getting alot of travel ideas from this website.  I see alot of cross country hours in my future. Thank you for all of the cool ideas .

Everything across the road was all outside when we were there last . The older kids loved AF1.