DAYTON, Ohio -- The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force will offer evening hours on the first Thursday of January in 2021.
The museum will offer the public an opportunity to get an up-close look at an aircraft from 5-8 p.m. The Museum Store and simulators will remain open as well.
On the evening of Jan. 7, visitors will be permitted to walk through the cargo area of the C-123K Provider. Visitors will be required to follow social distancing guidelines while inside the aircraft. In January 1962, the first of many Providers were sent to South Vietnam. The C-123K on display saw extensive service during the Southeast Asia War and personnel developed a strong symbolic attachment to the aircraft on display. It took almost 600 hits in combat and it was named “Patches” for the damage repairs that covered it. Moreover, seven of its crew received the Purple Heart for wounds received in battle. Former C-123 Crew Chief and museum volunteer Tech. Sgt. (Ret.) Ed Kienle will be available to talk to visitors.
For more information visit https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Upcoming/Events/.
The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, is the world’s largest military aviation museum. With free admission and parking, the museum features more than 350 aerospace vehicles and missiles and thousands of artifacts amid more than 19 acres of indoor exhibit space. Each year more than 800,000 visitors from around the world come to the museum. For more information, visit www.nationalmuseum.af.mil.
NOTE TO PUBLIC: For more information, contact the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at (937) 255-3286.