Museum Audio Tour 63: Air Park

DAYTON, OH, UNITED STATES

12.31.1969

Audio by NMUSAF PA 

National Museum of the U.S. Air Force

On a nice day, step back in history when you visit the outdoor area of the museum. The Eighth Air Force Control Tower, a representation of a World War Two-era control tower in Great Britain, is one of the first things you see as you enter the main drive. Just beside it are the Nissen Huts. These – more or less — temporary structures are examples of where airmen lived, worked and played. The museum’s representation features a briefing room and recreation center. These structures give you a glimpse into what day-to-day life was like for many American troops during World War Two. Next to the tower and huts, a variety of cargo planes spread out through the outdoor Air Park. Most notable is the C-141C Starlifter called the Hanoi Taxi. This aircraft retired to the museum in May 2006 after a very distinguished career. A museum in itself, it was the plane that airlifted the first American prisoners of war to freedom from Gia Lam Airport in Hanoi, North Vietnam, on February 12, 1973. The aircraft went through many changes and upgrades throughout its three decades of service and in May 2004 the Hanoi Taxi again tapped the timelines of history when Maj. Gen. Edward J. Mechenbier, himself a pilot and a POW repatriated from Vietnam, flew it back to Vietnam to repatriate the remains of two American service members killed in action.

• Date Taken: 12.31.1969
• Date Posted: 09.02.2015 13:51
• Category: Newscasts
• Audio ID: 41995
• Filename: 1509/DOD_102704428.mp3
• Length: 00:01:47
• Album: Museum Audio Tour
• Track #: 63
• Location: DAYTON, OH, US