Military Aviation Museum — Attraction in Virginia Beach

So I'm going to go right off the bat and say that I've been to a lot of military air museums, some good, some bad, some small, some huge. Pulling itself away from the 2 star review (which I'm sad to even say for this place but...) you see, this museum has a wonderful collection of aircraft, and it's an excellent variety. This is probably the best collection of WW2 Russian aircraft you can find on the East Coast. The WW1 hangar is also really impressive, and they fly many of the aircraft here, which is really cool to see, I wish I could have been there during one of the events. So negative point one is the musuem is very jam packed with aircraft, to the point its hard to get good photos of some because they're basically stacked on top of one another, and if its crowded you'll be dealing with people constantly getting in the way for photos. Point two is I visited through a special guided tour so I dont know how it is normal but it seems like you're sorta forced into a guided tour to do a lot of the extra attractions as I saw nearly every single family/group visiting had a tour guide following them around. The hangars are open, so I get wanting to watch people and make sure they aren't touching or damaging aircraft, but I'd prefer just walking around on my own. Our tour guide was fine, but there were vehicles he completely skipped over I was interested in, and ones I had no interest he'd focus way too long on. So these two points aside this museum would be okay. Truthfully, it's a 3 and a half star musuem, but...

The biggest reason I was interested in this musuem is why this review is 2 stars and this will likely not apply to 99.999999% of people that visit here, but Ive always had a fascination with weird and wonderful aircraft. This museum houses a small selection of "What-If" German WW2 concept aircraft that someone has made full-scale fiberglass mockups for. Its the only place you can ever wish to see how these aircraft would look had they ever been built, and I was extremely excited to see these examples. The examples themselves are really cool to see, and I was impressed with them. What I didn’t like was how the museum has a seemingly very negative attitude towards them. Two of these examples have been left out to rot outside the German hangar that WHILE I WAS THERE one was wheeled off to the side because it was so damaged its either being sent off to be scrapped or repaired (doubtful), inside the hangar they're in there is no information as to what these aircraft are or their history. The tour guide completely ignored talking about any of them, he only mentioned them as being "fake aircraft" and left it at that and several people on my tour asked what some of the aircraft were and I had to be the one to explain. This museum seemingly just does not care about a very unique attraction that can only be found here (Edit: I have found out post visit that one, maybe several, of the mockups have actual pieces of the aircraft in it so uh, that would have been really cool to have known on my visit) I'd ask for even something as simple as the little data plates found in front of the other aircraft in the museum but oh, while on the tour I spotted several false facts on some of the ones in the museum and apperently one was so bad our tour guide turned it around and straight up said "the information on this is completely false so we'll ignore it" HUH!?! That's absolutely crazy to me.

So yeah to reiterate, its truly a 3 star museum imo, this place has a good selection and you'll probably enjoy yourself but good luck getting photos, and if you're that 1 single person thats going here to see the Luft 46 designs, the mockups are great but go in expecting to learn nothing about those craft and that the museum and its staff do not care about them or at least thats what my experience has led me to believe.

I've provided a few photos showing how cramped the 2 main...

Military Aviation Museum

The Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach, Virginia, is not only home to an impressive collection of vintage aircraft but also features a unique attraction known as "Jerrassic Park." This outdoor exhibit showcases a variety of metal dinosaur sculptures, adding an unexpected prehistoric twist to the museum experience.

Jerrassic Park, located just outside the museum's gates, was created by the museum's owner, Jerry Yagen, and features the work of metal artist Gilbert Ramos. The park includes a diverse array of dinosaur sculptures, such as raptors, stegosaurus, triceratops, ankylosaurus, brontosaurus, and even a towering T. These sculptures are strategically placed around a scenic pond, creating a picturesque setting for visitors to explore.

The dinosaurs in Jerrassic Park are crafted from metal, giving them a distinctive and artistic appearance. The park is designed to be family-friendly, making it an ideal spot for children and adults alike to enjoy a leisurely stroll while marveling at these impressive creations. The park is free to visit and open to the public, providing an accessible and enjoyable experience for all.

In addition to the static displays, the museum occasionally hosts special events and educational programs that incorporate the dinosaur park, further enhancing the visitor experience. These events often include interactive activities and opportunities for guests to learn more about both aviation and paleontology.

Overall, Jerrassic Park at the Military Aviation Museum offers a delightful blend of history and creativity, making it a must-visit for anyone interested in aviation, art, or dinosaurs. The combination of vintage aircraft and life-sized dinosaur sculptures creates a unique and memorable experience that appeals to a wide range of...

I've been wanting to come and see this museum for quite some time, as I love WWII aviation and I know that they have quite the variety of aircraft to check out. They do indeed have quite the collection of WWII aircraft ranging from US, British, German and Soviet. For the most part, those aircraft are split between two hangars - Army and Naval aviation. The downfall of this is that in the Army Hangar, they essentially have aircraft stacked on top of each other, to where you cannot walk around them and just enjoy them.

The volunteers at the museum are easily spotted due to their blue polos and are everywhere, but a majority of them didn't seem to be excited to be there, except for when the PBY did an engine run up, then they all went outside to see what was happening.

They also have a lot of a replica WWI airplanes, which was neat to see as you don't get to see examples of them everyday, but they are only accessible when you take a guided tour. What else is covered in the tour is a trip to the 'Fighter Factory' and the German Hangar where they have some airplanes and mockups of conceptual German aircraft.

I did go on a guided tour, and it's best that you allocate at least an hour for it, as my docent took time to talk about each and every single plane...even it's a duplicate of another plane that was covered. At times I felt bad for the docent as he was struggling to remember information for every single plane, getting some things mixed up, and correcting himself.

Overall this is a great museum worth spending a few hours in, but they jam a ton of planes in and too much information in on the guided tours. They need to figure out how to strike a balance between individual interaction and...