Kansas Aviation Museum — Attraction in Wichita

An okay museum that could use some TLC. When you walk in, you wonder if anyone is actually here, as no one was at the front desk and the museum was empty. After waiting around at the front desk looking at stuff in their gift shop, a lady hurried out of an office across the way, and took my money for admission. Let's just say for $10, I was expecting more out of this museum, but it didn't deliver. Probably the best thing that this museum has going for it is the historical building that it's housed in, as well as the vintage aircraft of defunct manufacturers that are on display. They had quite a few on display that I hadn't seen before, and plenty of good information on them. With that being said, with so many civil aviation aircraft manufacturers calling Wichita home, the museum sorely disappointed me in that aspect, as they just had a small corner dedicated to Cessna, and a couple local aircraft examples languishing outside. It would have been neat to have a wall of local aircraft or something to see everything that came out of Wichita.

Speaking of languishing aircraft outside, all of the aircraft outside were in a sad state as all have been horribly weathered due to being out in the elements, the 737 was possibly once a gold color, but you can't tell anymore, and the other aircraft have parts falling of and informational print outs duct taped to the fuselage. It's really saddening to see the aircraft in that kind of condition.

Overall, it's definitely a small town museum with an okay inventory, but nothing worth making the detour for if it is out...

Wonderful Art Deco Building with a relief mural of the Spirit of St. Louis above the Entry, airplane inspired wrought iron railings, even Craftsman style roof downspouts (not Gargoyles but still great). The 3 story inside Atrium is being restored to it's original form and is comparable to New York's Ellis Island Center in style. Wichita is the Home of "Rosie the Riveter" and impressive exhibits inside are being developed to tell the inspiring stories of Women in Aviation History (especially Amelia Earhart, the brave women B-29 pilots of WWII, the Kansas business women that ran the companies that made the "Aviation Capital of the World", and more). The Tuskegee exhibit is in-progress and will be another to look forward to. Of course there are Aircraft and also the Legacies of Wichita companies like Lear, Cessna, Beechcraft, Boeing, Swallow, Textron, and many others but this Museum is more than that. It will eventually tell the story of America with its spectrum of races, genders, & socioeconomic classes seized the opportunities that Aviation provided to make America the World's Leader ... and it's traceable to Wichita. It's telling the Story of American Aviation from its Home of Wichita but more importantly its telling the Story of America being built by its many different peoples. Me and Amelia Earhart can't wait until...

Our family really enjoyed the visit here. Favorites were the planes on the airfield, the control tower, and the kids area with airplane toys and simulators. Don't miss the real airplane motor crank on the first floor, from one of the early planes. It's a challenge to get going and makes a terrific noise, very exhilarating.

Tips: Bring quarters if you have little ones so they can ride the old coin-operated plane rides. Bring hats or an umbrella for the sun on the airfield. Grab a guide pamphlet at the entrance. It tells you the names of the planes outside.

There is an elevator that makes most of the museum wheelchair accessible, but the control tower is only accessible by a narrow stairway. Overall, fun and...