Arkansas Air and Military Museum
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Arkansas Air and Military Museum sits on the Fayetteville Executive Airport property and has two hangars about 70 yards apart. One showcases the museum’s aviation memorabilia, and the other exhibits historic military planes and vehicles.
In the military museum’s 45,000-square-foot hangar, 15 military vehicles are on display, including a WWII-era ambulance, a Korean War-era cargo truck, an armored British Ferret Scout car and the familiar Willys Jeep. The collection also includes about a dozen military aircraft, such as Cobra and Huey helicopters from the Vietnam War, a WWII Aeronca L-3 observation aircraft and a Beech 3NM plane that served in the Royal Canadian Air Force.
The general aviation side of the museum has about 21,000 square feet of space filled with antique and classic aircraft, the oldest of which, a Stinson Jr., dates to 1931. Most of the museum’s airplanes still fly, and museum staff will still fly a few of them on occasion, said Warren Jones, museum executive director.
It’s one thing to see the airplanes in a hangar, but for a more realistic trip back in time, visitors can arrange and pay to take a flight in the ’31 Stinson. The plane will carry four people, including the pilot, who flies at about 1,200 to 1,500 feet “so people can see everything,” Jones said.
“Not only that, we try to fly it at about 90 mph, which is really slow,” he said. “You can actually see people on the ground looking up at you; it’s quite an experience.”
The museum is open daily, and group rates are available. Groups can also have a guided tour with advance notice.
