美国空军博物（United States Air Force Museum，USAF Museum）是世界上最大和历史最久的军事航空博物馆。2003年9月2日全天，我们在袁青教授的陪同下进行参观。博物馆位于俄亥俄州代顿市东，它的东侧是675号公路，南面是35号公路，西边紧邻河边镇。每年这里接待了来自世界各地数以百万计的参观访问者，除感恩节、圣诞节和元旦外，全天9—17时免费对外开放，不需出示任何证件。今年是美国航空发展史的100周年，独立日这天，这里举行了盛大的庆祝活动，博物馆也进行了整修和扩大。我们参观的一些项目是新展出的。
使总统出行全面走向现代化的是肯尼迪总统。电视上经常播出他的专机起降的镜头。在妻子杰奎琳的建议下，肯尼迪下令将机舱装饰以艺术品，机身也涂成了更加柔和的蓝白色，“空军一号”的外表还是杰奎琳的设计。从此，“空军一号”成了总统专机的代名词。其后，每一届总统就任后都要对“空军一号”动大手术。1968年8月-1973年初林登B.约翰逊使用的飞机是North American T-39A"Sabreliner"。洛克希德VC-140B "Jet Star"在一段时期内曾先后由尼克松、福特、卡特和里根总统坐过。波音空军一号(Boeing VC-137C 'Air Force One')的展示是总统座机的重头戏，从肯尼迪到约翰逊、尼克松、卡特、克林顿的专机均逐一展出。从柏林危机到1963年11月22日肯尼迪总统在达拉斯遇刺和约翰逊副总统在飞机上宣誓就职新总统，尼克松总统1972年2月对中国的历史性访问等重大事件都和这架飞机有关。1962年，美国空军开始采用当时最先进且最大型的波音707－320B客机作“空军一号”。肯尼迪总统先是使用道格拉斯DC-6型飞机，后来改为波音707，即萨姆26000。它在约翰逊总统时期以及尼克松总统执政的早期，是总统主要的交通工具。1972年，现在已经退役的波音707—353Ｂ第一次投入使用。克林顿在任时乘坐的总统专机正式名称是“波音747—200B?VC—25A”,尾号为28000和29000(有两架这样的总统专机)。资料显示克林顿在“空军一号”的8年时间里总共飞行了1409090英里，比居第二的里根超出一倍还多。
在博物馆邻近处是纪念公园，里面有塑像、纪念装饰品、树丛、长凳等，人们在这里散步回味对博物馆的感受。在博物馆里还有教育部向儿童、成人、旅游者、学者等提供不同需求的节目，而博物馆的研究部则提供进一步的研究信息。IMAX剧院提供相关影片，供读者观看。如果有时间，可以整天在博物馆里仔细地参观。和博物馆相邻的是美国空军基地，在它的旁边是以莱特命名的莱特州立大学，在莱特大学生活区外不远的地方有一座纪念莱特兄弟的纪念碑，在这里，我们站立良久，浮想联翩，在莱特大学图书馆特藏馆，收藏了早期航空史的珍贵资料，包括有关莱特兄弟（Orville and Wilbur Wright）及其家庭的历史资料，藏有代顿地方历史资料等。图书馆里专藏1903年莱特飞行的复制品。
1903年以来的一百年间，我们这里地球已经发生了翻天覆地的变化。
（写于2003年9月2日，2004年6月30日增补）
下面是
美国空军博物馆参观记
黄安年文 发表：学术交流网/美国问题观察/2003年9月22日首发
2003年9月2日天空下着阵雨，我们在YQ教授的陪同下参观世界闻名的美国空军博物馆（United States Air Force Museum，USAF Museum）。博物馆位于俄亥俄州代顿市东，它的东侧是675号公路，南面是35号公路，西边紧邻Riverside Town。我们自Beavercreek地区驱车走675号公路到Air Col. Glenn HWY转向Harshman Rd.就到了USAF Museum（1100 Spaatz Street, Wright-Patterson, AFB, Ohio, 45433, www.wpafb.af.mil/museum)。这是世界上最大和历史最久的军事航空博物馆，展示了从Wright Brothers在Kitty Hawk试飞开创世界航空历史新纪元至今的美国军事航空发展史。每年这里接待了来自世界各地数以百万计的参观访问者，除感恩节、圣诞节和元旦外，全年上午9点--下午5点免费对外开放，不需出示任何证件。今年是美国航空发展史的100周年，独立日这天，这里举行了盛大的庆祝活动，博物馆也进行了整修和扩大。我们的参观的一些项目是新展出的。
我们一进USAF Museum就直接来到参观总统坐机的展厅,需要排队等候专车接送到另外一个展区,大约开了5分钟光景就到了The Presidential Aircraft and Research and Development/Flight Test Hangars。这个展厅通过总统座机联系着当代世界和美国的一些重大历史事件。我们登上了陈列着的每架总统座机，从小罗斯福总统到克林顿均一一登机参观。
空军博物馆里陈列了250多架飞机，其中供总统使用的有9架。老罗斯福总统在1910年曾坐过Wright B型飞机，但是正式拥有总统座机的是1943年1月11日富兰克林·罗斯福总统在战时参加卡萨布兰卡会议时使用的飞机。据介绍称：“This flight , however, was made aboard an unidentified Army C-54 and the Dixie Clipper a Pan American Boeing 314 contracted by the government. This trip gave rise to the requirement for a military aircraft specifically assigned to meet the needs of transporting the President. The first such aircraft was a cargo version of the B-24 bomber, designated a C-87A and heavily modified for VIP use. This aircraft, named Guess Where II, was never used by the President, but Mrs. Roosevelt did make a tour of South and Central America in it in 1944。”
第一次专门为总统座机设计的Sacred Cow是罗斯福总统1945年2月参加雅尔塔会议使用的。此后有几架为总统使用的飞机，但是还没有定名为空军一号。"Today the President's a aircraft are operated as part of the Special Air Mission fleet of the 89th Airlift Wing based at Andrews AFB outside of Washington, D.C. This fleet is highlighted by two VC-25As-modified Boeing 747s and today's AIR force ONE. It also contains the c-137 Stratoliner (Boeing 7070, C-9 Nightingale (McDonnell Douglas DC9), c-20 Gulfstream , C-21A(Lear 35-A), and UH-IN Iroquois helicopter, as well as the new C-32A(Boeing 757) and C-37 A (Gulfstream V) which will replace the bC-137."
为罗斯福和杜鲁门总统使用过的飞机有Douglas C-54C"Skymaster",其中有专门为罗斯福准备的轮椅，1947年7月26日杜鲁门总统在飞机上签署了国家安全法。"This aircraft , named the Sacred Cow, was built in 1944 for use by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It is a Douglas C-54 transport aircraft with extensive interior modifications. One special feature is an elevator behind the passenger cabin to lift the President in his wheelchair in and out of the plane. The passenger compartment includes a conference room with a large desk and bullet-proof picture window. President Roosevelt made his first and only flight in this aircraft, traveling to Yalta in the USSR in February 1945 for a conference with the world War Two leaders of Great Britain and the USSR. For security reasons, the tail number on the aircraft was changed for this flight. On July 26, 1947, President Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947 while on board the Sacred Cow. This act established the Air Force as an independent service, making the Sacred Cow the birthplace of the U.S. Air Force. It was later assigned to other transport duties and was eventually retired in October 1961. In 1983 the Sacred Cow was trucked to the Air Force Museum and the ten year task of restoring the aircraft began in August 1985. The aircraft now appears as it did during President Roosevelt's trip to Yalta."
杜鲁门总统使用的专机还有Douglas VC-118"Liftmaster"。1950年10月杜鲁门总统到威克岛和盟军司令麦克阿瑟五星上将讨论朝鲜战局问题，使用的就是这架飞机。"The VC-118 was a military variation of the Douglas DC6 commercial airliner. In 1947, USAAF officials orders the 29th production DC-6 to be modified as a replacement for the aging C-54C Sacred Cow. Presidential aircraft. The aft fuselage was converted into a stateroom and the main cabin configured to either seat 24 passengers or be made up into 12"Sleeper"berths. The -118 was formally commissioned into the AAF on July 4, 1947, and was nicknamed Independence for the President's hometown in Missouri. Probably the plan's most historic flight occurred when it carried President Truman to Wake Island in Oct. 1950 to discuss the Korean situation with Gen. Douglas MacArthur." "Beginning in 1951, the USAF purchased 165 C-118As which were about six feet longer than the Independence. C-118As played a key role in Operation Safe Haven, the aircraft of 14,000 Hungarian refugees to the U.S. in 1956-57.""In May 1953, after nearly six years of White House service, the Independence was retired as a Presidential aircraft and subsequently several Air Force organizations as a VIP transport. It was brought to the USAFMuseum in 1965, and in 1977-78, restored to its former presidential markings and eagle-like paint scheme."
1956-1960年德怀特·D.艾森豪威尔总统乘坐U-4B短途旅行。它是最小的空军一号，我们登上了艾森豪威尔总统的座机，正好遇到一位身重200多磅的美国胖子在飞机走道里迎面而遇，两人无法同时走过，只能侧身背过让对方先过，至于飞机上的卧房，和火车上的卧铺。它有两个引擎带有the familiar blue and white paint scheme。在艾森豪威尔总统离职后， 飞机用作政府高官的飞行。1969年10月1日它被送往空军研究院（Air Force Academy。1977年11月送往Nebraska Civil Air Patrol,1996年进入博物馆。艾森豪威尔总统使用的另一架飞机是Lockheed VC-121E"Constellation""The C121 is the military version of the famed Constellation commercial transport. During World War Two, the AAF purchased 22 early model Constellations(L-49), which designated C-69s, and between 1948 and 1955 the USAF ordered 150 C-121s(L-749)for use as cargo and passenger carriers, executive transports, and airborne early warning picket ships. The aircraft on display, an L-1049 and only VC-121F built, was President Eisenhower's personal airplane between 1954 and 1961. Mrs. Eisenhower christened it Columbine III in honor of the official flower of Colorado, her adopted home state. In ceremonies on Nov. 24, 1954. Columbine III served as the presidential aircraft until President Eisenhower left office in January 1961. It remained in service transporting government officials and visiting foreign dignitaries throughout the world until it was retired to the U.S. Air Force Museum in 1966."
"The UH-13J was the Air Force's version of the Bell commercial model 47J helicopter. Two UH-13Js were purchased in March 1957 for use as the first presidential helicopters. On July 13, President Eisenhower became the first Chief Executive to fly in a helicopter when he took off from the White House lawn in the sister ship of the Sioux on display. Following their retirement as presidential aircraft on March 1, 1962. both UH-13Js were used to carry high-ranking Department of Defense personnel and numerous foreign dignitaries. In July 1967, they were retired from service, one going to the Smithsonian Institution and the other to the Air Force Museum."
和1968年8月-1973年初林登B.约翰逊有关的飞机是North American T-39A"Sabreliner""The T-39 was developed as a private venture to meet a USAF requirement for a twin jet utility trainer. The prototype made its first flight on September 16, 1958。In all143 T-39As and 6 T-39Bs were built for the USAF. The Sabreliner also entered the commercial market where it became a highly successful executive jet transport. The T-39A on display was delivered to the USAF on June 6, 1963. From August 1968 until early 1973, it was assigned to Bergstrom AFB, Texas, in support of former President Lyndon B. Johnson . It was flown to the Museum on October 24, 1984."此外"Beech VC-6A is a standard Beech craft King Air B90 with a VIP interior and is the only one of its type purchased by the Air Force. It was placed in service in early 1966. During the early part of its operational career, it was used to transport President Lyndon B. Johnson and members of his family between Bergstrom AFB, Texas , near Austin, and Johnson family ranch near Johnson city. During this time, the aircraft became informally known as the Lady Bird Special . After leaving presidential service, the VC-6A continued in its special executive transport role until it was retired in September, 1985
洛克希德VC-140B "Jet Star"在一段时期内曾先后由尼克松、福特、卡特和里根总统坐过。""The C-140 is a military version of the Lockheed 1329. The prototype Jet Star was first flown on September 4,1957, and production began in 1960. Although the majority were built for civilian market, the U.S. Air Force bought 16 Jet Stars as C-140As and -Bs , the first of which was delivered in late 1961. Six were flown as VC-140Bs on special government and White House airlift mission. The VC-140B on display carried Presidents Nixon, Ford, Cater and Reagan a number of times."
波音空军一号(Boeing VC-137C 'Air Force One')的展示是总统坐机的重头戏，从肯尼迪到约翰逊、尼克松、卡特、克林顿的专机均逐一展出。从柏林危机到1963年11月22日肯尼迪总统在达拉斯遇刺和约翰逊副总统在飞机上宣誓就职新总统，尼克松总统1972年2月对中国的历史性访问等重大事件都和这架飞机有关。"This Boeing 707-320B, USAF serial 62-6000, was specially outfitted in 1962 to be the official aircraft of the president of the United States . The designation Air Force One was given to this Air Force aircraft only when the President was aboard, otherwise it was known by the tail number as SAM(Special Air Mission) 26000."
"On October 10, 1962, the VC-137C, 26000, entered Air Force service directly from the Boeing assembly line in Renton, Washington. President Kennedy had the aircraft pained in striking blue and white instead of the usual military colors to give the aircraft a distinctive look. The words United States of America were emblazoned on the fuselage and an American flag was painted on the tail. This aircraft has carried all the presidents from 1962 to 1998."
"In 1963, Number 26000 flew President Kennedy to Berlin where he declared to the West Berliners ""Ich bin ein Berliner "that assured them of the continuing support of the US in the face of the construction of the Berlin Wall. The airplane flew President Kennedy to Dallas, Texas, on November, 22 1963, where he was assassinated, and it was on this airplane that Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as the 36th president of the United States. President Johnson used the aircraft extensively, including flights to Vietnam at the height of that conflict. Beginning in 1970, President Nixon's National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger used the aircraft for 13 trips to Paris for secret negotiations with the North Vietnamese.
President Nixon also used 26000 frequently, including his historic trip to China in February 1972 the first visit to that country by an American president.""In December 1972 ,26000 was replaced as the primary presidential aircraft by another Boeing VC-137, 72-7000, and 26000 became a back-up. In this role it was used primarily by the vice president and other senior officials, though still occasionally used by the president himself. For example, Secretary of State James Baker used it for flights to the Middle East prior to the 1991 Gulf War, The aircraft was flown to the Air Force Museum for permanent display in May 1998."
在莱特大学图书馆特藏馆（Wright State University Libraries Special Collections and archives Paul Laurence Dunbar Library），收藏了早期航空史的珍贵资料，包括有关Orville and Wilbur Wright 及其家庭的历史资料，藏有代顿地方历史资料等。图书馆里专藏1903年Wright 飞行复制品。介绍提到：(The replica of the 1903 Wright Flyer that Graces the atrium of the Paul Laurence Dunbar Library celebrates the accomplishments of the Wright brothers, who first achieved controlled powered flight on December 17, 1903,above the sands of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. WrightStateUniversity is named for Wilbur and Orville Wright, printers and bicycle makers from Dayton, Ohio, whose curiosity about flight led to the research and development that culminated in the building of the 1903 Flyer.
The original Flyer was constructed of spruce and powered by a four-cylinder gasoline engine, built by Wright mechanic Charles Taylor Wing surfaces were covered in Pride of West muslin. The development of the engine, sewing of the wings, making of the propellers, and general construction of the frame were all completed in Dayton. The parts were shipped from Dayton to Kitty Hawk and assembled there. The first successful flight lasted 12 seconds and covered a distance of 120feet. This full-scale replica of the 1903 Wright Flyer was conceived and built by a dedicated group of volunteer model makers, mechanics, engineers, woodworkers and seamstresses under the leadership of Howard R. DuFore. The replica is constructed of basswood rather than spruce. Muslin again covers the wings and all metal parts were custom-made from drawings of the originals. The propellers were constructed and donated by Hartzell Propeller. The engine is a mock-up of the original and made by larry DuFour. The accuracy of construction or tolerances are to within. .010+_of an inch. The specifications of the 1903 Wright Flyer Replica match those of the original, with the exception of the overall weight of the machine. The replica weight 550Lbs. Due to the difference in the weight of the engine and its auxiliary parts.
The Wright 1903 Flyer Replica is dedicated the Wilkinson "Wick" Wright ,great nephew of the Wright brothers and generous friend and supporter of the Wright State University Libraries. It is also a tribute to the volunteers who donated their skill and time to create the Flyer and encourage the spirit of invention in each of us.The 1903 Wright Flyer Replica was funded by the Wright State University Foundation .)
关于The Wright Brothers Collection提到：“The Wright Brothers Collection at Wright State University is one of the most complements records of lives and work of WILBUR AND Orville Wright, and it complements the collection held by the Library of Congress. Housed in Special Collections and archives in the Paul Laurence Dunbar Library, the collection contains over 6000 items including more than 200 technical books, journals, and pamphlets accumulated by the Wright brothers, and more than 500 items related to their research, business, and legal endeavors. It also consisted of the papers and diaries of Bishop Milton Wright (father to Wilbur and Orville)and more than 1000 genealogical items gathered by Bishop Wright and Orville Wright. The nearly 4000 photographs documenting the invention of powered flight and the lives of the Wright family are an especially rich aspect of the Wright Brothers Collection.”
