The day had been predicted to be a “rain out,” but our luck held for most of the day. We started riding about 7:30am with a temperature of about 70. We enjoyed tailwinds as we cycled up to Dayton to visit the Air Force Museum. We started as a group of four again (Alan, Sue, Nick and I) however Nick didn’t tour the museum and headed back on his own.
On the way north, we passed the Beavercreek 9/11 Memorial. The artifact on display here is a multi-story window easement from between the 101 & 105 floors of the North Tower just above the site of impact of Flight 11. The piece is 35 feet tall, 8 feet wide and weighs 3 tons.
The three of us wandered among all of the aircraft for about 1.5 hours. A person could spend days there viewing all manner of aircraft and reading so much history. The museum was incorporated in 1960 and includes buildings dedicated to Pre WWII, WWII, Southeast Asia and Korean Wars, the Cold War, a Missile Gallery, Presidential Gallery, and Research & Development.
We looked for a plane that one of Sue’s brother-in-laws flew in 1967. It was a RF-4C Phantom. The museum’s plane was delivered to the USAF in 1965 and was used for tactical reconnaissance. All of the guides at the museum were very helpful. We even met a guide that had actually biked the same NYC 5 Boroughs bike ride that Alan and I did in 2024. He helped us find the plane we were looking for. He also recalled the cold temperatures and rain of our NYC ride. Some things about a ride you just don’t forget.
After touring the museum we retraced the 19 miles back to Xenia for a total of 38.5 miles. We encountered rain at about mile 28 of the round trip. Luckily the rain was brief. Once back in Xenia, we had lunch at Butterbees American Grille.
The 9/11 Memorial that also includes two concrete “towers.” If you look closely, you can see both a plane engraved at the approximate points of impact and the location, in the tower, of the artifact on display.
Along the entrance to the USAF Museum.
My father served in the Army Air Corps during WWII in the China, Burma, India theatre. He was a sheet metal mechanic whose duty was to repair planes that had bullet holes/other damage to get them ready to return to flight.
A few aircraft from within the research and development section.
Even R2D2 was on display.
An RF-4C Phantom, similar to the plane that Sue’s brother-in-law flew in 1967.
Berlin War art. I’m dedicating this photo to my nephew who served for our country, in Germany, when the wall came down.
A drone type that is currently used in the USAF.
I was able to sample the famous Young’s ice cream as we exited the museum.
Back on the trail.
