You’ll earn your wings at this exciting and informative Long Island museum, located in a World War II-era airport considered a cradle of American aviation.
Visit the American Airpower Museum to see one of the Northeast’s largest collections of planes and other aircraft from World War II. It’s located in Republic Airport, where many of the planes were stationed during the war. Walk along the same runways that the Thunderbolts used as the launching point on their way to battle. Marvel at the size of the hangars, once home to the pride of the U.S. Air Force.
Connect with one of the knowledgeable and passionate volunteers, many of them pilots, mechanics or descendants of WWII veterans. Get an insider’s look to understand the planes’ operation and pilots’ experiences. Let them take you on a free tour of the museum. Don’t be afraid to ask questions they know more than what is included in a general tour.
Check the website to find an opportunity to participate in the museum’s “D-Day Experience.” For a fee, you’ll get dressed in an authentic paratrooper uniform, participate in briefings and soar up into the sky above Long Island in an operational C-47 warplane, the type flown during the invasion of Normandy. Feel like you’re living in 1944, getting ready to go on a real mission.
Once you’re back on the ground, explore the interactive exhibits throughout the museum. Kids of all ages will be intrigued by old engines, planes and Air Force paraphernalia. With more than 20 planes to examine, including several rarities, you can easily spend several hours here. Check the events calendar for special activities, including a spring Easter egg hunt.
Pay the museum admission fee, which is lower for children, veterans and seniors. Children under four enter for free. Find the American Airpower Museum in the old Republic Airport, less than a 10-minute drive from the Farmingdale LIRR station. Trains travel between Farmingdale and New York Penn Station in an hour or go to other parts of Long Island. From the station, take a taxi or hop on one of the local buses.
Let your dreams take flight in Farmingdale’s American Airpower Museum.
