March Field Air Museum – Riverside, CA

I find historic airplanes compelling, and so, as the summer draws mear. I realized the time to make a visit to March Field Air Museum had best be soon.  Riverside in the summer can be very warm.  It was a bright day and I spent most of it outside!  The museum is next to March Air Reserve Base, named in 1918 for Lt. Peyton C. March, shortly after his death in a training accident in Texas.  In some ways it’s hard to believe that was almost 100 years ago.

The Main Hangar

This is a large museum with two main buildings and a expansive outdoor area covered with planes.  I stopped by the Main Hangar first, since that’s where I paid my admission.  The biggest plane in it was the SR-71A, Blackbird.  It fills the center of the room!  Although it was far too big to get in one picture, I took the shot nonetheless.

The Pratt & Whitney engines alone look big to me.  And I do like the red lights on them.  It’s so like science fiction!  I read that this plane is now 50 years old and is still the fastest “air-breathing manned aircraft in the world.”  That’s impressive.

This hangar wasn’t all futuristic planes like the Blackbird.  Right next to it, and above, was this Nieuport 11 built around 1916.  I won’t go into how important this plane was to the French in World War I.  Many were in service in 1916, a definite benefit to French war efforts.

There was plenty to see in the Main Hangar.  Exhibits ranged from World War I trenches to Mission Control and space flight.  There was even a Kid Zone.  I spent about an hour or so looking around, and then headed outside.  It was afternoon now, and the sun was fierce!

Under the noonday sun

I signed up for a tour of the Heritage Aircraft.  Riding a tram in the sun kicked up a little cooling breeze, but not much.  The tram is covered so that helped as well.  Nonetheless, we did stop frequently to hear our guide explain the finer points of some of the significant planes.

I did what I could to tone down this B-29 bomber image, just a bit.  I didn’t want the glare to ruin your eyesight!  These are the bombers used in the Pacific theater of World War II.  The Enola Gay was a plane like this.  As with the Great War, I won’t get into the horrors that ended the war in the Pacific.  I will mention that there is one exhibit in the museum that features the paintings by Japanese survivors of the nuclear attacks.

Lest this get too serious, I’ll move on to something more recent.  I prefer fighters, especially the Grumman cats.  One associates these with the Navy and March is an Air Force field.  I was therefore happy to see a Navy plane, the Grumman F-14 Tomcat.

What else?

But the museum isn’t only a place to view planes.  It’s an interactive experience.  You can get up close and really see into the cockpit of the SR-71.  You can experience landing a commercial jetliner.  Or how about getting a view of the of the crew stations in a B-52?

The Radar Navigator and the Navigator sit in front of all these dials and buttons.   I have no idea how they know what’s what.  These panels look overwhelming to me.

I saw many cases filled with uniforms, equipment and historical records.  This museum has a large supply of documents and military mementos.  This is often the case with this type of museum.  The one new attraction for me was a section that spoke about military photographers.

Reflections in these cases was a big issue.  Still I think the photo above gives you some idea as to what is on offer at the museum.

Tips and suggestions

If you’re interested in historic aircraft, March Field Air Museum is open almost every day of the year.  I suggest you choose a cool day, perhaps with a few clouds.  There isn’t any shade.  Allow plenty of time.  It took me four hours to see everything, and I was hurrying.   I didn’t see many children when I there; it probably doesn’t appeal to little ones.  There is a kid-friendly area, but I have the feeling they will want to leave before you do.

As for photography, I suggest you bring a wide-angle lens.  These planes are huge!  There are numerous cases and displays, all behind reflective glass.  Be prepared to deal with reflections.

Oh, and wear sunscreen.  The desert is very hot and bright.

To see more images from my adventure at the air museum, click here.