Mid America Air Museum

Mid-America Air Museum

We came across an impressive collection of painstakingly restored vintage aircraft and aviation exhibits at a wonderful museum that you would expect to find in a big city someplace, not in a small town on the windswept Kansas plains. If you appreciate fine old airplanes and love the romance of flight, the Mid-America Air Museum is well worth getting off the interstate for a trip down a two lane highway to Liberal, Kansas.

The U.S. Army Air Corps trained B-24 bomber crews at Liberal Army Airfield during World War II, and when the base closed after the war ended, the people of Liberal needed to put the old airstrip to use. The war had introduced the idea of airplane use to the nation on a widespread basis, and in the years following the hostilities companies that had produced aircraft for the military scrambled to capture a piece of the growing civilian market. For a time Beech Aircraft made planes at the old airbase in Liberal. After Beech closed down their plant the people in Liberal realized they had an opportunity to preserve their aviation heritage. And so the Mid-America Air Museum was born.

Countless hours of volunteer labor went into making the museum a reality. One of the driving forces behind the Mid-America Air Museum was Colonel Tom Thomas of Ada, Oklahoma. As a P-40 pilot during World War II, Colonel Thomas flew 86 combat missions and shot down six enemy aircraft, before he himself was shot down and captured in Sicily. During his military career, Colonel Thomas was awarded the Air Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Silver Star for gallantry in action. Following the war, Colonel Thomas went into private enterprise and became the CEO of Thomas Concrete Products in Oklahoma City. Colonel Thomas loaned nearly seventy classic airplanes from his private collection to the Mid-America Air Museum, and willed them to the City of Liberal upon his death. Today the museum is the fifth-largest airplane museum in the country.

Whether you are an airplane enthusiast, history buff, or a family on vacation, the Mid-America Air Museum has something to delight you. On display are more than 90 aircraft, ranging from tiny one passenger experimental airplanes to massive World War II bombers. There are single engine airplanes, twin engine airplanes, and jets. You will find aircraft that saw combat in every clash from the skies over Germany and the South Pacific to Korea and Vietnam. Nearby are airplanes that served the civilian market, crop dusters, and light industry. From hang gliders to jets capable of breaking the sound barrier, you’ll find them all among the museum’s displays. A NASA exhibit features artifacts from the space program, including a replica of a space capsule.

Each airplane has been carefully restored and a sign with the display identifies the aircraft and explains its history and design features. Some of the airplanes in the museum’s collections are one of a kind, and most would be hard to find anywhere in the pristine condition these are maintained in.

Besides the airplanes inside the museum’s huge building, several other airplanes are parked on the airstrip’s old flight line, waiting for restoration and a permanent display spot. Unfortunately, because the museum is operating on a very small budget and depends on volunteer labor, some of these planes show the ravages of time. The Mid-America Air Museum is in very real need of funds to be able to maintain these classic old aircraft in the condition they deserve.

The museum has more than just airplanes on display. The museum houses one of the nation’s finest hands-on aviation science exhibits, hosts guest speakers, special events like fly-ins, and has a 200-seat theater for the museum’s many educational programs. Some of the most popular aviation performers in the world have appeared at the museum, including the Blue Angles, the Air Force Thunderbirds, and the Golden Knights Army parachute team. The museum hosts the Great Mid-America Air Show, an annual event that brings top performers and well known airplanes like the Stealth bomber and Harrier jet to town. The museum’s excellent gift shop features hundreds of airplane model kits, books, and souvenirs of your visit.

Every year the Mid-America Air Museum operates Camp Falcon, a seven week summer educational program for kids ages 8 to 14. Campers learn about the history of flight, from kites and balloons to the Space Shuttle. In addition to learning flight history, students also learn the scientific principles behind flight, take part in experiments to reinforce what they have learned, build models of airplanes, and conduct flight tests. Costs for Camp Falcon are minimal - only $7 a week for the 2003 season.

The museum is one of Kansas’ most visited tourist attractions, with 11,000 visitors a year coming from all over the United States and around the world. Visitors follow a self-guided tour, or guided tours can be arranged for larger groups. Tours must be booked in advance by calling 620-624-5263. Two electric carts are available at no charge for use by elderly or disabled visitors.

The Mid-America Air Museum is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. The museum is closed New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. A nominal admission fee is charged. The museum is located at 2000 West Second Street in Liberal. There is a huge parking lot, and visiting RVers are welcomed to dry camp free overnight. For more information on the Mid-America Air Museum, call 316-624-5263.