National Naval Aviation Museum is one of world’s largest

The National Naval Aviation Museum aboard NAS Pensacola is the largest museum of its kind in the United States. Located aboard Naval Air Station Pensacola, the National Naval Aviation Museum is one of the world’s largest aviation museums. And not only is the museum a record-setting facility, it boats a rare “Giant Screen” IMAX® screen in its Naval Aviation Museum Memorial Theater!

The IMAX® Theatre at the National Naval Aviation Museum is one of the largest IMAX® theatres in the world and has the largest screen in Florida. There are 535 seats in the theater, which is handicap accessible.

Ticket prices range from $4.75 to $8.

It took two years to construct the theater, which contains 690 tons of structural steel and 1,990 cubic yards of concrete. The seven-story high IMAX® screen is 62 feet high and 82 feet wide with a frontal surface area of 5,084 square feet. The screen itself weighs more than 600 pounds and is stretched over a structure called the screen tower, weighing more than five tons.

Believe me, the viewing experience is truly “out of this world!” And the theater has two new movies screening in November - Hurricane on the Bayou and Stormchasers!

According to its web page, Hurricane on the Bayou is a “powerfully moving large format film unlike any other, carrying audiences behind today’s news headlines on a journey deep into the soulstirring heart of Louisiana – before, during and after the unprecedented devastation of Hurricane Katrina... Narrated by Academy Award®-winning actress Meryl Streep and driven by a rousing Jazz, Blues and Gospel-fueled soundtrack, Hurricane on the Bayou is both a haunting document of a storm’s human effects and a compelling call to restore Louisiana’s wetlands, rebuild New Orleans, and honor the place where America’s most vibrant home-grown culture was born.”

After you leave the Memorial theater, linger in the museum! This historic treasure boasts more than 150 beautifully restored aircraft, hands-on exhibits and more than 4,000 artifacts representing Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard aviation.

Watch the awe-inspiring Blue Angels at practice air shows from March through November, take a ride in a motion-based or Top Gun Air Combat simulator, have fun with the ultimate movie experience in the IMAX Theatre and dine in the Cubi Bar Café, an exhibit itself. There are plenty of familyfriendly ways to get the most out of quality time with the kids.

Free admission is an added bonus, as well as free tours inside the Museum and on the flight line.

The exhibits of the National Naval Aviation Museum seek to capture the human element of the enduring history of Naval air power and the eras in which it served and continues to serve.

Each represents a chapter of that story - stirring tales of combat actions, scientific discovery, technological achievement, and triumphs of the human spirit. Exhibits include: In Defense of Freedom; Naval Aviation in World War I; Battle of Midway; USS Cabot Island; Sunken Treasures; PBY Cutaway; Home Front U.S.A.; Pacific Island; World War II; Aircraft Carrier; The Raft; "Big "E"- The Story of USS Enterprise; The Von Tempsky Wall; Naval Aviation in Korea; The POW Experience in Vietnam; Carrier Life: Vietnam; Sand, Sea, and Sky: Naval Aviation in the Persian Gulf; Farther and Faster; First Across: The NC-4 Conquers the Atlantic; Voyages to the Stars: Naval Aviation in Space; Balloons and Skyships; Faces of Naval Aviation; So Others May Live: The Story of Coast Guard Aviation; Thanks for the Memories: Bob Hope; Armor of the Air: The Insignia & Flight Clothing of Naval Aviation; The Medal of Honor; Hall of Honor; and In Miniature: Ship & Aircraft Model Collection.

National Naval Aviation Museum is situated on base at 1750 Radford Blvd. For more information, dial (850) 452-3604 or (850) 452-3606.