Air Mobility Command Museum

While I had seen the signs for the AMCM in the past I had no idea what was actually there or what their purpose was. So on further inspection apparently the museum’s mission is to collect, preserve and exhibit the artifacts and human stories significant to the development and employment of military airlift and air refueling within the Army & Air Force.
The museum goes about that mission by having the largest and most complete collection of fully restored U.S. Military cargo and tanker aircraft in the Eastern United States.
While there are certainly other museums dedicated to the armed forces and their aircraft, this is the only one in the country dedicated solely to airlift and air refueling history. Does that make it any more interesting? No, but either way what you see is here is beyond cool!
So what you have here is basically two parts:
1. Aircraft
The museum houses over 30 aircraft varying in roles and sizes. Cargo haulers, fighters, helicopters and the plane that served as Air Force 2 for thirty-​five years. Outside and inside there is an interesting mix of planes like a B-​17 Flying Fortress, a Huey helicopter, two different KC model Stratotankers along with various cargo aircraft including their most recent acquisition of a C-​5A Galaxy that went right from active duty to the museum three years ago.
2. Displays
Very cool displays regarding air lift operations during WWII, Vietnam and Korea along with displays of various guns and bombs from the different eras. What makes this place even more unique is that the overwhelming majority of the volunteers here served in some capacity and in a lot of cases actually worked on or flew the aircraft that you’re looking at. Nothing beats first hand accounts from the people who were actually there.
If you go:
Admission (donations gladly accepted) and parking are both free.
The museum is open Tuesday-​Sunday year round from 9 – 4 with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day.
Photography is more than welcome, no food past a few rudimentary snacks are available in their gift shop and much to my surprise, leashed pets are also more than welcome so bring the kitties and turtles.
Directions are a snap. Drive like your going to the Dover AFB and then right after you pass the main entrances to the base you will see signage for the museum. If you are there on the right day/​time you will have a front row seat for any activity at the base as the museum is right next to the end of one of their runways.
There are different events that take place during the year and if you go when the weather is decent on the correct weekends they open up several of the aircraft for you to take a look inside. The Saturday that we were there was a holiday weekend plus it was cold as hell outside so the only thing open was the C-​141A Starlifter. Also supposedly according to the website they do offer guided tours but there was no signage stating that and while we were there no one announced or offered nor did we notice any tours going on. With that said we did meet up with one of the volunteers who was a retired Vietnam era Army guy and he was fantastic at explaining most of what was inside the hangar.
Allot yourself a good 90 – 120 minutes for this one as it’s a winner. As a sidebar, if you’re into your C-​list history stops, the John Dickinson Plantation is maybe a three minute drive from the museum and it’s also beautifully free.

If you’re ever in the Dover Air Force base area this is a «must see».It is free to get in but you can give a donation in the clear donation box which I highly recommend doing because it helps with the upkeep of the museum. I go back every year because you never know what new plane or display they have added plus the kids love it. There is a gift shop as you leave where you can purchase things for the kids. Take the guided tours if you can because you can learn so much about the history of the air craft you are looking at and I am not talking just world history I am talking about the men and women who flew in the planes and every bullet hole in those planes has a story behind it. Hats off to the volunteers and veterans who may have already served our country and who now volunteer their time to painting and restoring the aircraft and displays that you can tour. Thank You it is appreciated

This is an excellent place to visit, I’m sorry we’ve only been a couple of times. It’s free admission, so you can give a donation and visit the gift shop and buy items to support this great little museum that’s really quite amazing. They had a Halloween costume contest over the weekend and it was wonderful– my son «sheriff Woody» got a chance to experience his first «trick or treat» that was to his scale– he’s still talking about the blue lollipop they gave him! The only downside was to see the many parents strolling in late and expecting everyone to scramble and accommodate– what a great example for your kids (good thing I’m not in charge– No soup for you!)

Great aviation museum located next to Dover Air Force Base. This place is a excellent place to kill a hour or two viewing America’s Air powers from the past and present day. Veteran tour guides will give you a excellent play by play of the beauties of steel just like they were still flying on them. The place is detailed awesome both inside and out. Oh yea by the way it’s free… yea free… donations suggested, but you will give after you marvel though time. Folks this is no brainer, on a must do Dover tour. Support the military, and God Bless the USA !!!

Excellent museum, and with free parking/​admission, also a great value! For a relatively small aircraft museum, the AMC Museum possesses an impressive array of well-​maintained display aircraft. Indoor equipment and interactive displays round out the great experience. Friendly, knowledgeable staff will be happy to show you around the displays and usually have an interesting story or 2 about each particular aircraft. I’ve been to the museum on several occasions where a staff member has taken us out to an aircraft that we were interested in, and opened it up so that we could get a look inside. Great all-​around experience. HIGHLY recommended!

Excellent museum for anyone with even a modest interest in aviation and its history. The larger collection is outdoors, so plan to go when weather is favorable to spend 20 – 30 mins. away from the building. Great group of vets as guides — they’ve had hands-​on experience with these planes! It’s free — so be sure to drop a few bucks in their collection box to support the facility.

Definitely worth the trip! I have a great appreciation for our troops of all branches, but coming here gave me more insight to the Air Force. I’ll be honest, it brought a tear to my eye.

A very good small aviation museum run by very enthusiastic volunteers. Be sure to hook up with one of these guys, or you won’t be getting onto any of the planes inside the hanger and you’ll miss out on a lot of great details and stories.
On the post-​Labor Day Saturday morning we were there, the weather was kind of iffy and the number of visitors was thin, so only three of the planes outside were open.
We were rather hoping to get inside the newly acquired VC-​9C which served as Air Force One and Two from 1975 until 2011, but we had to settle for the virtual tour on the website instead.
Admission is free, but as the museum operates entirely on donations, please be generous. Plan on spending a couple of hours here, depending on how many planes are open the day you visit, and on how long you spend with one of the docents.
There is a gift shop with offerings of t-​shirts, DVDs, some books and toys. The canteen has a vending machine with soft drinks only, but they do provide tables if you brought your own lunch/​snack.

I have just discovered aviation museums with my three-​year residence in the states. I think it’s a great heritage to share and maintain, and the very few I’ve thus seen have been really good. This one is located in Dover and can be easily seen from the entrance of the AFB passenger terminal where I am now. Today a fellow Dover space-​A traveler with car was kind enough to take me on a ride across the runway to see the museum. Along with the usual outdoor static display of aircraft, there are filled with more than 20 planes and their place in history, plus many well-​illustrated and displayed exhibits within, complete with audio historian accounts by people involved in the exhibit’s subjects. This adds a bit more realism and reality to the exhibit which i think is very useful. One thing I haven’t seen at other museums is being able to look into the bomb bay of a B17. Bill was our tour guide, and also works as a volunteer at the Dover AFB USO. He is very informative being a good speaker, and has flying experience as a pilot so his accounts seem very real, more than just a memorized history note. The museum and all of the exhibits within have so much history and should be seen to be appreciated. The museum has ample parking outside and is located in a building that has the size of a hangar. The actual entrance however is located at the far right and around the corner. Also available are flight simulators where you can test your control of computerized aircraft, which is a big hit with kids and pilots of all ages. One visit here can easily take up a full day so plan accordingly. NO admission but I recommend a donation to awe future generations of museum visitors. There is also a small gift shop full of jackets, tee shirts, cups and pins, patches and models, and more.
NOTE: Unlike some aviation museums located on military bases like that in Travis AFB CA with access limited to only military individuals and their friends/​families, this museum is NOT on a base and therefore OPEN to the general public!!!
PHOTOGRAPHICALLY SPEAKING: Bring your camera if you love aeroplanes like I do! Lots of aircraft outside so plenty to snap there. Once inside, you’ll see a big drop in available light. According to the museum’s website, using flash is okay but if you take a tripod, be sure to keep a close eye on those young pilots running around. Beautifully illustrated exhibits are in each corner of the museum that gives you lots of opportunities to snap to your heart’s delight. I snap w/​o flash to preserve the natural lighting on aircraft skin. Don’t forget to capture the many interesting details around you!!!
Hours: Tuesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Closed Mondays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years

As far as aviation museums go, this one is pretty cool. Free admission, great exhibits, and a cool collection of airplanes that are in very good condition.
The inside area has a nicely preserved DC-​3 and B-​17 with interesting exhibits sprinkled around them. The hallway at the entrance has a great exhibit of Medal of Honor recipients. There are also a couple of fun little flight simulator setups. Though nothing that would really impress a pilot, kids seemed to get a kick out of them.
Outside is the main collection of aircraft. Most of them are impressively preserved– especially since they sit out in the elements. 2 really rare birds can be seen here: the C-​133 and the C-​124. Also, they have a C-​141 and C-​130 that you can walk through. Depending on the day and time, you’ll probably catch a some C-​5s in the pattern right next to the museum.
If you like aviation and you’re in Dover, I don’t see how you could not come here. Do it!