Air Force Flight Test Museum, Aviation museum at Edwards Air Force Base, US
The Air Force Flight Test Museum is an aviation museum located on Edwards Air Force Base in California, dedicated to experimental flight testing. The collection features aircraft and missiles used to test new flight concepts and technologies over several decades.
The museum was founded in 1983 and opened to the public in 2000 with a new building. It emerged from efforts to preserve the history of flight testing and the development of experimental aircraft at the base.
The museum's annual Gathering of Eagles gala brings together test pilots and aviation figures; the Flight Test Museum Foundation that runs it was founded in 1983 by Carol Odgers, Chuck Yeager, Robert Cardenas and William J. Knight. The name ties the collection to the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards.
Visiting requires advance registration due to military base security requirements. Plan for about half a day to explore the collection at a comfortable pace and view all displays.
The museum's collection includes a PGM-17 Thor missile, and an XB-47 was acquired from the Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum after that museum closed in 2015. The museum also holds an annual gala called the Gathering of Eagles.
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