American Airlines C.R. Smith Museum, Aviation museum near DFW Airport, Fort Worth, Texas.

The American Airlines C.R. Smith Museum is an aviation museum in Fort Worth, Texas, located near Dallas-Fort Worth Airport. The collection features full-size aircraft, engines, historic equipment, and everyday objects tied to the history of commercial flight in the United States.

The museum opened in 1993 as a way to document American Airlines' story and the broader history of commercial aviation in the United States. It was created as part of an effort to make the airline's legacy accessible to the public.

The museum is named after C.R. Smith, the American Airlines leader whose name it carries. Its stated mission is to preserve the airline's history and interpret the air transportation industry, serving active and retired employees, the educational community and the general public. Exhibits stress hands-on learning through hands-on displays, and the museum collects artifacts and archival materials for its educational and exhibit programs.

The museum sits on the American Airlines Flight Academy campus at the southern end of DFW Airport, in Fort Worth near the junction of Highways 183 and 360, roughly midway between the downtowns of Dallas and Fort Worth. The exhibition gallery covers about 25,000 square feet, with a separate 10,000-square-foot hangar for the DC-3, so plan for a walk between the two areas.

The museum lets visitors step inside an original DC-3 from the 1930s, an experience that is rare in civilian aviation museums. This aircraft was the first one that allowed an airline to turn a profit from ticket sales alone.