If you’re new to this site, I love aviation photography. I have several aviation portfolios, the most recent Aviation II Portfolio. Museums might not be top on your list when you think about aviation but I’ve been to several that are just fantastic, especially the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola.
I took a trip a while back to the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola Florida and I finally got around to pulling the images from that day. Looking back at these images after so long gives me a huge appreciation for the quality of these museum displays and the history behind how they got there. This truly is a treasure of a museum even if you are not all that interested in aviation. If you are interested in aviation, it has to be one of the must see museums on your list.
Accord to the Museum this is the worldโs largest Naval Aviation museum and one of the most-visited museums in the state of Florida. They have more than 150 restored aircraft representing Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Aviation. They also have some historic and one-of-a-kind aircraft are displayed both inside the Museumโs over 350,000 square feet of exhibit space and outside on its 37-acre grounds.
This was actually my 2nd or 3rd trip to the museum, but the first time I had been able to bring my camera equipment, and the first time I was able to share the experience with two Veterans (Navy and Air Force), which is my Dad and my Father-in-Law (these are the two subjects in the images below). If you are in the Gulf Shores / Orange Beach area this is a great day trip.
These images are a little strange to me in that they are both “new” and “old” at the same time. This is the first time they have been published, the first time I’ve actually gone through them, but they were taken so long ago they already have an historical age attached to them. I’m sure the aviation displays have changed at this point, which makes me want to take another trip down there. For now, the gallery below is from my trip several years ago.
I have now been to this museum several times and each time it has something different to explore. If you haven’t been, make it a priority when you are in the Pensacola area.
7 responses to “The National Naval Aviation Museum Trip Photography”
The colors in these are brilliant. I love the close up of the propeller.
Very nice, but with one minor correction. The seaplane is an SP 5 Marlin.
Ahhhh right! Thanks for the correction.
I’m not sure about this info currently BUT I heard that a civilian cannot get aboard NAS Pensacola to visit the museum. I heard that an active duty, reserve or retired ID card is required to get through the gate. I certainly hope this has been superceded; it’s a great museum
From what I understand the general public has to go through the west gate or something like that, so a specific area, but they can get in (except when they are closed for a conference, which apparently they are next week).
[…] photography site, I did take a trip to the Air and Space Museum in Pensacola and that can be found The National Naval Aviation Museum Trip Photography post. I did that post many many years later, but it’s from this […]
[…] let’s just go ahead and get to Pensacola (we’ve been there a few times before, see The National Naval Aviation Museum Trip Photography) , drive the beach road until we reach Gulf Shores, Alabama, and then head home, since it will […]