Address
Republic Airport, 1230 New Highway, Farmingdale, NY 11735
Phone Number
(631) 293 - 6398
Date Visited
07/31/21
Website
American Airpower Museum
Description
The American Airpower Museum is located at Republic Airport, 1230 New Highway, in Farmingdale, New York. The paved parking lot no longer has any dedicated accessible parking spaces. People park along the side of the road/The street level entrance has a set of double doors to the admission counter and another set of double doors to enter the museum itself. All doors were open on this day.
The exhibits are located in an airplane hangar, with more planes just outside, on the tarmac. Besides the array of vintage planes, there is a recreation of a WWII briefing room, ready room and canteen. Entry to an amphibian vehicle is three steps up. The aisles are wide. It is easy to maneuver. Some benches can be found near the Canteen.
Single-occupancy, handicapped accessible restrooms are located in the hangar.
There are no food services on the premises. The gift shop offers an interesting variety of items, including shirts, jackets and hats.
- Attraction Type: museum
Surface of lot: paved
Distance to venue: close
Transportation to venue offered: na
Terrain: flat
Paths and walkways: concrete underfoot at the museum
Doors: open
Number of floors: 1
Elevators: na
Ramps: na
Steps and staircases: na
Width of aisles: wide, easy to maneuver
Places to sit: a few benches near the Canteen, and at several other places throughout
Location of restrooms: in the hangar
Type of restroom: large, single-occupancy, accessible
Ease of entry and exit: OK
Baby changing station: no
Available food services: none
Friendliness of staff: extremely pleasant, and knowledgeable
Notes: *Unfortunately, there are no longer any dedicated accessible spaces in the downsized, parking lot. If you ask at the admission counter, a docent will be happy to show you around. Everyone we spoke to was very knowledgeable and happy to discuss whatever you like.
A glorious, sunny day at the end of July brought us to the American Airpower Museum at Republic Airport. We have been here before, but today my “better half ” was participating in a D-Day Paratrooper Drop Recreation (see separate entry for a description of this event ). The paved, parking lot has been greatly downsized, with no dedicated accessible parking spaces left. Many cars were parked on the sides of the road just outside the entrance. Gates were open , with easy accessibility to the admission counter .
“Some sixty-five years ago the current home of the American Airpower Museum was…the home to Republic Aviation, the producer of over 9,000 P-47 Thunderbolts…no American aviation museum with a squadron of operational WWII aircraft has a more appropriate setting for its flight operations…These planes… taxi to the very runways and hangars that dispatched Thunderbolts to war. Vintage aircraft recreate those turbulent years and allow the public to watch these planes in their natural environment – the air.” (website)
The museum is an interesting mix of exhibits, vintage flying machines (that are still in use), recreations of a WWII Briefing Room, Ready Room and Canteen, and a full-size amphibian vehicle that can be entered (up three steps), a great place for kids to “pretend” in.
The one level museum has a concrete floor and wide aisles which make maneuvering easy. There are some benches near the Canteen. Large, single-occupancy, accessible restrooms are located in the hangar.
As we were early for our time slot, we looked around. While doing so we were approached by a WWII veteran named Erwin, who asked if we would like to hear his story. Of course we would! We followed him into the Briefing Room where Erwin proceeded to fascinate us with the tale of his thirty-five, B-17 bombing missions over Germany as a navigator. If you get a chance, go to the museum on a Saturday, the day that this 90 year-old charming gentleman volunteers his time.
Beyond the hangar, one needs to have an escort to get “up close and personal” with the planes outside. Many of these machines still fly, some going to airshows, some for rentals. For a fee, one can take a ride in one of the smaller ones (see website) or participate in a recreation.
The gift shop offers an array of jackets, shirts, hats and other gifts.
We were here on a warm and sunny day. Both sides of the hangar were open. When we asked we were told that the doors are down when necessary. Although probably not freezing inside, go prepared if the weather is cold.
When his name was called, my “better half” went off to get his instructions !
As always, we at Destination Accessible advise you to check a venue’s website, www.americanairpowermuseum.org, when planning a visit, to “know before you go.”
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