Aviation Museum named one of the best in U.S.
Naval Air Station Pensacola, FL
The National Naval Aviation Museum earned national recognition as one of the best museums in the U.S. to visit.
Escorting her blind companion through the National Naval Aviation Museum, a young woman began describing the aircraft.
Lt. Gen. Duane Thiessen remembers the scene vividly because he'll never forget that young man's face as he and a museum volunteer hoisted the man up so he could touch the displays.
"We took his hands and placed them on the aircraft so he could feel it," said Thiessen, president and CEO of the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation. "We put him in the cockpit, let him run his hands down the sides so he could experience the texture, have the knowledge of what we were seeing."
This is just one of the memories Thiessen has stowed away that mirrors why the museum was recently ranked as a “Top 20 Museum in the USA” by Yelp, making it one of the best museums in the country to visit. The Aviation Museum has also been ranked TripAdvisor's 2015 Traveler’s Choice and No. 1 Gulf Coast Attraction.
"When a person comes here, they don't see an old, bald-headed guy," Thiessen said. "They see a volunteer staff that is second to none."
It's the museum's volunteer staff that makes it a treasure, Thiessen said, because they are the first to encounter visitors and take them around to the various displays. Their level of professionalism, expertise and excitement is contagious and they love what do, which comes across, Thiessen said.
Museum volunteer Mark Robertson, also a 30-year Navy vet, said what sticks out in his mind is the unique way visitors can interact with the displays.
Jason Hughes and his son Noah, 8, experience some of the jet cockpits at the National Naval Aviation Museum. The museum recently made the “Top 20 Museum in the USA” list by Yelp. (Photo: Ben Twingley/btwingley@pnj.com)
"It's the only place in the world where you can touch the aircraft," Robertson said. "We have some visitors who say our aircraft are the most beautiful they've ever seen. And this is always really cool for the volunteers because sometimes we have people that know nothing about the military or what they're looking at so it's our job to share that information with them."
First-time museum guests Bethany Flemming and Jennifer Mallory took advantage of Tuesday's rainy weather and visited the museum. Both were impressed with the planes, the IMAX Theatre, and the layout of the displays.
Flemming, who is visiting from Arkansas, said her grandfather served in WWII. She appreciated the chance to see some of the similar aircraft he flew.
"Everyone has said this museum was amazing," Flemming said. "I'm totally impressed and love the fact that it's so interactive."
"I like the openness of the layout," Mallory said. "It can be overwhelming because there's so much, but I think it's amazing."
In addition to the interactive displays, the museum also has some updates in the works to include a new IMAX Theatre and more interactive features for the existing displays.
Thiessen said there are three types of people who visit the National Naval Aviation Museum: those who can associate with and remember flying the aircraft; general tourists looking for something to do; and people looking for child-friendly activities.That means there is something at the museum everyone can enjoy, he said.