Airborne & Special Operations Museum

Continuing my virtual travel tour of the museums of North Carolina, I am visiting the Airborne & Special Operations Museum in Fayetteville NC. Opening in August of 2000, the Airborne & Special Operations Museum was designed by Michael West of the architectural firm of Calloway, Johnson, Moore & West in Winston-Salem, NC.

As you enter the museum lobby you are greeted by the sight of two fully deployed parachutes. A WWII era T-5 round chute and a modern MC-4 square chute. These parachutes represent the origins of airborne forces and the cutting edge of modern special operations. Their pairing is representative of not only the evolution of airborne infiltration, but of the teamwork of soldiers supporting one another in the combined airborne and special operations community.

While in the lobby you will see a wall honoring the 73 individuals who have received the Congressional Medal of Honor for their actions while assigned to an airborne or special operations unit.

Entering the main gallery is like taking a walk through time. Travelers begin their journey with the 1940 U.S. Army Parachute Test Platoon. The journey through time continues as visitors travel through the exhibits toward the modern airborne and special operations units.

In addition to the main gallery, there are special exhibits presented in the smaller Special Exhibit Gallery. The exhibits change from time to time, starting with an exhibit of Army Artwork, the exhibits have since featured exhibits on important milestones in airborne and special operations history.

Finally there are the movie theaters and simulator. The Yarborough-Bank Vistascope Theater provides seating for 235 visitors and provides Vistascope films that are designed to place the viewer in the middle of the action.

Showing educational and entertaining films, the video theater seats 50 and offers regular films throughout the day.

Finally, be sure that you take the ultimate ride on the Pitch, Roll, and Yaw Vista-Dome Motion Simulator. The 24 seat simulator is designed to allow the seating area to move up to 18 degrees in concert with the film, giving the physical sensation of being a part of the film. I had the chance to ride on simulators like this before, and they are an amazing experience that is not to be missed.

Anyone that has an interest in the history of airborne or special operations needs to be sure and stop by the Airborne & Special Operations Museum in Fayetteville NC. For more information visit their website at www.asomf.org.

Museum: Airborne & Special Operations Museum
Location: Fayetteville NC
Entry fee: Free
Website: www.asomf.org