As a young boy growing up in Wisconsin, I loved watching the F-102A Delta Dagger fighter jets roaring overhead. We lived just off the approach path to runway 36 at nearby Truax Field. Every day I looked up when I heard them screaming into the wild blue yonder!
Those experiences ignited an infatuation with flying, which I still carry with me today. I feel the same thrill when I see the F-16s or F-35s rocketing skyward from Hill Air Force Base near Ogden. When I spot a jet contrail 30,000 feet above me, I’m quick to take out my smartphone and check FlightAware to see who it is and where it’s going.
When you watch jets flying overhead, they always look so tiny. Getting up close to a gigantic B-52 bomber or a sleek-winged F-16 Thunderbird you can feel the majesty as you wonder how these gigantic flying metal tubes can lift themselves into the thin air.
Visiting a collection of aircraft, like those at the Hill AFB Aerospace Museum, is like walking through a history book. The interpretative signage at every aircraft paints a picture of its role in history and how it is tied specifically to Hill AFB, which was created in 1940 as a vital base during World War II.
Wandering into the outdoor collection of aircraft, I was immediately drawn to the 1950s vintage F-89 Scorpion fighter jet. It was one of the first model aircraft I built as a young boy, carefully piecing it together with glue and applying the U.S. Air Force logo to its fuselage. Farther down the sidewalk, the aptly-named C-119 Flying Boxcar, another aircraft I could identify as a child, caught my eye.
On a hot Utah summer day, the giant 185-foot wingspan of the B-52 Stratofortress offered a perfect respite from the sun. This is a truly majestic aircraft that first saw service in 1952 and is still a vital part of the Air Force’s fleet.
Like most museums of flight, it all begins with the Wright Brothers. First stop in the museum was a replica of the fabric-winged Burgess-Wright Flyer Model F, vintage 1910 – similar to the ones that demonstrated flight at Salt Lake City’s Bonneville Park in 1911.
As I was exploring a Vietnam War era Bell Iroquois helicopter, a real workhorse in its time, museum docent Mike Swenson, a Vietnam veteran himself, gave me the 411 on a really unusual helicopter next to the Iroquois. It had no tail rotor. And it featured two sets of primary blades that criss-crossed each other. I shook my head — how could that work? Mike told me about the utility value of the chopper, serving essentially as an aerial fire truck to protect watercraft in the Mekong Delta during the Vietnam War.
Hill AFB has served many missions. But it’s most known as the home of the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing, flying the F-16 Fighting Falcon. Since it took delivery of its first F-16 in 1979, the menacing fighter planes have soared the skies above the Utah deserts and served missions around the world.
In the far reaches of the indoor museum, a group of F-16s stood proudly, one of them in the full Air Force Thunderbirds kit proudly standing in front of an American flag.
The Hill Aerospace Museum offers kids a glimpse into history and technology. For adults, it takes you back in time. Featuring nearly 100 aircraft on display, it’s an opportunity to get up close and personal with flying machines of all shapes and sizes. Most of all, though, the detailed placards with every aircraft give you an insight into history.
And if you’re an aviation buff, it’s a walk back through time.
DETAILS
Getting There: I like taking the “back way” to Ogden, taking I-80 eastbound to I-84 towards Ogden. The museum is at the northwest corner of the base.
What’s There: Nearly 100 aircraft with detailed historical information with outdoor displays and two giant hangars. A third is under construction and will open by 2024. Among the new additions will be a U2 spy plane. Check out more at: aerospaceutah.org.
When?: Open 9-4 daily but, sadly, closed on Sunday and Monday.
Fee: The Hill AFB Aerospace Museum is free. Donations are welcome.
Kids: In advance of your trip, do some research to learn more about historical aircraft like the B-29 bomber and F-16 fighter planes.