Mid-America Air Museum

Location:  On the west edge of Liberal, turn off Hwy US 54 onto Western Ave. and follow the signs.

Contact:  Ph. 316/624-5263

These planes of the Mid America Air Museum set at the edge of the runway poised as if they are ready for take off.  These are a few of the more than 90 aircraft at the museum.

Besides the aircraft, the museum has hands-on exhibits on the subject of aviation.  In one such exhibit, you make a tethered hot-air balloon rise by activating a propane burner.  In the "Hall of Flight" exhibit, the history of flight is traced from early fanciful dreams to the space shuttles of today.   Every September, the museum holds a large airshow as well.

One of the many note-worthy aircraft here is the Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star, America's first operational jet fighter.  If WW2 had lasted into 1946, in Europe this fighter would have flown against the legendary German jet fighter the Me 262 .

Another airplane of special note is this Grumman TBM Avenger.  It was the navy's workhorse bomber in WW2 from 1942 until the end of the war.  It was while piloting an Avenger on a mission to bomb a radio tower that a young pilot name George Bush was shot down.  The future President of the United States was subsequently rescued by a submarine.

Pictured at left is the Norden Bombsight.  This was a top secret device used in America's WW2 bombers, and it was a huge leap forward in bombing accuracy in it's day.  Prior to it's introduction, bombs could be guaranteed to hit the ground--somewhere.  With this early analog computer to calculate bomber altitude and speed along with other factors, bomb placement was improved greatly.   Although nothing like the laser guided "smart bombs" of today, this device certainly was a step in that direction and surely helped win the war.

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