The Kansas Aviation Museum makes the most of its location in a beautifully preserved 1935 art deco terminal building at the edge of McConnell Air Force Base in south Wichita. The collection documents how Wichita became the Air Capital of the World — a title earned in the 1920s and 1930s when Cessna, Beechcraft, and other manufacturers set up shop in the city and made it the centre of American general aviation.
The indoor galleries hold historic aircraft alongside engines, instruments, and memorabilia from Wichita's aviation companies. Outside, a substantial collection of larger aircraft is displayed on the ramp, including military jets and propeller-driven airliners. The art deco terminal building alone is worth the visit — the detailed brickwork, the curved control tower, and the period interiors have been carefully restored and convey the glamour that early commercial aviation projected to an astonished public.