Military Aviation Preservation Society is what MAPS stands for. Their mission is to save the relics of military accomplishments in aviation. I literally had no clue this place existed until we left the airport and saw a road sign pointing us to the museum. With no particular place to go... We made a pit stop at the MAPS museum, and boy what a treat this was!

The MAPS museum is home to more than +50 aircraft. Which includes blimp gondolas, helicopters, transport aircraft, simulators, fighter jets, and gliders. The incredible display is located on the west side of the Akron Canton airport, located in Green Ohio, which is near Akron Ohio (home of the famous Goodyear rubber and tire company.) The exhibit also contains many pieces of living history that can be touched, seen, and experienced.

Ohio is home to many famous aviation museums. However, the MAPS museum is in a category of its own. The MAPS museum has a "Heroes of Aviation" exhibit which highlights the men and women who designed, worked on, built, and flew these aircraft. There are so many amazing stories in the Heroes gallery that you can literally spend an entire day reading the stories. If you are not a reader, you could use the interactive screens so you can listen to the living history captured on film. The majority of their interviews and video clips are unique to the museum. Many of them have been accepted into the Library of Congress.

Some of the unique aircraft on display at this museum are on loan from other prominent museums or the Air Force. Some impressive rare artifacts original to the museum are the Martin 1908 glider (the oldest aircraft on display), the Camel Triplane (I guess you can call it a three humped camel), and the "Spirit of Akron" (which was the only semi-rigid airship of its time.)

The backyard has a wide array of beautiful aircraft to play around with. The C-47 and the C130 were my favorite! The F-14 is favored by many! The museum has a lot of planes awaiting restoration and restorations you could see in progress. We saw guys cleaning the radial engine of a Beech 18 and learned a lot about the aircraft!

The C-47 is the military version of the DC-3. You can go inside, look at everything, and sit in the seats. Imagine what it would have been like to jump out for D-Day.

In today's world, we only have a few days to remember our heroes. The MAPS museum is a testament to the fact that history lives on forever all around us. I love that they specifically honor the men and women who came together to do a job for our country in a time of need. Every day at this museum, people can recognize those who have sacrificed and paid the ultimate cost. Until next time... Fly safe, and remember "life is worth flying for!"