National Museum of Naval Aviation — Pensacola, Florida

Thanks to John Zoller and Dick Ely for finding these photos so we could make them into a slide show. A great diverse collection of beautifully restored (and waiting to be restored) aircraft — one of the great air museums in the country. These are some of the best photos we’ve seen.

The video covers over 150 aircraft and helicopters ranging from the Wright Brothers’ plane through to modern jet aircraft. Click to play, then use the full-screen icon at the lower right of the player for the best experience.

The National Museum of Naval Aviation sits aboard Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida — the “Cradle of Naval Aviation” and home base of the Blue Angels flight demonstration squadron. It is one of the largest aviation museums in the world, with more than 150 restored aircraft representing Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard aviation spread across more than 350,000 square feet of display space. Highlights include a NC-4 flying boat (the first aircraft to cross the Atlantic), World War II carrier fighters such as the F4F Wildcat and F6F Hellcat recovered from Lake Michigan, the Skylab command module, and a four-plane Blue Angels A-4 Skyhawk display suspended in formation overhead.