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In addition to the displays, the museum operates an [[Wikipedia:IMAX|IMAX]] theater, museum store, and cafe. Also the museum is the home of the [[National Flight Academy]], a 6-day program designed (in partnership with the [[Escambia County School District|Escambia]] and [[Santa Rosa County School District|Santa Rosa school districts]]) to teach 7th through 12th grade students about the importance of science and math in aerospace careers. The Academy is currently planning a 245,000 sq. ft. expansion to the museum which would add classroom and dormitory space for the students during their stay.
The museum is open 9:00AM to 5:00PM every day except Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Parking and admission to the museum are free, though donations are welcome. Some exhibits inside the museum, such as the theatreIMAX theater and flight simulators, charge separate admission.
Captain [[Robert L. Rasmussen]], a retired Navy captain and Blue Angel, is the current director of the National Museum of Naval Aviation. He hand-sculpted many of the statues in the museum as well.
==Features & exhibits==
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===IMAX Theater===
Hourly showings from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
===Flight Deck Museum Store===
Oopen 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
===Cubi Car Café===
Open from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
===USS Cabot Flight Deck===
Replica of aircraft carrier [[Wikipedia:USS Cabot|USS Cabot]], with actual deck planks taken from the [[USS Lexington]].
===Blue Angels atrium===
Spacious room on north end of museum with seating available for large functions. Four suspended
===Flight simulators===
*Motion-based flight simulator: 15-seat simulator that offers two virtual reality missions: a Blue Angel flight and a Desert Storm sortie
*Top Gun Air Combat Simulator Center: 10-minute preflight briefing and 20-minute ride in the cockpit of an F-14 Tomcat simulator
===Art gallery===
Collection of Naval aviation artwork.
===Emil Buehler Naval Aviation Library===
Collection of manuscripts, 8,000 books and manuals, and 400,000 declassified Navy photos for researchers. Open weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
===Other exhibits===
*Recreation of Hoa Lo P.O.W. camp
*Sunken Treasure - recreation of WWII fighters at the bottom of Lake Michigan
*Home Front USA - World War II-era small town memorabilia
*Naval Aviation in Space - Apollo command module, Skylab 2
*Lighter Than Air - dirigible exhibit
*Cockpit trainers
==Collection of aircraft==
*[[Wikipedia:Nieuport 28|Nieuport 28]]
*[[Wikipedia:NT-1|NT-1]]
*[[Wikipedia:NC-4|NC-4]]- The actual craft that first crossed the Atlantic Ocean by air.
*[[Wikipedia:RD Dolphin|RD Dolphin]]
*[[Wikipedia:RR-5 Tri-Motor|RR-5 Tri-Motor]]
==External link==
* [http://naval.aviation.museum/ National Museum of Naval Aviation]
[[Category:Museums]] [[Category:Naval Air Station]]