TripAdvisor Airs Out America's Top 10 Aviation Attractions

/PRNewswire/ -- TripAdvisor®, the world's largest travel site*, today announced its list of the top ten aviation attractions in the U.S., according to traveler ratings and TripAdvisor Flights experts. America has a rich history as the birthplace of aviation, giving air travel lovers and flying fanatics myriad opportunities to learn more about planes, gliders, shuttles, and everything in between.

1. Cruising in the Capitol: National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C.

Housing the largest collection of historic air and spacecraft in the world, the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum is a must see for any air travel enthusiast. Its location in Washington, D.C. is home to several famous artifacts such as the original Wright 1903 Flyer and the Apollo 11 command module, and its sister site in Fairfax, Virginia houses additional aviation artifacts sure to inspire flyers of all stripes. As one TripAdvisor traveler raves, "this place is truly incredible and not to be missed." Admission: Free.

2. Wings on the Water: Intrepid Sea, Air, &Space Museum, New York, New York

Centered on the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid, the Intrepid Sea, Air, & Space museum is a floating treasure trove of exhibits for aviation enthusiasts. The deck and hangar bay of the ship feature a collection of 30 aircraft, including some that have just recently left active service. Additionally, one of the Concorde supersonic jets on loan from British Airways is on the Intrepid pier and can be explored inside and out by visitors. The museum also houses other interactive exhibits, including an A-6 cockpit simulator and a virtual flight zone. As one TripAdvisor traveler raves, "Intrepid delivers an amazing exploration you won't soon forget." Admission: $22 for adults, $17 for children.

3. Back to the Beginning: Wright Brothers National Memorial, Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina

For enthusiasts looking to go back to the beginning of air travel, there's no better place than the Wright Brothers National Memorial on the site where Wilbur and Orville Wright achieved the first successful plane travel over one hundred years ago. Travelers can re-trace the routes where the Wright Brothers tested out their first aircraft and explore the on-site museum and its collection of models, tools, and machines used by the pioneering, high-flying duo. As one TripAdvisor traveler puts it, "this was the highlight of our trip to the Outer Banks." Admission: $4.00 for adults, free for children.

4. Travelers Take Flight: National Naval Aviation Museum, Pensacola, Florida

Travelers interested in military aviation should look no further than the National Naval Aviation Museum. The museum boasts more than 4,000 aviation artifacts and 150 aircraft from the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Visitors can also get in on the action by taking a ride in the museum's flight simulators or by watching Blue Angels practice on select Tuesdays and Wednesdays. As one TripAdvisor traveler puts it, the museum is "worth spending many hours. The aircraft in the museum are breath-taking." Admission: Free.

5. Piloting the Prez: Museum of Flight, Seattle, Washington

Home to more than 85 aircraft ranging from antiques to the cutting edge of modern aviation, the Museum of Flight in Seattle is sure to tickle air travel lovers of all ages. The museum features a wealth of unique exhibits, including an engaging air traffic control tower at Boeing Field and "Style in the Aisle," which shows off flight attendant uniforms from the 1930's to the 1980's. The museum's aircraft collection is also expansive, and even includes an Air Force One aircraft that carried presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon. As one TripAdvisor traveler raves, "I LOVE this museum, even as a local!" Admission: $15 for adults, $8 for youths, free for children 4 and under.

6. Planes, Planes, Everywhere: Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson, Arizona

With more than 300 aircraft and spacecraft in its collection, the Pima Air &Space Museum is one of the largest aviation museums in the world. It features more than 125,000 artifacts of modern aviation, and counts gems like the B-29 Superfortress, SR-71 Blackbird, and World War II German V-1 "buzz bomb" among its exhibits. Visitors can also take in the sights of the museum's outdoor displays, which show off extraordinary aircraft and their ground support vehicles, as well as an airplane "boneyard." As one TripAdvisor traveler raves, "the selection of planes seems endless and any military aircraft fan will be in heaven." Admission: $13.75 for adults, $8 for youths, free for children 6 and under.

7. If You Build It, They Will Come: Boeing Aircraft Factory Tour, Everett, Washington

The Boeing Aircraft Factory is the perfect place to visit for travelers interested in the nuts and bolts of aviation. Visitors can take a tour of the production facility, which is the world's largest building by volume, to get a bird's eye view of how aircraft are made. The tour covers the production of several Boeing models, including the eagerly anticipated 787 Dreamliner. The facility also features an aviation museum, which includes aircraft engines and conceptual aircraft designs. As one TripAdvisor traveler notes, "when the lift doors open for the first time and you can see a production line of 747's being built below you it is truly something else!" Admission: $15 for adults, $8 for children.

8. Historic Hangars: Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor, Honolulu, Hawaii

Built in the historic hangars that survived the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Pacific Aviation Museum offers tens of thousands of square feet of aviation exhibits, including a collection of military aircraft from the World War II era. Visitors can also hop into the pilot's seat at the museum's flight simulator, where they can take off and land on an aircraft carrier, and take part in a high stakes battle in the sky. As one TripAdvisor traveler notes, "if you are an aviation buff, this is a can't miss if you are visiting the USS Arizona Memorial." Admission: $15 for adults, $8 for children.

9. Just Look Up: Gravelly Point Park, Arlington, Virginia

Located just north of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., Gravelly Point Park is a fantastic place for watching planes take off and land as they pass right overhead. In addition to the great views of the airport, the park is a nice spot to play catch or have a picnic on a warm summer day. As one TripAdvisor traveler states, "how crazy to be standing 500 feet from the touchdown of planes landing at Reagan National Airport." Admission: Free.

10. Wooden Wonder: Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, McMinnville, Oregon

Home to a wide range of aircraft, from cargo planes to commercial jets, bombers to spacecraft, the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum is a great place for aviation enthusiasts to get their fill and also for casual fans to brush up on a little air travel history. In addition to exhibits and archives detailing the milestones of modern aviation, the museum houses Howard Hughes's famous wooden "Spruce Goose," which was the largest plane of its time when it was completed in 1947. As one TripAdvisor traveler puts it, "the museum/hangar itself is a work of art. A great way to spend a day." Admission: $20 for adults, $18 for youths, free for children 4 and under.

"Whether you're an aviation buff or someone who just likes being up in the air, there's a wealth of fascinating attractions across the U.S. that explore the history of air travel," said Bryan Saltzburg, general manager of new initiatives at TripAdvisor. "They're sure to give you a deeper appreciation of the aircraft you're on the next time you find yourself cruising along at 30,000 feet."

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American Airlines Praises U.S. and Japanese Negotiators for Reaching Tentative Open Skies Agreement

/PRNewswire/ -- American Airlines, a founding member of the oneworld® Alliance, today praised U.S. and Japanese government negotiators for reaching an agreement on Open Skies that will establish and foster a healthy global aviation framework in the Pacific Rim and replace the existing bilateral agreement that has governed aviation between the U.S. and Japan since 1952.

"By their nature, bilateral agreements create a system in which some airlines receive aviation rights while others do not," said Will Ris, American's Senior Vice President - Government Affairs. "Open Skies agreements, on the other hand, end discriminatory aviation policies and are in the best interest of American and Japanese people as well as the nations' airlines."

The existing bilateral agreement had provided a competitive advantage on routes to, from and through Japan for certain carriers for many years. American joins the other U.S. air carriers in the market to applaud government negotiators for effectively reaching an agreement to best serve the interests of the traveling public despite the last minute efforts by the dominant carrier in the market, Delta/Northwest Airlines, to derail the talks.

"This Open Skies agreement will effectively reset the playing field and enable new working relationships, particularly pro-competitive joint ventures granted anti-trust immunity by the U.S. and Japanese governments. Ultimately, the agreement will benefit not only the traveling public, but both countries in terms of tourism, trade and commerce - and traffic between the two nations can grow unimpeded," said Ris.

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Ohio Getaways That Soar To Great Heights

(NAPSI)-Americans are celebrating the 40th anniversary of one of the great achievements of our time: astronaut Neil Armstrong taking his legendary first steps on the moon.

The occasion has moved many people to take a trip of their own to some of the nation's top aviation hotspots. Here's a look at some popular destinations:

Birthplace Of Aviation

Those interested in exploring the historical roots of aviation have plenty of options in the hometown of Wilbur and Orville Wright. The Wright brothers, who are credited with the first successful airplane flight, grew up in Dayton, Ohio. The city is now home to the Wright B Flyer Hangar at the Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport. There, visitors can take a ride in a replica of the Wright B Flyer, which seats two and cruises up to 100 miles per hour.

If you prefer to keep your feet on solid ground, check out the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park, home to the Wright Cycle Company. The park also includes Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center, containing photos and other displays chronicling the lives of the Wright brothers and another Dayton native, writer Paul Laurence Dunbar.

There's also the Huffman Prairie Flying Field and the adjacent Interpretive Center, also in Dayton. The field is the site where the Wright Brothers perfected the world's first practical airplane and opened the Wright School of Aviation. The Interpretive Center contains additional exhibits that tell the visual tale of the Wright brothers' flight trials.

Fly Me To The Moon

With Ohio being home to Neil Armstrong, John Glenn and more than 20 other astronauts, the state is well versed in space travel. Located in Armstrong's hometown of Wapakoneta, an hour north of Dayton, the Neil Armstrong Air & Space Museum celebrates the sights and sounds of man's first steps on the moon with the F5D Skylancer and the Gemini VIII spacecraft on display, as well as a moon rock and other Apollo 11 artifacts.

Inside NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, the 6,000-square-foot Visitor Center offers interactive exhibits, including a flight simulator and a launch control center where visitors can conduct microgravity experiments or count down to a simulated rocket launch.

Approximately 60 miles from Cleveland in Warren, Ohio, space enthusiasts can visit the spot where Armstrong boarded his first airplane in 1936-at the age of 6-at the former site of the Warren Airways Airport. The site now boasts a half-scale replica of Apollo 11's lunar landing module sitting on cratered concrete resembling the moon's surface.

History Buffs

The International Women's Air & Space Museum in Cleveland chronicles the lives of women ranging from Connie Wolf, a 19th century balloonist, to legendary aviator Amelia Earhart to astronaut Valentina Tereshkova of the former Soviet Union, the first woman to orbit the Earth.

The largest and oldest museum of its kind worldwide, the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton showcases military aviation history with more than 400 aircraft and aerospace vehicles on display. Key exhibits include past Air Force One aircrafts in the presidential gallery.

An hour south of Dayton is the Tri-State Warbird Museum, a 20,000-square-foot facility dedicated to preserving, restoring and operating World War II military aircraft. The museum's operational aircraft inventory includes the Grumman TBM-3 Avenger, which played a major role in the sinking of more than 60 Japanese ships after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Aviation Events

In addition to Ohio's permanent aviation attractions, the state offers aviation events such as the Vectren Dayton Air Show, Cleveland National Air Show and World War I Dawn Patrol Rendezvous.

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