Mid-America Air Museum

08/07/2026

A naval dirk is a long-bladed dagger, typically a personal sidearm used when engaging in naval hand-to-hand combat. Historically, dirks were most common in Scotland and spread across the world during the 1700s and 1800s.

This particular dirk is a Mexican dagger and was a ceremonial item only. This was given to General Larry D. Welch in November of 1987. It was presented to him by Mexican Air Force General Miguel Mendoza Márquez.

Replicating the design used from approximately the mid-1800s to just after World War II, this dirk features a pommel of an ornately crafted gold eagle head and circular emblem. The emblem features the national symbol of Mexico and the words “Ejército Mexicano” (Mexican Army) and “Heroico Colegio Militar” (Heroic Military College). The college is a private military college that is under the supervision of the Mexican Army and Air Force University. These dirks were once given to Cadets at the college. Included in the beautiful details of this dagger is the blade itself, intricately carved with flowing lines, and the sheath of the knife, decorated in its own smooth edges and curved lines.

This is on loan from General Larry D. Welch.

07/31/2026

Here is the article that goes with the post. So nice!
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Back when a day of driving meant pulling over just because the road got interesting, places like this were the reward. You walk in and it feels like a big slice of aviation history with room to breathe, the kind that makes you slow down and look twice.

The collection stretches out in a way that reminds you how much of the Midwest has always been tied to open skies and long miles. There’s something special about seeing so many aircraft gathered under one roof, each one carrying a little piece of another era.

I always appreciate a place that keeps that kind of history in plain sight. It makes the whole afternoon feel a little bigger than it started. 👇🏻

07/31/2026

The French Nieuport 11, nicknamed the “Bebe” or baby in English, was first introduced to the world of aviation in the summer of 1915, not as a fighter but as a racer. The Nieuport, designed by Gustave Delage, was very lightweight and very maneuverable with a great climb rate. The Nieuport is a sesquiplane, meaning a type of biplane where the top wing is larger than the bottom, with the bottom wing having about half as much surface area. This little plane had an 80 horsepower La Rhone 9c rotary engine that could propel it at great speed for the era.

The French and British both saw potential in this plane and immediately ordered it. They fitted a single Lewis machine gun to the top of the upper wing so it could shoot over the propeller. This plane played a pivotal part in the air war and would become a favorite among many Allied pilots. During the Great War, it outclassed the Germans’ premier fighter, the Fokker Eindecker (a monoplane with machine guns mounted on the nose that shot through the propeller). The Nieuport 11 was the plane to end the Fokker Scourge.

Our Nieuport is a ⅞ scale replica of a Nieuport 11, built in 1989 and rebuilt in 1993 after a flood. It has a 4-cylinder air-cooled Volkswagen engine as well as an Eager Beaver Chainsaw engine to start the main engine. The frame is made up of aluminum, and the plane, when empty, weighs only 400 pounds.

This plane was donated by Mark Pierce, a member of the Kansas City Dawn Patrol.

07/30/2026

In October of last year, the Mid-America Air Museum hosted the Cockpit and Beyond Career possibilities day, with the Liberal Airport and Kansas Department of Transportation, Aviation Department. This morning, they shared a video with us that was taken from that day. Thank you to all the vendors and schools that made the day a HUGE success!

Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) partnered with several i...

07/28/2026

07/16/2026

Dwane Wallace was born on October 29, 1911, in Belmont, Kansas, to Grace and Eugene Wallace. Grace’s brother was Clyde Cessna, the founder of the Cessna Aircraft Company. Wallace earned his bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Wichita State University. This is also where he learned to fly, earning his private pilot license in 1933.

Wallace started his career at Beech Aircraft Corporation rather than Cessna because Cessna had been shut down. By 1934, Wallace had made a deal with his brother, Dwight, to help their uncle reopen Cessna. This deal was a success and eventually led to Wallace taking over the Cessna Company entirely by 1936.

In nearly forty years of running the Cessna Aircraft Company, Wallace took it from the brink of extinction to one of the most well-known aircraft companies in the business. At the time of his retirement, Cessna had built over 170,000 different types of aircraft, with an airplane for every need.

He passed away in 1989. In 1991, his wife, Velma Wallace, loaned several items to the museum, all of which were donated at the time of her passing. This includes the yellow Cessna C-165 that we have on display, which Dwane Wallace flew himself.

Photo credits to:
Cessna Aircraft Company
and
Jim Yarnell

07/10/2026

The museum will have no phone services tomorrow, Saturday, July 11. If you have any questions, please message us here on Facebook.

07/10/2026

The United States Air Force Field Pack was designed to carry a “sustainment load” for multiple days (usually 3 to 6 days) of survival essentials. Depending on the mission environment, the pack could weigh anywhere from 35 to 65 pounds. Items carried in the pack included:

Shelter and Sleep systems – An extreme cold/wet weather sleeping bag, bivy sack (short for bivouac, a minimalist, single-person waterproof shell that you slide your sleeping bag and sleeping pad into. Designed to replace a traditional tent, it offers lightweight, streamlined protection against wind, rain, and bugs.) And a poncho liner

Nutrition – Multiple field MREs (Meals, Ready-to-Eat) or emergency rations.

Hydration & Cooking – One to Two 2-quart canteens, a canteen cup, and a portable field stove with field tablets.

Clothing & Sustainment – Extra socks, base layers, thermal wear, and a wet-weather poncho or Gore-Tex Jacket.

Mission Gear – Entrenching tool (shovel), a general-purpose weapon cleaning kit, a first aid kit, extra ammunition bandoleers, and a flashlight.

Our Field Pack was donated by friend of the museum Jay Hauser in September, 2015. Jay passed away in July, 2025.

07/05/2026

Reminder! The museum will be closed today.