"Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum" Rantoul Things to Do Tip by Toughluck

It was my idea to take a day and head over here. Nobody was particularly interested, but I've been interested in Octave Chanute, who's glider became the design for the Wright Flyer. When I found an air base in Illinois (Chanute did his tests in the Indiana Dunes ), and then a museum of flight included, I had to go.

It was worth the trip. The museum provides a lot of information on life on the base and it's development. It has a wonderful surprise in that it was part of the early integration of services (well, not really integrated, but enhanced opportunities). Then there are the airplanes. Many inside, so the weather is not a concern, and many more out on the tarmac. You get right up close, you can touch. Some have stairs up to look in. You can walk into the bottom of a Minute Man Missile Silo (an actually replica used for training missile crews). I liked the aircraft, which I'd grown up admiring. The Constellation, the Hustler, a Mustang, and the replicas of the Chanute glider and a Wright Flyer.

Address: 1011 Pacesetter Drive
Directions: Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum, 1011 Pacesetter Drive, Rantoul, Illinois 61866-3672
Phone: 1-877-RANTOUL
Website: http://www.aeromuseum.org/index.html