Fighter Pilot Guided Tour of the Naval Aviation Museum - Pensacola, Florida

A customized 80-minute guided tour of one of the top 3 aviation museums in the world by the Chief Docent and former Marine fighter/attack pilot Lew "Eyes" Humphrey. Includes comments by Lt. Gen. Duane "Drano" Thiessen, USMC (Ret.) and a cameo appearance by "Dogface." Lew gets an "OK Underline" on the Greenie Board for this tour.
Jump to 45:39 to see Lt. Gen. Thiessen's statements about the museum.
Jump to 57:38 to see Lew's excellent explanation of carrier flight operations.
NOTE: The scope of this special tour was limited by time, mobility and battery constraints. Normal tours are about 2 hours and 15 minutes.
Music is "Dangerous" by Kevin MacLeod licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommon...)
Source: incompetech.com....
Artist: incompetech.com/

[@hleski1]

Very informative, educational, and entertaining...Well done!

[@sopilote56]

+Brian Humphrey Thanks for watching! We were very lucky to get a great tour by Lew - during a time that almost everybody was outside watching the Blue Angels practice. It is a really great museum - worth the trip!!

[@roycox320]

Thanky

[@biplaneflights]

Great tour - thank you! Chief Docent and former Marine fighter/attack pilot Lew "Eyes" Humphrey REALLY knows his history! Excellent tour of such important historical aircraft and "Eyes" made them come alive with superb stories of the pilots who flew them. Having seen the museum through this video, I would have to agree in it being in the top three aviation museums in the world. I look forward to visiting it one day!

[@sopilote56]

@biplaneflights Thanks for watching! Hope that you get to see the National Naval Aviation Museum in person and do a docent tour. Currently (as of 16 Oct. 2022) access is still limited. Check the museum website for updates.

[@Love2FlyKAP]

That is a myth about the Fokker D.vII being turned over because it was in the Versailles Treaty. IT WAS NOT. It was part of the whole group of aircraft surrendered by the terms of the Versailles Treaty. Article IV stated that all these German planes had to be handed over to the Allies.

[@jshepard152]

Mr. O. Lewis Humphrey was a Marine Corps F-4 and A-4 pilot in the Vietnam era.

[@jshepard152]

I'm excited that the Naval Aviation Museum is again open to civilians after years of being sidelined.

[@dighawaii1]

John McCain was a damned hero.

[@sopilote56]

@Lee Bennett Yes he was! Thanks for watching!

[@chuckhiggins15]

Thank you for the Boeing plant tour. A&P FAA ticket mechanic.

[@cabdolla]

He was a great curator, I'll have to check it out if Im every down that way.

[@sopilote56]

+cabdolla Thanks for watching! If you like aviation its worth a trip. It was a 700 mile journey each way for me. Pensacola has a great historic downtown with restaurants and nightlife and beautiful Gulf beaches nearby. Being able to watch the Blue Angels practice at certain times of the year from the museum grounds is awesome. I also enjoyed going up in the lighthouse across the street from the museum.

[@richardfrancis5406]

What an incredible tour...such great detail...Thank you so much!

[@sopilote56]

@Richard Francis Thanks for watching!

[@amlbproductionsmusicandorc8084]

Amazing! I visited with my family a few years ago, an incredible experience! Being able to touch such historical objects, including the Dauntless that was at Pearl Harbor. My grandfather Harry Leipzig served on a destroyer during the attack, and later served in the invasion of the Marshall Islands, Iwo Jima and decommissioned in Truk after the battle. Being able to touch that plane, and being able to visit Pearl Harbor have brought my grandfather's experiences into reality for me. Every single one of those gentlemen deserves to be honored and celebrated! Truly the greatest generation.

[@digsbollx4309]

Superb tour! It's on my bucket list... ('Vulcanized' not 'Galvanized' for the self-sealing fuel tanks on the F4F)

[@sopilote56]

+digs bolix Thanks for watching! It is a great museum and Lew gave us a great tour. Plan your trip to attend when the Blue Angels are practicing in Pensacola and it will be well worth the drive. Downtown Pensacola has good restaurants and bars that are very nice on a cool night, the beaches are great and you can tour Ft. Pickens, the lighthouse...

[@digsbollx4309]

@@sopilote56 Thank you Sir! Lew is a treasure...

[@turbojoe9554]

wonderful exhibits at this top notch museum near Pensacola. I have been a couple times. If I had any advice to give, it would be wise to budget at least 3-4 hours time, take some comfortable shoes, and take one of the guided tours. Would like to visit again soon, but I'm understanding that NAS Pensacola and the museum is closed to visitors indefinitely.

[@sopilote56]

@Turbo Joe Thanks for watching! Hopefully the base will reopen to the general public soon. Here is what the museum website says as of 15-Jul-2021: "The National Naval Aviation Museum is open Monday through Sunday from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. to current Department of Defense (DoD) ID cardholders. Access to NAS Pensacola is limited to current Department of Defense (DoD) ID card holders (active duty service members, retirees, and their families) and Veterans who possess a Veterans Health Identification Card (VHIC) from the Department of Veterans Affairs that displays the Veteran’s eligibility status. DoD ID card holders can escort guests as part of the Trusted Traveler Program, but must remain with their guests at all times. Unless sponsored through the Trusted Traveler program, no civilians will be granted access onto the base until further notice, and thus will not be able to access the National Naval Aviation Museum. We have established a special visitor information line at 850-452-8450 for answers to your questions about visiting the museum and attending Blue Angels practice air shows. Plan your visit today!"

[@OrangeMapleLeaf]

Fascinating, mesmerising and informative, from beginning to end. Thank you and the fighter pilot guide. Both of you did an amazing job.

[@sopilote56]

@Orange MapleLeaf Thank you for watching and for the compliment! I am glad you enjoyed it. We were very lucky to get Lew as our guide.

[@Kevin-ix4qz]

Thanks for uploading! I'd love to go there one day

[@sopilote56]

@Kevin Thanks for watching! Well worth a visit!

[@shannongunter9022]

This was wonderful! It was so interesting and informative! Thank you for filming and posting this!

[@sopilote56]

@shannongunter9022 Thanks for watching! Guided tours are a great way to get in-depth knowledge about a place. Since doing this video I have met lots of people who visited the museum. Nobody was disappointed.

[@pedroversa9063]

This is an awesome video, thanks so much. I visited this museum in February of 1990. Spent the whole day there and probably only saw about 25% of it. Thanks again, I really enjoyed ever minute, only wish your video was longer. God Bless.

[@sopilote56]

@Pedro Versa Thanks for watching! The museum has an amazing collection of aircraft and artifacts. I am looking forward to visiting again to see more of it. I think getting a tour really enhances the experience.

[@juliusdream2683]

That was great 👍🏼. What a cool museum I love aviation and thankful to the wonderful men and women who keep places like this open for the public.... well done.

[@sopilote56]

+Jorge Macomb Thanks for watching! I hope to visit again next year to see more.

[@oneplacelobby8050]

The statues at the beginning of the feature were designed by Sandra Van Zant from Oklahoma and presented to the Museum. I personally watched the statues being made. very interesting.

[@sopilote56]

+One Place Lobby Thanks for watching! A really great museum that honors defenders of our nation.

[@keepthemwild4795]

Love this museum. And I believe the NAS (where the museum is located at) in Pensacola is the birth place for American Naval Aviation. It's also the home for the Navy Blue Angels. I'll definitely go back for more visits.

[@sopilote56]

+William Ye Thanks for watching! Yes NAS Pensacola is the cradle of naval aviation.

[@ronaldhuiberse9496]

Thank you for making and posting this. I had a trip planned to from The Netherlands to Florida this May and wanted to visit this museum. Due to Covid I couldn't go. This video feels like I got a personal tour trough the museum!

[@sopilote56]

+Uncle Nonie Thanks for watching! I hope you will be able to visit next year. This video only covers about 1/3 of the museum. Try to visit when the Blue Angels are practicing in Pensacola.

[@whitepony8443]

I think this place is 5 times better than Disneyland.

[@sopilote56]

@White Pony Thanks for watching! Reality is usually more interesting than fantasy. Disneyland/World is great for really young kids but museums have lots of cool stuff for older kids and no waiting in long lines.

[@jshepard152]

Ten times.

[@woodygordon5071]

Amazing ! I wonder if they would let a 36 yo in the flight academy ! Next time I’m at KPNS. Hope he is still doing guided tours .

[@yamahonkawazuki]

well officer humphrey thank you for your service. sorry i dont know his rank if anyone does lmk ill change this.and anyone 4else who served thank you

[@sopilote56]

+yamahonkawazuki Thanks for watching!

[@yamahonkawazuki]

@@sopilote56 was honored to do so

[@olentangy74]

Great tour! I visited the museum in 2012 and spent two days. This video makes me want to visit again.

[@sopilote56]

+olentangy74 Thanks for watching! I hope to spend two days there when I go back. It is a really great aircraft museum. I have learned to always take a guided tour if you can.

[@jamesmcguire5312]

I really enjoyed this presentation. I live up in Virginia so Idon’t get a chance to see it in person. I was in Pensacola in 1969 when the museum was just in a Quonset hut. The aircraft are beautifully restored.

[@sopilote56]

@jamesmcguire5312 Thanks for watching! Happy to report that the museum reopened to the general public in May 2023. Worth a trip down in November to catch the Blue Angels and some sunshine.

[@jamesmcguire5312]

@@sopilote56 That sounds great. Unfortunately Health limitations are kind of tying me down. That’s why I appreciate so much the information and presentation of the museum. I forgot we did see it once in 1996 but I can tell it is much improved since then. I do like the fact that you can touch these aircraft. I wish you all the best.

[@charlieryan6550]

Iwo and Chichi Jima are in the North Pacific, not the South Pacific.

[@sopilote56]

@Charlie Ryan Thanks for watching! At 24.47 degrees north latitude, Iwo Jima is well above the equator and definitely in the Northern Pacific.

[@stevengolden8997]

Outstanding

[@woodygordon5071]

Down here in corpus we have a dauntless and an avenger restored on board the uss Lexington (cv-16) both from the bottom of Lake Michigan

[@sopilote56]

@Woody Gordon Thanks for watching! We were lucky to have the ability to train carrier pilots in Lake Michigan out of the combat zone during WW2. Accidents were common with accelerated training. In WW1 one out of every 32 cadets died in air training. Here is a short National Archives video I added sound and captions to. It has many scenes of WW1 training in Texas: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qWPJk5WqjMl8fpo

[@jshepard152]

When I was a kid in Pensacola in the 80s I used to see the Lexington underway in Pensacola Bay. Good times.

[@michaelwhite77]

*Blue Angels in the diamond formation at **31:44**!*

[@sopilote56]

@Michael White What a sharp eye you have!!! I never noticed that! Thank you for pointing out that great detail!!!!

[@blobert62]

This is easily my favorite aviation museum guide on KZbin. Nice video!

[@sopilote56]

@Blobert 62 Thanks for watching! Hope to get back to the museum at the end of July (2021) to make another video. Access has been restricted.

[@blobert62]

@@sopilote56 That would be really cool. I’ll be on the lookout for that

[@azspeedbuggy]

Great video, thanks for sharing..."Eyes" is top notch, thank you for your service...

[@Chicken_Wing91]

The whole area is full of history. I live not too far away from the Eglin test range. Surprised to find out they tested Napalm there, they tested the first AC-47 gunships and it was the same place the Doolittle Raiders trained!

[@sopilote56]

@Foxx Gaming Thanks for watching and sharing that info! Hope that the Museum will reopen to the general public soon.

[@mickmckean7378]

Wow, what a great tour Lew provided. Well done on the video, and to all the staff at the museum.

[@sopilote56]

+Mick McKean Thanks for watching! Happy to report one of my nephews was commissioned as a Marine 2nd Lt. last week and will be heading to Pensacola for flight training after Quantico.

[@jerryg.5088]

Awesome job! Very interesting.

[@roycox320]

👍👍always🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸!!!

[@sopilote56]

@Roy Cox Thanks for watching. I'm headed back there end of July and will try to do more of the museum.

[@ILSRWY4]

Great video! But really unfortunate it was conducted with the Blues practicing outside... because it was very loud, and very difficult to hear this presentation... not to mention irritating to the ear. none the less, a great video though.

[@sopilote56]

@ILSRWY4 Thanks for watching! This was my third visit to the museum over a 25 year period and I did not prearrange to make this video I just showed up and thought that I would record a docent tour on my little point-and-shoot tourist camera. I was accompanied by a Navy vet (carrier pilot) who was using a walker following knee surgery. The museum was less crowded than usual as almost everyone was outside watching the Blues. While I love watching the Blues, I have seen them fly dozens of times. You can find a "Blue Angels Training" video on my channel and the guy I was with was in that video. It was completely random that we were assigned the Chief Docent as our guide and also encountered the Head of the Museum. I sent Lew (Docent) the video before I published it here. He gave me some suggested changes and said he was very surprised that the sound was intelligible given the noisy environment. I own two digital recorders and several Lavalier mics and normally use them or my shotgun mic for my videos but I am sorry I did not have them for this visit and was not better prepared. You are absolutely right that good audio key to viewing enjoyment. I hope to do a better job when I visit the Air Force Museum. Go Navy :-).

[@nor4277]

Be a great man to learn from ,but the loud kids in the back ground,should be put some where else out of respect for this man and his time.thanks for shareing.

[@sopilote56]

+Ron Thompson Thanks for watching!

[@MYRIAMLATEUR]

Nice interesting tour, sir! Thank you! I have an urgent question. I just finished a painting based on a photo made by Marc Boult. Received lots of positive comments but there is an issue about the type of airplane, even about the identity of the formation. It represents a bomb burst with lots of smoke, executed by the Blue Angels during a Pensacola air show, I was told. Please, sir, can you help me to erase all the doubts? I’m a ulm pilot myself and fly planes and autogiro. Two of my sons are professional airline pilots, I have lots of pilot friends… but there is a great deal of discussion going on and it frankly spoils the atmosphere hanging around my painting. Please, sir, help me out of this mess. I d be very grateful!

[@sopilote56]

@Myriam Lateur Thanks for watching! Not having seen the photo or the painting I cannot guess the maneuver. You can study the diagrams of all maneuvers that the Blues currently perform in their manual here: www.blueangels.navy.mil/assets/docs/resources/maneuvers-manual.pdf

[@simonjester0074]

Well done, Marine 💙 Love Naval Aviation.

[@z33511]

1:04:08 Disney's monorails are powered by electric motors and rubber tires. The Tomorrowland Transit Authority People Mover uses LSM (linear synchronous motor) technology.

[@sopilote56]

+z33511 Thanks for watching! Thanks for the information of Disney electric propulsion - like a rail gun and 40 years before the electromagnetic aircraft launch system on the Gerald R. Ford carrier.

[@xqqqme]

That and the "E Ticket" (at Disney theme parks) did not entitle you to ride all the rides you wanted as many times as you wanted. It was a one-time use ticket (as they all were: A, B, C, D & E) but exclusively for the best, newest, fastest, most popular attractions. Many might remember astronaut Sally Ride calling out during the launch of the Space Shuttle "That was a real E-Ticket!"

[@woodygordon5071]

While I’m at it …. The TSA 😂what a joke !!!

[@pat36a]

Dad was in the Navy, 1942 to 1946 AMR2c Radio Gunner later trained w/Radar. CAG 42 VB-75. Plank holder on the FDR 42. Though he never saw action, he flew in 3 War Parades and flew off the Bow into the Sea when the Catapult broke.

[@pat36a]

Search the Maiden Voyage of the FDR. Dads in #7 that didn't make it.

[@sopilote56]

+pat36a Thanks for watching! I took a look at some FDR 42 websites. A lot of history. Saw a few incident descriptions/photos but not sure I found the one of your dad. Flying low power/weight ratio jets off of WWII-era carriers was about as dangerous as it gets. Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers can now use MAGIC CARPET assisted landings on some ships to make it a little easier.

[@pat36a]

@@sopilote56 Hi, thanks for looking. I've found very little on the 1st. Cruise. It picks up w/later cruises and the jet age. Mainly News Reel stuff , they all use the same stock Footage. All my stuff is on the FDR CV42 website.

[@thetreblerebel]

This is a must see museum if you love airplanes!

[@sopilote56]

+Stevie Jo Thanks for watching! The museum was only 30 miles east of ground zero for Hurricane Sally on Sept. 17, 2020 and has been reopening in phases. Check www.navalaviationmuseum.org/ to get current status.

[@thetreblerebel]

@@sopilote56 wow..that's crazy. I'm s big fan of Pensacola, would like to retire their. The museum is top notch in my opinion. It's one of the best I've ever visited.

[@daseladi]

Well done, everyone.

[@johna2193]

Thanks for posting, the tour guide was great. I want to see more!

[@sopilote56]

+John A Thanks for watching! A really great museum and a tour by a docent who is passionate about making naval aviation history come alive. Well worth a visit if you can. Lots more to see next time.

[@Codygames482]

Intro music gave me Brace for impact vibes

[@sopilote56]

@RailfanCody2 Thanks for watching. Impossible to please everyone when you add music but I guess I wanted to give the opening panorama of Ft. Pickens (1834), the active airbase and military museum some gravitas. The Naval Aviation Museum displays the incredible evolution of aviation technology that occurred in less than 100 years and also shares some stories of the tremendous effort, suffering and sacrifice that members of our military have endured. I think it is always worth trying to get a tour with a knowledgeable docent and we were very lucky to get Lew who served and saw the harsh reality of war first hand. Visiting can be a very powerful experience. It is easy to forget history and it seems that our culture is substituting lots of new pretend battles for ones that really happened not very long ago.

[@fbueller]

Thank you for this!!!

[@sopilote56]

@fbueller Thanks for watching!

[@hopeyouaredoingwell4705]

This is awesome!

[@sopilote56]

@bf1 enjoyer Thanks for watching! I hope to go back for a tour of things I missed about a month from now.

[@spencermiles9076]

Outstanding!

[@sopilote56]

+Spencer Miles Thanks for watching!

[@michaelsandona8845]

Thank You, great walk around, Im looking forward to coming to the States and your on my must see list !!!

[@sopilote56]

+Michael Sandona Thanks for watching! The Blue Angels Air Shows and their practice schedules at Pensacola are listed on this website: www.blueangels.navy.mil/show/ --- Likely to be revised for 2020.

[@SnzzzSus]

Went here for a field trip

[@sopilote56]

+Christopher Fistopher Thanks for watching! Hope you had a good tour.

[@SnzzzSus]

@@sopilote56 Np My Fav Was the The Other one That Was More Modern

[@sopilote56]

@@SnzzzSus I only got to see a little bit of the modern one. I will focus on that building next time!

[@SnzzzSus]

@@sopilote56 Its Fine There always A Next Time😃

[@mikoyanfulcrum1]

Very well done!!

[@sopilote56]

+mikoyanfulcrum1 Thanks for watching. We were lucky to get such a great guide for this great museum.

[@silvereagle2061]

"The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered " story about the "L-8 Ghost Blimp" sent me here, but this didn't cover the gondola of the blimp which is in this museum, (briefly seen in the background at the end of this video)

[@sopilote56]

+Robert Dambeck Thanks for watching! I think the regular tour is about 2-1/2 hours long - more than my camera batteries could cover so we asked for a shorter, custom tour. To really see everything is at least a half-day. If you go and can watch the Blue Angels practice (check website link that follows), have lunch and tour the lighthouse across the street it would be a full day. They have a very interesting restaurant with aviation decor salvaged from Cubi Bay Officers Club in the Philippines. Beautiful beaches also in the area. See www.navalaviationmuseum.org/attractions/

[@impalalover8030]

I miss pre covid era. I dream of doing this again one day soon. I remember in the summer we always made a day of watching the Blues practice in the morning and then going to the museum and light house. It was a full day but enjoyed every moment of it. Watching the Blues never got old. Also I loved the old vintage Pensacola Era of the Forties. I would love to time travel and go back to see what it was like.

[@ronniemccullough1969]

BORING!!!!

[@FujisamaProductions]

Dude lol why would you comment such a childish thing on such asmn informative video take that somewhere else

[@WKBHB]

I've been to this museum twice while on family vacation at the beach. Both times I had to leave way before I wanted because the rest of the family was ready to move on after 5 hours. The last time I was there the size and scope of the museum was dwarfed by the shock I got when I drove the minivan up to an enormous wall at the end of a big concrete parking lot. I was trying to decide whether to turn left or right as I looked up at the enormous building or whatever was in front of me. I felt like an ant when I realized we were yards away from the side of the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany, being stripped to become the largest artificial reef in the world. The museum is world class. If you've had a close family member that served in the Navy during war it's extremely special. I'll go alone next time so I can enjoy it unhindered. If you're not in to this tour I suppose Shark Tank, war movies and plane crash videos should hold your attention just fine. To each their own.