Aviation enthusiast on holiday in Florida with my ...

Aviation enthusiast on holiday in Florida with my wife and another couple. Valiant air command museum looked like a good bet to me, but would it have a broad enough appeal to prove an interesting day out for my three companions? It certainly was - all of us enjoyed it tremendously and I can't recommend it highly enough. On arrival we were greeted by Curt, one of the volunteer guides, who went into the first exhibition room and added a few extra pieces of information to some of the displays. However, once we realised this was a man with a real passion for the museum's exhibits and a wide knowledge of aircraft, and he realised that we were genuinely interested in what he had to say, we were treated to the best couple of hours in any museum anywhere. We sat in several cockpits whilst Curt brought the experience to life with interesting annecdotes from the operational history of the aircraft. The museum was big enough to house a great variety of exhibits but not so big that all of them are roped off and inaccessible.

Personally I would rather have good close-up access to a few dozen significant or unusual aircraft accompanied by a first-class guide than look at twice as many aircraft hanging from the ceiling or viewed from a roped-off area 20 feet away.

I can thoroughly recommend the museum, and more importantly, so can my non-aviation friends, who also enjoyed it a lot. Thanks Valiant, and thanks Curt.