Delays in airports are bound to happen, fortunately, there are options that can hopefully make these pass faster. The Mitchell Gallery of Flight is a nice little aviation museum in the main terminal of the Milwaukee airport.
The Mitchell Gallery of Flight in Milwaukee Airport (MKE)
Milwaukee’s Mitchell airport is my home airport, so often I’m just passing through, and rarely spend much time there. Fortunately when I have extra time, there is an excellent aviation museum that helps pass the time during a delay or anytime. The museum is land side in the main terminal, one floor above the United and American ticket counters.
bust of Mitchell near the entrance of the museum
The airport itself as well as the museum are named for William Mitchell, generally regarded as the father of the US Air Force. Mitchell grew up in the Milwaukee area, and was a major advocate for developing military air power in the early 20th century
The museum contains many Mitchell artifacts, as well as a detailed history of aviation in Milwaukee and the airport. Beyond General Mitchell, there are also a few exhibits on other local people who have had an impact on the aviation world.
Captain James A. Lovell, USN
One of the largest exhibits contains artifacts donated by Astronaut and Naval aviator James Lovell. Lovell is most famous for his role as the commander of Apollo 13. Tom Hanks played him in the movie about the mission.
There are lots of airplane models and other displays that would make most aviation geeks happy.
Midwest Express display (Rest in Peace)
A display shows the history of the Air Force Reserve base at the airport.
Now that Midwest Airlines is gone, there is no longer much connecting traffic in Milwaukee. Most carriers just fly to hubs, so there is limited connecting traffic. Still, if you find yourself with spare time at the Milwaukee Airport, be sure to check out the Gallery of Flight, its worth a trip outside security.
Please let me know if you need any other local suggestions. Official museum site here.
