Howard W. Cannon Aviation Museum

If you're in McCarran airport and have some time to spare, this baby museum is packed with tons of Las Vegas aviation history.The displays are educational and each one is packed with lots of reading to keep you busy. The visuals included pilot uniforms, airport and airplane parts artifacts, tons of vintage black and white aviation pictures. This is a nice little stop if you have about 15-30 minutes to spare. The readings are definitely more interesting than the displays themself.The C & D gate TSA entrances are close by and can be seen from the museum. It's definitely worth checking out once if you're in the McCarran airport. Safe travels!

I would ever think in a million years that a baggage claim delay extending my time in an international airport a few hours would turn out to be an educational experience. When my cross-country flight landed in Las Vegas, it was hours before my baggage. Southwest Airlines had failed to transfer my bags in a timely manner causing it to be delayed over two hours. In exchange for a $150 travel voucher, I decided to stick around the airport where I would partake in a cup of Starbuck's before exploring the close-by Howard W. Cannon Aviation Museum.    This is a mini museum that is located in McCarran International Airport (expected to be renamed Harry Reid International Airport) above the baggage claim in the middle of the level two corridor bridging the parking garage to T.S.A. and the escalator to ticketing. This museum is unique in the way that it is laid out in the middle of a busy walkway with numerous exhibits dispursed throughout the airport. The main exhibits are the information boards and collections in the center of the walkway, the World Endurance Flight airplane with the Hacienda logo hanging above the baggage claim ceiling, and the 1956 red Thunderbird. Through its exhibits this mini museum tells the story of commercial and private aviation. According to the Howard W. Cannon information board, the nucleus of the collection is the documentation of the history of Alamo Airways and Alamo Airport (today's McCarran International and tomorrow's Harry Reid International) and its founder George Crockett.     This mini museum should take about twenty minutes. However, if you are a museum nerd like me, it's a different story. Where in the past I would rush past this museum from the parking garage to ticketing and be impervious to it above me in baggage claim, on the night of November 1, I spent over an hour being a museum nerd. My first stops were the red 1956 Thunderbird then taking in the Hacienda airplane above baggage claim. From there I took in the collections while writing notes from all these facts on the information boards. The information boards taught me facts about the first local commercial, private, and mail flights. They also taught me whom and what some of the Las Vegas roads are named after. Names such as Nellis and Bonanza. In this airport educational experience, I learned that McCarran International opened in 1948 servicing 35,106 passengers in its first year. I learned that Senator Howard W. Cannon ended a filibuster that was instrumental in passing the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Throughout my visit, I learned so much more.     The Howard W. Cannon Aviation Museum is a mini museum that I feel ought to be reviewed as a mini museum that happens to be in an airport that costs zero to see (in my case I gained $150 seeing it while waiting an extraordinary time for my baggage). Taking the above into consideration along with my experience, I rate the Howard W. Cannon Aviation Museum Four Stars.

Somewhat tiny but interesting museum about aviation achievements in Vegas. It has a lot of artifacts. There's a lot of airplane parts, uniforms, and similar items. It's simple and not complicated. This is interesting to look at a few minutes. It basically hides in plain sight in McCarran International Airport. It's in Terminal 1 just after you get to all the flight boards. This is before the TSA checkpoints, so give yourself some time. It doesn't take lots of time fortunately. There's some cool things in it, especially for those into aviation or airplane history. It has an exhibit about the origins of the airport. There's also lots of items about Howard Hughes. There's a few other items scattered around the airport. It has a few uniforms and other items after the checkpoints. This gives you a few more minutes to look at something.

Small but fascinating, this little Airport museum is actually full of GREAT information about the history of aviation in the Las Vegas area! I was truly impressed both by the stories here and the items on display. This was really curated well and shows a lot about many different eras in Vegas aviation history. I'd say that this is well worth a gander if you have the time in this part of the airport.

So there isn't much for interaction. It is mostly artifacts and history, which I dig. My 4.5yo son wasn't too interested. We had a bit of time before the flight so this worked for me. Pretty cool stuff if you're into aviation and Las Vegas history.