America by Air, the newest permanent gallery opened by The National Air and Space Museum, encompasses the entire history of flight and air travel in the United States, starting in 1914 and leading up to today. We know what you're thinking, "Isn't that what the whole museum is about?" And yes...it is. So Air and Space has managed to create an exhibit that is, in fact, a microcosm of itself, which is so damn postmodern we might just have to file this post under the Arts section.

America by Air begins with the nascent years of flight, placing the majority of its focus on the heavy government intervention present during the early years of the phenomenon. Mail delivery was the primary interest, but the U.S. government also provided subsidies to bolster technological advancement and get the private sector up and flying. The exhibit includes a few minor interactive elements in this portion that are effective and would especially be interesting to any kids you may have in tow.

From there, the exhibit progresses past mail delivery and into the development of passenger air travel. At first, this expansion was fueled by the advent of cross-country flights, the "Lindbergh boom," and plenty of investment thanks to a roaring stock market in the 1920s. The exhibit is quick to point out that the government still had to be involved a great deal, and air travel at this time was still mainly reserved for the likes of wealthy tourists jetting to resorts in Panama or businessmen closing deals in Chicago, Philadelphia, or New York. The short mention of early airport designs and air traffic control is not to be missed -- it's in a small display tucked away in a back corner, but it covers an oft-neglected but crucial topic in air travel development.

The advances in scale and technology that were made during World War II and shortly thereafter are glossed over a bit too quickly, and we learn the real focus of the exhibit: commercial air travel. Judging by the amount of advertising materials here, airlines could have financed every ad agency in the country in the late 1940s and 1950s, bolstering the image that air travel provided the highest level of comfort and safety. Beyond this point, the exhibit is in danger of blending in with the rest of the museum. It seems to lose focus in the era when flight graduated from being just a domestic industry and steadily became less identified with America. America by Air pulls out a strong finish, though, upon reaching the Jet Age of today. The interactive elements, which the exhibit had abandoned upon surpassing the 1930s, make their return here; an installation on the mechanics of flight control is notable, as is the Airbus cockpit simulation with its video presentation of a takeoff and landing from Dulles International Airport.

America by Air is a new permanent gallery at The National Air and Space Museum. NASM is open daily from 10:00 am - 5:30 pm and is located at Independence Ave and 4th Street, SW.

Photo by Eric Long/NASM , National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution