[2][1] The museum's origins can be traced to 1976 when a group of enthusiasts sought to preserve aviation relics after the destruction of Cyclone Tracy.

It was later broadened to include the documentation of World War II aircraft crash sites and the preservation of aviation relics related to the defence of Darwin during World War II.

In the late 1980s, the Society negotiated with the United States Air Force (USAF) and the Northern Territory Government to obtain a surplus USAF Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bomber and to build a museum to house and display the aircraft.

[4][5] In 2011, the museum was considered as a display location for one of two Mi-24s confiscated by the Department of Defence in 1997.

It is on permanent loan from the United States Air Force and is one of only three on public display in the world outside the US.