[2] Admission is free to nearly half-million visitors each year, which makes it the fourth-most-visited museum of the United States Department of Defense.

[5] In 1992, the museum dedicated its 60,000-square-foot "Phase II" facility, later named the Eagle Building, which housed a theater, a diorama, and more aircraft, among other exhibits.

In 2019, the museum unveiled a statue of Eugene Bullard, the first African-American pilot to fly in combat.

Bullard, a native of Columbus, Georgia, served in the "Aéronautique Militaire", or French Air Force during World War I.

Serial number 61-7958 set an absolute speed record of 1,905.81 knots (2,193.2 mph; 3,529.6 km/h) on July 28, 1976, which stands today.

The academy offers field trips and independent programs that integrate STEM disciplines with humanities subjects such as history and literature.