ABOUT US
The Patuxent River Naval Air Museum is a member supported, privately funded museum preserving the history and heritage of Naval Aviation and associated technology.
WHO WE ARE
OUR MISSION
Preserve
Significant artifacts of naval aviation research, development, test and evaluation history and technology.
Educate
The public about the historic and social significance of the work of the U.S. Navy that is uniquely carried out in St. Mary’s County.
Inspire
We inspire & encourage excellence in science, technology, engineering & mathematics, and embrace its future promise as a pathway to advanced innovations and an improved quality of life.
OUR VISION
Be a highly valued community resource providing both educational and tourism benefits to the Southern Maryland area for generations.
PAX MUSEUM HISTORY
The Patuxent River Naval Air Museum (PRNAM) has a decades-long history, yet at the same time, the Museum is starting fresh. It is no longer an official U.S. Navy museum following federal budget restructuring. The Museum is now a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization working in conjunction with St Mary’s County. With the recently completed construction of a multi-million dollar capital project that transformed the museum, it is now displaying the potential to become a premier cultural institution and economic driver for the County.
Enjoying a supportive community that recognizes the museum as the link between the U.S. Navy’s missions at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River (Pax River) and the community defined by that mission, it sits in an enviable location with an inspiring story perfectly suited to the technological preoccupations of our era.
When compared to other aviation-focused museums, PRNAM is unique in terms of its collections and mission. Whereas most aviation museums focus on operational aircraft and exhibits, PRNAM focuses on the research, development, test and evaluation environment. Ideas and concepts that were developed and introduced to the Fleet form the basis of its interpretive program. PRNAM also displays concepts that never made it to the Fleet that makes the Museum’s collection all the more unique. Artifacts and simulators, films and books spanning the history of Naval Aviation are topped off with a display of over 25 aircraft, some of which are one-of-a-kind, that you can walk right up to make the museum dynamic and memorable.