Is the CR Smith Museum worth a dedicated trip for a lifelong airline nerd?

I would say no.
Unless they are in the close vicinity anyway.
I personally wouldn't make a special trip over 10 miles

It would be a good layover activity if you have an afternoon or morning.

It's well done, but it's a rather small collection. It's mostly memorabilia and small nic nac type stuff. There's a jet engine cutaway and a polished DC3, but to be honest, the coolest aspect of the museum is the building itself.

Thanks guys.

I was last there during a recurrent in early 2007. If you go to the far right corner of the building there's a tiny display for TWA. Not that anybody cares.....

I was there 2 months ago. Some of the old nostalgic stuff is pretty cool. Put my overall impression was that this was a company that has been broke for the last 5 years, and no money was spent on the place for the last 10 years. Many displays are broken. the DC-3 smells like mold and rot inside. The movies they show are neat, but old and out of focus.

I actually thought it was a really great museum! It especially has some great stuff for kids there (or kids at heart) like an engine cutaway, a simple sit-in style simulator where you can load up all sorts of different a/c to fly, and great history! Interesting note about the DC-3… according to John (one of the nice volunteers that worked there and USAF vet who flew P-51s through the F-111) it was the first one ever built and when AA bought it for the museum it was being used as a crop duster.

I can't wait to take my wife and kids, too next time I'm in Ft Worth!

It's fun but yeah, not worth a dedicated trip. It is, of course, connected to (and part of) the AA schoolhouse.

Does the DC-3 still smell like insecticide? It spent years in the weeds at Hilton Head airport after being used a mosquito sprayer.