I saw the “Fly in for history” story in AOPA Pilot magazine and wanted to alert you of another on airport museum. The Estrella Warbird Museum is at the Paso Robles Airport KPRB on the Central Coast of California. —Matt Hendrich
Paso Robles Municipal Airport in Paso Robles, CA has a great little on-airport museum called the Estrella Warbirds museum. www.ewarbirds.org And if you also love cars you’ve got the Woodland Auto Display right next door in an adjacent building. www. woodlandautodisplay.com
We visit the airport every time we head to Paso. Highly recommended. —Eric Boucher
I enjoyed your article “Fly in for history” in the September issue of AOPA Pilot magazine. Here are a couple other Museums on airports that are quite enjoyable to visit.
Both of these museums are worth seeing in my estimation. Hope this is some value to your magazine. —Robert Himes
I was just looking at the list of on-airport museums. There are 2 that I know are not on the list.
I know there are more. I'm sure you will get a lot of emails. Maybe fodder for a great article! —David Gardner
I saw in the September issue the list of on-airport museums. I’m sure it isn’t even close to a comprehensive listing, but if one were to make a list, a wonderful place to add to it would be The Aviation Museum of Kentucky at Bluegrass Airport, Lexington, Kentucky (KLEX) https://www.aviationky.org/home.asp —Steven FitzpatrickI have a couple of additions to your list of on-airport museums. The Mid America Museum of Aviation and Transportation is at the Sioux Gateway Airport, KSUX, in Sioux City, Iowa. The Fagen Fighters WWII Museum is at the airport in Granite Falls Minnesota, KGDB. — Alan Grigsby
In addition to the Planes of Fame Air Museum at the Chino Airport in Chino, CA, there is also the Yanks Air Museum. This museum is just as impressive. — Gary HessWanted to add an additional on-airport museum to your list from the September issue of Pilot. The Air Victory Museum at KVAY in NJ has an interesting collection of planes including an F-14. —Brian Ahrens
This is a fun one. To add to you on-airport museum list!!
And Hood Crest winery right next to the airport w great pizza and music Sat aft++
New England Air Museum at Hartford’s Bradley International Airport. One of the best! How could you miss it! — Reinhard MetzI would like to include an on-airport museum at KDNA, Santa Teresa, New Mexico. It's an impressive museum with a good representation of warbirds. http://www.wareaglesairmuseum.com —Marcus Miner
I cannot believe you didn’t include the Air Zoo in your list at Kalamazoo, Michigan (KAZO). They obtained one of the first F-117 Nighthawks which has been restored and is on display. They also have the SR-71 Blackbird as a center attraction. Their restoration center is nationally known and have restored several aircraft that have been salvaged from Lake Michigan for other museums. You would have a great article if you choose to check it out. Local pilots make a day of visiting the Air Zoo by parking on their private ramp. They have a restaurant on site so you do not have to leave the complex. You can also hop over to Battle Creek (KBTL) and visit the Waco Kitchen for lunch. The restaurant overlooks the Waco factory floor. Just be prepared for all the Cirrus traffic from WMU Flight School. www.airzoo.org — Thomas Beam
Lyon Air Museum in Santa Ana, CA is another On-airport museum. They have an interesting exhibit on Aircraft Belly Tank Racers underway (ends September 5)
Really enjoy AOPA Pilot coverage of Aviation History and Museums. Please keep it up!
Regards — Steve Breitenstein
Thanks for the list of airport museums in the most recent issue of Pilot. What a great reason to fly to a new airport! We have two here in Kansas City, MO that you missed. The Airline History Museum and the TWA Museum are both located at the Downtown Airport. They don’t get enough press, which is a shame, because the displays are excellent and the staff really care. Thank you for everything the AOPA does. — Mark Brown
Other great museums:
- Mid-Atlantic Air Museum at Reading Regional Airport (RDG). The field also has a nice restaurant.
- NAS Wildwood Aviation Museum at Camp May, NJ (WWD) also with a restaurant on the field.
- Millville Army Air Field Museum at Millville NJ (MIV) —Todd Warner
To the On-airport museums listed in the AOPA Pilot, Sept 2022 issue, if one is navigating the Pacific Northwest, a must-visit is the Warhawk Air Museum (WAM) at Nampa Municipal Airport (KMAN), a great GA facility located a few miles west of Boise (KBOI). Aircraft include a still-flying pair of P40 Warhawks, and a still-flying rare P-51C Mustang, plus static jets of the Cold War era: F-86, MIG-17, MIG-21 and F-104, and a Vietnam-era Huey helicopter. Plus, there are over 200 cabinets of hero-pilot memorabilia telling the human side of the story. —Phil Brubaker
In your September 2022 article on the KPSP Air Museum you list a number of on-airport museums. Missing is a small, easily overlooked museum that resides at the Grants-Milan Muni Airport (KGNT) in New Mexico. Check out the Aviation Heritage Museum for a glance at a little known, but fascinating, (and almost hundred year old) chapter in the evolution of aviation in US: http://www.cibolahistory.org/airway-heritage-museum.html —Jeff Mellquist
How could you have missed the Delaware Aviation Museum?!?! You did a story on the B-25 Panchito in Dec 2015. Maybe I have a soft spot for them since I just finished my SIC type on Saturday. https://www.delawareaviationmuseum.org “Fly in for History” was a great story though! —Paul Sanchez
Please add to your list: Naval Air Station Wildwood located ay Cape May County Airport, New Jersey - https://usnasw.org/ Thank you —Emile "Joe" Henwood
Just letting you know that the September 22 magazine missed the Mid-America Airport Museum at Liberal, Kansas (KLBL) and the Thomas P Stafford Airport Museum at Weatherford, Oklahoma (KOJA).Thanks for making it a great magazine. —Anthony Carbone
Tuskegee, AL has the Tuskegee Airmen National Museum on site. It’s very interesting and has the original hangers. —Matt Hrna
I highly recomend the National Museum of WWII Aviation at the NW corner of KCOS ( north end of GA side of airport, adjacent to West Pac Restorations). Very impressive, recently expanded. ( worldwariiaviation.org for info.) Regards —Tony Paulsen
Check out the McMinnville Air Museum, across the street from McMinnville airport (KMMV), Oregon. The Spruce Goose is on display, along with a large selection of air and space craft. https://www.evergreenmuseum.org (https://www.evergreenmuseum.org/site-map/) —Brooks Wolfe
Nice article, but you missed the Tri-State Warbird Museum at Batavia, OH (I-69). It is convenient to those visiting Sporty’s. https://www.tri-statewarbirdmuseum.org/visit/ —Douglas Hynden
There is a nice on field museum at Rick Husband Airfield (Amarillo). It is http://www.texasairandspacemuseum.org/. Fly in, have some chow at the on field café and walk 300 yards down and visit the museum. They have their own ramp and may even let you park right there. Not sure about that. Call my friend Ron Fernuik who runs the joint (806 335-9159) and find out. Ron and the other docents are happy to walk you around or just be on your own. Plenty of artifacts and aircraft indoors and out. They are fundraising now and trying to move into larger quarters on the airfield. —Jerry Russell
You missed the Valiant Air Command Warbird museum at Space Coast Regional Airport, Titusville, FL (TIX) in your September 22 edition of AOPA Pilot magazine. —James Underwood
Here are two on-airport museums that should be included on your list: Museum of Flight, SXM Santa Maria, California. Several movies were based here including The Rocketeer, Valiant Air Command, TIX Titusville, Florida. Also, the Wright B flyer at Wright Brothers field MGY in Dayton, Ohio. —Tom Rodabaugh
Entries to add to "On-airport museums" as shown in AOPA Pilot, Sept 2022: Cavanaugh Flight MuseumAddison Airport (ADS), Addison, TX, https://cavflight.org/, Frontiers of Flight Museum, Dallas Love Field (DAL), Dallas, TX, https://www.flightmuseum.com/, Lyon Air Museum, John Wayne Airport (SNA), Santa Ana, CA, https://lyonairmuseum.org/ —Brian Skruchb
In the Sept AOPA Pilot, you missed the excellent Hiller Aviation Museum at San Carlos, California (SQL), which is oriented toward kids and features a Wright Flyer simulator. You also missed the New England Air Museum at Bradley Airport, Connecticut (BDL), which features a B-36. —Bruce Grubbs
I would like to recommend the Estrella Warbird Museum (https://www.ewarbirds.org/index.html) that’s on field at Paso Robles, CA (KPRB). The museum is huge with lots of static displays, memorabilia from every American conflict, a giant auto museum (Woodland Auto Museum) and flights on C47-B. There are monthly dinners as well. The admission price is very reasonable and PRB is very easy to fly into. —David R. Stites
I accidentally found an air museum in a remote airport that was an Army Air Corps training airfield in WW11. Wings of Honor Museum, Walnut Ridge Regional Airport (ARG), Walnut Ridge, Arkansas —Charlie Powell
Hi,
You missed the Combat Air Museum in Topeka Kansas. It is located at KFOE. http://www.combatairmuseum.org/
Sincerely —Henry Toenjes
I was looking through your latest magazine addition and noticed we were missing from your “on airport” museum list and it said to email you with suggestions. Hiller Aviation Museum, San Carlos Airport (SQL), San Carlos, California. Thanks —William Turner
The Mid Atlantic Air Museum is in Reading, PA. Located on KRDG. https://www.maam.org/ —Marc HuffnagleHere are a few more museums:
- Lyon Air Museum at John Wayne Airport, Santa Ana, CA
- Heritage Flight Museum at Skagit Regional Airport, Burlington, Washington
- Western Antique Airplane & Automobile Museum, at Hood River Airport, Hood River, Oregon
- Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, across the street from McMinnville Airport, Oregon
- Flying Heritage and Combat Armor Museum, Paine Field, Everett, Washington (this collection of the late Paul Allen has been sold ... website says it will reopen within the year.)
- Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, Red Hook, New York
Happy Flying —Geri Silveira
You can add the Alaska Aviation Museum to your list. It is located at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport in Anchorage, Alaska. —Joseph DarnellThese two aviation museums immediately came to mind when I read the sidebar in the September issue of AOPA Pilot. I can attest that each of them is worth the trip. —Bill Brose
Mid Atlantic Air Museum
1054 Arnold Rd, Reading, PA 19605
http://www.maam.org/
+16103727333
Located at the Reading Regional Airport (RDG)
Florida Air Museum
4175 Medulla Rd, Lakeland, FL 33811
http://www.floridaairmuseum.org/
+18639046833
Located at Lakeland Linder International Airport
The Alaska Aviation Museum is at the Anchorage International Airport —Jim Magoffin
A true gem with with ramp access from RWY 17-35. —Jason Rapp
Your September article missed some great Midwest on airport museums. The Kalamazoo air zoo is located at the Kalamazoo Battle Creek airport KAZO. Where else can you taxi to the museum, park next to a warbird, see an Apollo engine and the only remaining two seat SR71. There is also a nice little place to eat overlooking the museum. As a bonus Kalamazoo is located in one of those elusive TRSA (Terminal Radar Service Area) areas your flight instructor told you about.
You also missed the Grissom air museum located right down the street from the air base. Land on the 12,501 foot runway (where you can do three touch and go landings for every trip around the pattern) and taxi to the FBO. From there it is a short walk to the museum where they have a Convair B58 Hustler the cold war supersonic bomber that needed such a long runway. When you are done it is a short walk to the Dutch Café for a great meal or the breakfast buffet.
There are a lot of other small museums including the Atterbury-Bakalar air museum located in Columbus Indiana KBAK which is a nice stop just after you finish breakfast at the Blackerbys Hangar Five Restaurant.
And where else can you have great pie and see a B-17 being built along with other museum pieces. Of course that would be at Grimes field in Urbana Ohio, which has recently been featured on AOPA live.
As you can see in the Midwest we like our Museums with some food.
Hope you can add these to your at the airport museum lists.
If you would like a more detailed report on any of these just let me know what word count you are looking for. —John Burns
Nice article on aviation museums in the September 2022 AOPA Pilot. You asked about some missing on-airport museums from you list. Here are the Wisconsin On-Airport Museums:
EAA - @ KOSH - Wittman Regional Airport - Oshkosh Wisconsin - This is the largest aviation museum in Wisconsin and is a great place to visit by airplane or car. Website: https://www.eaa.org/en/eaa-museum <https://www.eaa.org/en/eaa-museum>
Wisconsin National Guard Museum - @ KVOK - Volk Field Air National Guard Base - Camp Douglas Wisconsin - This one is a little harder to fly into. They do allow general aviation to fly in different times of the year. The museum has a large collection of aircraft outside of the museum. It is interesting to visit and can be done by car too. Website: https://www.facebook.com/WNGMUSEUM <https://www.facebook.com/WNGMUSEUM>
Aviation Heritage Center of Wisconsin - @ KSBM - Sheboygan County Memorial Airport - Sheboygan Falls Wisconsin - Nice little museum, lots of activities and fun things to do. Website: https://www.facebook.com/ahcwi <https://www.facebook.com/ahcwi>
EAA Chapter 838 - @ KRAC - Batten International Airport - Racine Wisconsin - Nice museum, lots of exhibits, but is only open by appointment right now - Website: https://eaa838.org/museum/ <https://eaa838.org/museum/>
Mitchell Gallery of Flight - @ KMKE - Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport - Milwaukee Wisconsin - Located in the main passenger terminal it is a little harder to get to by general aviation aircraft. It is a good museum with lots of aviation displays. No aircraft on display of course. - Website: https://www.mitchellgallery.org <https://www.mitchellgallery.org/>
Kelch Aviation Museum - @ C37 - Brodhead Airport - Brodhead Wisconsin - This is a Wisconsin treasure! Located on one of the Midwest’s best Vintage grass airports, the museum features the Golden Age of Aviation with a collection of aircraft that are some of the only flying examples left. All but one or two are air worthy and do fly. The main building houses a collection of 12-14 vintage aircraft that rotates through their collection of aircraft. The new state of the art facility opened in 2021 and is already expanding. Admission is free but they do live on donations. The airport is home to EAA Chapter 431, the Pietenpol/Hatz Reunion, the Midwest Antique Airplane Association’s Grassroots fly-in, lots of Hamburger Socials, pancake breakfasts and other activities including biplane rides, so the museum really fits right in. As you can tell, this aviation museum is my favorite one in Wisconsin. And yes, I do volunteer there so I am maybe a little biased! LOL! Website: https://www.kelchmuseum.org <https://www.kelchmuseum.org/>
Wisconsin also has a great “Fly Wisconsin” passport program that each airport in Wisconsin has a stamp, you fly in with your passport book, get the stamp and when your book is full you get a flight jacket. There are other little requirements too, for more details @ https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/travel/air/pilot-info/flywi.aspx <https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/travel/air/pilot-info/flywi.aspx>
More Wisconsin Aviation Museums can be found @ https://wisconsin.com/travel/whattodo/museums/type/aviation.php <https://wisconsin.com/travel/whattodo/museums/type/aviation.php> Not all are airports. Note: this list is growing, more are being added. —Mark Buehl
Hi,September 2022 issue requests info on on-airport aviation museums not on the list.
“Aviation Museum of Kentucky” is at Blue Grass Airport (LEX) in Lexington KY. —Joe Kolling
* American Helicopter Museum – Brandywine Airport (KOQN), West Chester PA. https://americanhelicopter.museum/flying-in/* Mid-Atlantic Air Museum – Reading Carl A. Spaatz airport (KRDG), Reading, PA. http://www.maam.org/about_1.htm* NAS Wildwood Aviation Museum – Cape May Airport (KWWD), Cape May, PA. https://usnasw.org/* Piper Aviation Museum – William T. Piper Memorial Airport (KLHV), Lock Haven, PA. https://www.pipermuseum.com/ —Steve Canfield
Septembers issue of AOPA Pilot had an article about on airport museums, specifically the Palm Springs air museum, which was great. You then listed about 10 to 15 other museums across the country that have airport museums. One of my all-time favorites was not listed: It is the Piper Aviation museum located at, Yep you guessed it, the Piper Memorial Airport, located in Lockhaven, PA, Symbol LHV. Located on the southwest corner of the airport you can easily visit the museum form the airport. In addition they have an annual meeting of piper enthusiasts, call the “sentimental journey fly-in” which is held annually. Thanks again and best regards for producing a great general aviation magazine. —Tim Gawenus
There’s a fantastic air museum located at KPRB in Paso Robles, CA. The Estrella Warbird Museum is dedicated to the restoration and preservation of military aircraft, military vehicles, and memorabilia of those who flew and worked on military aircraft. They have a restored C-47B named Betsy’s Biscuit Bomber which you can catch a ride in for a donation. The rides are conducted once per month. Their website is located here: https://www.ewarbirds.org/index.htmlThere is another great air museum located at KCMA in Camarillo, CA. The museum is operated by the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) which is an all-volunteer organization, with members from all walks of life, dedicated to preserving the history of combat aircraft which were flown by all military services of the United States. The CAF is a non-profit, privately funded and totally self-supporting 501 (c)3 organization. Their website is located here: https://www.cafsocal.com/museum/ —Michael Wagoner
KPMD: Blackbird Airpark Museum, KMMV: Evergreen Air Museum (I visited 18 western area museums in 11 days by private plane back in 2007, most accessible w/o renting a car.) —Jeffrey Smirz
While reading my September issue of AOPA Pilot, I have two comments regarding the on-airport museums listed on page 31. First one is that the Carolinas Aviation Museum has been closed for some time now with tentative plans to re-open in 2023. I’ve visited before and it is excellent. It’s a shame that it’s currently closed. Secondly I would like to add to the list the Hickory Aviation Museum in Hickory, NC on the field of HKY. This is also excellent, with ~15 warbirds on the tarmac and an indoor historical museum with artifacts. It is super convenient for GA pilots, there is an on-airport restaurant, the volunteers are very friendly, they have an active Facebook page, and they are constantly refurbishing and adding to the fleet. Just last year they took one of the retired Blue Angels’s Hornets. Awesome! —Michael Gutta
I have a couple of additions to your list of on-airport museums. The Mid America Museum of Aviation and Transportation is at the Sioux Gateway Airport, KSUX, in Sioux City, Iowa. The Fagen Fighters WWII Museum is at the airport in Granite Falls Minnesota, KGDB. —Alan Grigsby
In addition to the Planes of Fame Air Museum at the Chino Airport in Chino, CA, there is also the Yanks Air Museum. This museum is just as impressive. —Gary HessI cannot believe you didn’t include the Air Zoo in your list at Kalamazoo, Michigan (KAZO). They obtained one of the first F-117 Nighthawks which has been restored and is on display. They also have the SR-71 Blackbird as a center attraction. Their restoration center is nationally known and have restored several aircraft that have been salvaged from Lake Michigan for other museums. You would have a great article if you choose to check it out. Local pilots make a day of visiting the Air Zoo by parking on their private ramp. They have a restaurant on site so you do not have to leave the complex.
You can also hop over to Battle Creek (KBTL) and visit the Waco Kitchen for lunch. The restaurant overlooks the Waco factory floor. Just be prepared for all the Cirrus traffic from WMU Flight School.
Check them out at … —Thomas Beam
Lyon Air Museum in Santa Ana, CA is another On-airport museum. They have an interesting exhibit on Aircraft Belly Tank Racers underway (ends September 5). Really enjoy AOPA Pilot coverage of Aviation History and Museums. Please keep it up! —Steve Breitenstein
You missed one at Shannon Airport , KEZF, just outside Fredericksburg, VA.The museum is small but well done. The Robins Nest Cafe is right on the airport as well. Worth a detour! —Bill MimsThanks for the list of airport museums in the most recent issue of Pilot. What a great reason to fly to a new airport! We have two here in Kansas City, MO that you missed. The Airline History Museum and the TWA Museum are both located at the Downtown Airport. They don’t get enough press, which is a shame, because the displays are excellent and the staff really care. Thank you for everything the AOPA does. —Mark Brown
Greetings:
Other great museums:
- Mid-atlantic Air Museum at Reading Regional Airport (RDG). The field also has a nice restaurant.
- NAS Wildwood Aviation Museum at Camp May, NJ (WWD) also with a restaurant on the field.
- Millville Army Air Field Museum at Millville NJ (MIV) —Todd Warner
In your September 2022 article on the KPSP Air Museum you list a number of on-airport museums.
Missing is a small, easily overlooked museum that resides at the Grants-Milan Muni Airport (KGNT) in New Mexico. Check out the Aviation Heritage Museum for a glance at a little known, but fascinating, (and almost hundred year old) chapter in the evolution of aviation in US: http://www.cibolahistory.org/airway-heritage-museum.html —Jeff Mellquist
AOPA, 8/31/22Can't believe you over looked the Aviation Museum of Kentucky (http://aviationky.org/) at Blue Grass Airport, Lexington, KY. Come see us —Robert Riggs
Kalamazoo, MI, KAZO, has a great on field museum. The Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum, or Air Zoo, has a wide range of aircraft displayed and, on an adjoining campus, one of the best restoration facilities in the country. —John Bowden
How about the: Aviation Hall of Fame in Teterboro, New Jersey? The Aviation Hall Of Fame & Museum of New Jersey was founded in 1972 and preserves New Jersey's aviation and space heritage. The museum displays historic aircraft, space equipment, artifacts, photographs, art and an aircraft model collection. The library has more than 4,000 volumes and a collection of aviation video. —Dave Hollinger
These two aviation museums immediately came to mind when I read the sidebar in the September issue of AOPA Pilot. I can attest that each of them is worth the trip. —Bill BroseMid Atlantic Air Museum
1054 Arnold Rd, Reading, PA 19605
http://www.maam.org/
+16103727333
Located at the Reading Regional Airport (RDG)
Florida Air Museum
4175 Medulla Rd, Lakeland, FL 33811
http://www.floridaairmuseum.org/
+18639046833
Located at Lakeland Linder International Airport
In your September article about On-airport museums, you missed Virginia Beach Airport 42VA. It's a private field but a fantastic WWII and WWI aircraft museum with many of the former still flying and available for flights.
My brother is cc'ed here, he is not listed as airfield manager, but that's effectly what he does. —Rick Vtipil
Hello AOPA, I was so glad to see the On-Airport Museum list you included at the end of the September article "Fly in for history". Any thoughts on printing an Off-Airport Museum list? My wife and I travel around the country often, not always by airplane. It would be wonderful knowing where all those other museums are located. Many thanks — Lee Van Deusen
Good Afternoon,
I am the Executive DIrector at the Fargo Air Museum and in your last issue, there are quite a few On-Airport Museums and would love to have the Fargo Air Museum listed as well.
We are located on KFAR in Fargo, ND. www.fargoairmuseum.org.
Thank you!
—Ryan
Thayer Executive Director/CEO
Phone: 701-293-8043 / 701-356-5633 (Direct)
Email: [email protected]