Military Aviation Museum facts for kids
US Air Force hangar and main building
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| Established | 2005 (Opened to the Public in 2008) |
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| Location | Virginia Beach Airport, Virginia Beach, Virginia 1341 Princess Anne Road |
| Type | Aviation museum |
| Collection size | Over 70 vintage airplanes |
| Visitors | >80,000 (2019) |
| Founder | Gerald "Jerry" Yagen |
The Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach, Virginia, is a super cool place! It has one of the biggest collections of old military airplanes, called warbirds, that can still fly. These planes come from countries like Germany, France, Italy, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. They were used in both World War I and World War II. The planes in the museum are from the 1910s up to the early 1950s.
The museum works hard to keep these planes in great shape. They also put on amazing airshows twice a year where you can see the planes fly! Inside, you'll find a library and other items that help tell the stories of these historic aircraft.
Contents
Museum's Story
The Military Aviation Museum was started by Gerald "Jerry" Yagen in 2005. Its big airplane hangars first opened to visitors in 2008. Jerry had been collecting and fixing up warbirds since the mid-1990s. His very first plane was a Curtiss P-40E Kittyhawk.
Overcoming Challenges
In 2013, the museum faced some tough times. Jerry Yagen thought he might have to sell the museum and its planes. He said it was getting too expensive to keep it going.
But good news! While some planes were sold, the museum was able to stay open. Since then, they've even gotten more planes, like a de Havilland Dragon Rapide, which are being fixed up to fly again.
What You'll See at the Museum
The museum is located at its own small, private grass airfield, called the Virginia Beach Airport. This is in the Pungo area of Virginia Beach.
The museum has several cool buildings:
- Two main display hangars, one on each side of the main building.
- A replica of a wooden hangar from World War I.
- A maintenance hangar that looks exactly like one built in 1937.
- A real, restored metal hangar from the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) built before World War II.
- Three storage hangars painted to look like British World War II hangars.
The Luftwaffe hangar was built in Germany in 1934. The museum bought it in 2004 when its original air base closed. It was taken apart, shipped all the way to Virginia Beach, and put back together. Work started in 2010 and finished in 2012. Now, it holds the museum's German planes.
The museum also has an air traffic control tower from World War II. This tower came from an old British air base called RAF Goxhill. It was completely taken apart in the UK, shipped to Virginia, and rebuilt here by 2018. This is the only original control tower of its kind in the US!
You'll also spot a huge orange and white water tower. It's easy to see from far away and helps people find the museum.
Right at the entrance, there's even a dinosaur park! It's free to visit and open to everyone.
Fixing Up and Building Planes
Some of the planes that need a lot of work are fixed up at the museum's own repair shop, called the Fighter Factory. Other planes are sent to special companies for restoration. Some of these companies include:
- Meier Motors
- AV Specs Limited
- Pioneer Aero
- Light Retouch
The museum also works with the Aviation Institute of Maintenance. Students there are building copies of World War I planes for the museum's collection. These include planes like the Morane Saulnier AI, Nieuport 11, Nieuport 17, Nieuport 24, Sopwith Pup, Sopwith Camel, Sopwith 1½ Strutter, and deHavilland D.H.2. Some of these, like the Morane Saulnier AI and Sopwith 1½ Strutter, have already arrived!
The Fighter Factory
The Fighter Factory is a special team that restores and takes care of the museum's airplanes. It started in 1996 to fix up the very first plane in the collection, a P-40E.
It used to be at Norfolk Airport, then moved to Suffolk Municipal Airport in Suffolk, Virginia. Now, the Fighter Factory has two locations: one in Suffolk and a new one right at the museum in a special hangar.
Take an Airplane Ride!
Imagine flying in an old airplane! The museum offers guests the chance to ride in either a Waco YMF-5 or a Stearman N2S-3. Both of these are cool biplanes with open cockpits, so you can feel the wind as you fly!
More to Explore
- List of aerospace museums
- Virginia Beach Airport
