Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum facts for kids
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Hangar #1
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| Established | 1997 |
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| Location | Lower Township, New Jersey |
| Type | Aviation museum |
| Collection size | 20+ aircraft |
| Founder | Dr. Joseph Salvatore |
The Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum is an exciting place to visit! It's an aviation museum, which means it's filled with amazing airplanes and other things that fly. You can find it at the Cape May Airport in Lower Township, New Jersey, in Cape May County, New Jersey, USA.
Contents
The Museum's Story
Building a Base
The land where the museum stands was once a busy place for the U.S. Navy. From 1941 to 1942, the Navy built an airport there. In April 1943, it officially opened as Naval Air Station Rio Grande. It was named after a nearby town.
However, there was a problem! People often confused it with Rio Grande City, Texas. So, in June 1943, the Navy changed its name to Naval Air Station Wildwood.
Saving Hangar #1
Years later, in the mid-1990s, a special person named Dr. Joseph Salvatore bought Hangar #1. This large building was in bad shape back then. He had a vision to turn it into something amazing.
This Hangar #1 is a classic design from the 1940s. Many hangars like it were used by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps. Some are even still used today! The museum's hangar is so important that it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's a historic landmark.
What You'll See
The museum has a fantastic collection of aircraft. Many of them are from World War II, when the U.S. Navy used the base for training. You can also see military planes from other times, like the Cold War, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
Recent Updates
In 2012, the museum had some damage from Hurricane Sandy. But they worked hard to fix everything up!
In 2014, a Humvee vehicle that the United States Coast Guard used in Afghanistan was loaned to the museum. It's cool to see a vehicle that served in real missions.
In 2022, the museum received a special gift: a WWII aircraft engine called an R-2800. It was found in the ocean! Later that year, the hangar got a brand new roof. The museum briefly closed in October 2023 to finish the roof repairs.
Aircraft on Display
The museum has over 20 aircraft! Here are some of the cool planes and helicopters you can see:
- Air & Space 18A 18-59
- Bell AH-1 Cobra 67-15633
- Bell EH-1X Iroquois 69-15905
- Bell UH-1M Iroquois
- Boeing-Stearman N2S-3 Kaydet 38073
- Boeing-Stearman PT-17 Kaydet 40-1825
- Cessna 150
- Cessna OE-2 Bird Dog 140090
- Douglas A-4A Skyhawk 142180
- General Dynamics F-16B Fighting Falcon 78-0088
- Grumman F-14B Tomcat 161422
- Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat
- Grumman TBM-3E Avenger 86180
- Hughes OH-6 Cayuse 67-16638
- Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star 10055
- Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star 10056
- McCulloch J-2
- Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 1961
- North American T-28C Trojan 140557
- Northrop F-5E Tiger II 741572
- Sikorsky HH-52A Seaguard 1462
- Vultee BT-13 Valiant 42-88708
- V-2 rocket – replica
Events and Fun
The museum hosts an exciting event every year called AirFest. It's an airshow where you can see amazing planes fly!
More to Explore
- List of museums in New Jersey
- List of aerospace museums
- List of maritime museums in the United States
