Wings Over Miami facts for kids
 |
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Established | 2001 |
|---|---|
| Location | Miami Executive Airport, Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States |
| Type | Aviation Museum |
Wings Over Miami is a special kind of museum for airplanes. It's called a "flying aviation museum" because many of its planes can still fly! You can find it at the Miami Executive Airport in Miami-Dade County, Florida, in the United States. It's about 13 miles (21 km) southwest of downtown Miami.
This museum is home to many important aircraft from history. These planes show how aviation has changed over the years. It's a great place to see real planes up close and learn about their stories.
How Wings Over Miami Started
The idea for Wings Over Miami came after another plane museum, the Weeks Air Museum, had to move. The Weeks Air Museum was also at the Miami Executive Airport. But in 1992, a very strong storm called Hurricane Andrew hit Florida. This hurricane caused a lot of damage to the museum's building and many of its planes.
Because of the damage, the Weeks Air Museum moved away. This left a gap in Miami for people who loved aviation history. So, in 2001, four friends who loved planes decided to create a new museum. Their names were Walter Orth, Larry Ploucha, Vincent Tirado, and Tom Righetti. They wanted to use the same airport facility.
What Makes This Museum Special
From the very beginning, the founders agreed on something important. They wanted Wings Over Miami to be a "flying museum." This means that the airplanes in their collection would not just sit still. Instead, they would be kept in good condition so they could fly regularly. Imagine seeing a historic plane actually take off!
The museum has gathered many different types of aircraft. These include old-fashioned planes from early aviation. They also have planes from important times in history, like World War II and the Cold War.
Amazing Aircraft Collection
The Wings Over Miami museum has a fantastic collection of airplanes. Each plane has its own unique story and history. Many of these aircraft are still able to fly, which is very exciting for visitors.
Here are some of the cool planes you might see at the museum:
- Aero L29-R Delfín
- Aero L-39C Albatros
- Brown B-1 Racer
- Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina
- Douglas A-26C Invader
- Douglas C-117D
- Grumman F-14D Tomcat
- Ikarus Aero 3-A
- Ryan PT-22
- Nanchang CJ-6A
- North American AT-6D Texan
- North American T-28 Trojan
- North American SNJ-6
- Schweizer SGS 1-26
- Yakovlev Yak-52
