aric@evolve-creative.com

It has been a busy year here at the Museum with an intensive schedule of maintenance for the aircraft in our collection. This work, aimed at keeping the airplanes in tip-top condition consistent with their status as historical artifacts, has caused a reduction in scheduled flying activities. We appreciate everyone’s patience with this process and…

After a couple of weeks of assembly, test runs and other pre-flight procedures we have a flying Fleet Model 2! Although it was test flown in Texas before being disassembled for transport to Virginia Beach we are no less excited to see the airplane back in the air! The images here were captured on Saturday…

The Military Aviation Museum collection is home to a large number of aircraft that the public does not regularly have the chance to see. These airplanes wait in storage for the opportunity to be restored. Which airplanes get finished in what order is not always an easy decision, with thought given to available resources, and…

BuNo 36175’s accident report card indicates that the aircraft’s pilot, Lt. Charles L. Ford III, survived the ditching, suffering two deep gashes to his forehead. The team here is working actively to collect more information on the pilot and we welcome any help! The card, shared below, depicts the specifics of the accident which occurred…

The Fighter Factory has finalized the plan for the restoration of our Dauntless! The components will be split up to accelerate the project. The wings will be restored by the team at Aero Trader, while the fuselage is going to the dedicated team at Pioneer Aero in Ardmore, New Zealand! Pioneer Aero recently completed the…

For the past 30 years, Kevin Smith (pictured at right) has been working on an SBD project of his own, aimed at celebrating the type’s incredible wartime contributions. We are pleased to announce that Kevin’s unequalled collection of parts, including a set of wings, will now contribute to the restoration of our Dauntless! We send…

We are pleased to welcome Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless BuNo 36175 to the collection at the Military Aviation Museum. The airframe was recovered from the bottom of Lake Michigan where it had sat since a training accident in January, 1944. Join us throughout the month of March to view the airplane before the restoration process begins.…

Not every project we work on or acquire for the Museum is an airplane! As part of our goal to recreate the experience of visiting a vintage airfield we are constantly on the lookout for ground vehicles that can get us closer to that goal! The dream is that someday the airplanes would be moved…

The Museum’s venerable Stearman was among the first aircraft in the collection. After a number of years providing memorable rides over the oceanfront to Museum visitors we decided to take it out of service, to conduct a thorough restoration on the aircraft. After several months spent re-covering the aircraft, and going over all of the…