The Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach, Virginia, holds one of the largest private collections of World War II flying aircraft, including a number of naval planes.
Open since May 2008, it is located on 102 private acres occupied by Virginia Beach Airport, which has a 5,000-foot grass runway. Each of its aircraft was either salvaged or purchased from other collections and, according to the museum, carefully restored by military aviation engineers.
The main 65,000-square-foot building encompasses two hangars connected by a center welcome and display facility. The eastern side typically houses naval aircraft, while the western hangar generally exhibits army and air force airplanes.
Visitors to the main building are transported back into history, first viewing a reproduction flyable 1911 Wright EX Flyer. The Vin Fiz–sponsored EX made the first United States transcontinental flight, with many crashes and repairs. Arranged around the aircraft are artifacts from World War II, including a German staff car, a BMW motorcycle, British Dingo scout car, 25-pounder howitzer, and a Willys jeep.
Probably the rarest object is an authentic Fi 103 (V1) German “Buzz Bomb.” This is a later version capable of air launching and radio control. The main building also displays aircraft engines, including a Rolls-Royce Merlin and a Pratt and Whitney R-2800 18-cylinder Double Wasp, which powered the F6F Hellcat and the F4U Corsair. The Wasp has been cut away for a better view of its interior.
The second deck hosts a gallery of aviation paintings, uniforms, and artifacts. It offers an excellent view of the tarmac and runway, in addition to having balconies overlooking the aircraft-filled hangers. Knowledgeable docents are available to give tours and answer questions, with the sound of period music in the background lending further ambience.
Visitors can walk among the aircraft packed in the hangars but must often weave a path and duck under wings. Information is displayed on movable posts for the aircraft. The aircraft are flight-capable, but not all are ready to go at any given time.
The east naval hangar houses an N3N-3 “Yellow Peril” and an SNJ-2 and SNJ-4 Texan, the latter of which was stationed at Dutch Harbor, Alaska, during World War II. An FM-2 Wildcat, exhibited here and manufactured in 1944 by General Motors’ Eastern Aircraft division in New Jersey, was first assigned to a small training field in Pungo, Virginia, and later served with training squadrons throughout the Navy. The museum’s FG-1D Corsair was delivered to the Navy in 1945 but spent most of its time in storage and probably has the fewest flight hours of any Corsair. The museum also possesses an example of the Corsair’s Royal Navy rival, the Hawker Sea Fury.
The museum’s Japanese Aichi D3A “Val” dive bomber is one of nine used in the 1970 film, Tora! Tora! Tora! A TBM-3E Avenger torpedo bomber, built in 1945, saw only 1,227 hours of service, flying antisubmarine patrols from Norfolk, Virginia, Miami, and the Pacific island of Palau.
Perhaps one of the most fascinating exhibits in the museum is a PBY-5A Catalina, a flying boat manufactured by Consolidated Aircraft, one of a series of aircraft originally intended for use as a patrol bomber. These often-forgotten aircraft played a vital role in World War II. Accepted into service in 1943, the version here flew patrols out of San Diego, Norfolk, French Morocco, the Canary Islands, Gibraltar, and the Azores.
The museum’s west army hangar includes a P-40E Warhawk, painted in the Flying Tigers scheme. This aircraft was recovered from the frozen tundra of the Arctic Circle. Others include a P-51D Mustang, a B-25J bomber, and numerous British, Russian, and German planes.
The recently completed World War I hangars are adjacent to the Fighter Factory, the museum’s restoration and maintenance facility.
The Military Aviation Museum holds special events throughout the year, including World War I airshows, a “Symphonic Airshow Spectacular” with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, and recently, “Aviation History through the Art Show.” The institution is advancing its educational outreach by beginning a summer aviation camp for students 9-14 years of age.
Located south of Virginia Beach in a rural community known as Pungo, the museum is easy to recognize from a distance by its faded orange-and-white checkered water tower.
Mr. Wambold is the research coordinator of the Chester County Hall of Heroes project (www.chesco.org/heroes). He lives in West Chester, Pennsylvania, and is a regular contributor to Naval History.
Military Aviation Museum
1341 Princess Anne RoadVirginia Beach, VA 23457Tel.: (757) 721-7767
http://www.militaryaviationmuseum.org
Open 7 days a week except Thanksgiving and Christmas
Hours: 0900-1700
Admission: adults $10, seniors and active-duty military $9, children 6-18 $5, children under 5 and World War II veterans free.