The Military Aviation Musuem of Virginia Beach, Virginia has several hangers full of various vehicles and airplanes from conflicts from the past century. The musuem hosts one of the largest collections of World War I and World War II planed in the world.
The owner of the Military Aviation Museum travels around the world to collect various unique aircraft. Mike Potter, the current Musuem Director, has flown the only B-29 Superfortress that is still operational.
On November 14, 1910, the Ely-Curtis Pusher was the first model plane to be taken off from a U.S. Navy ship.
After World War I, the U.S. government established he only government owned aircraft manufacturing factory. This government owned factory produced the NAF N3Ns, which were the first training planes for the U.S. military.
Other countries, such as Germany also constructed trainer planes after World War I.
In 1941, the U.S. Navy had a two seated Stearman N2S-3 aircraft utilized to train it’s forces new pilots. This was the model airplane primarily used during the war for training. Presently, the musuem has pilots give flights to musuem visitors via this airplane.
A portrait of the model plane that President George Herbert Walker Bush had flown while he was fighting in World War II, is on display.
From 1943 to 1945, the Ford Company built a “Bren Gun Carrier” which was a tank-like vehicle without a cannon.
Before World War II, the British invented a “25 Pounder Gun” which was considered the best piece of artillery in the world until the 1960s.
The Nazi government utilized the Hanomac-Kurier vehicle as a staff car to transport various government officials.
The museum had an exhibit on the “German Three Rotar Enigma” was used to created coded messages for the German Military during World War II.
The German Three Rotar Enigma was utilized on the U-Boats during the course of the war.
A photograph of Heinz Guderian, the architect of the German Blitzkrieg, using the Enigma is one of the few photographs that show the device being used.
During World War II, Nazi Germany invented the world’s first jet, an aircraft that did not use propellers. The Military Aviation Musuem has a banger dedicated to various jets that the Nazis designed that would of gone into mass production had the war lasted longer.
In addition to experimental jets, Nazi Germany made planes for smaller airplanes capable of dropping bombs.
The Military Avation Musuem has various newspapers from the Virginia-Pilot and other publications regarding World War II.
The Military Aviation Musuem was the site of the former Goxhill Control Tower that was constructed in 1941 and utilized until the end of World War II.
The 1949 Douglas AD-4 Skyraider airplane was primarily used during the course of the Korean War.
The Military Aviation Musuem has not bale minority aviators listed.
In addition, the musuem has a, “Women In Avation” exhibit.
In addition, the Military Aviation Museum hosts various paintings on the walls around the vehicles on display.
Author’s Note:
I found it interesting that the Military Aviation Musuem had a plaque about the USS Hornet, an aircraft carrier that is currently stationed in Oakland California. After the first NASA mission to the moon, President Nixon visited Neil Armstrong and Buzz Alderin at the decontamination chamber on the USS Hornet, after the sailors rescued the astronauts from the return capsule in the ocean.
Another photo showed President George H.W. Bush visiting the Cypress Street viaduct that had collapsed after the 1989 earthquake.
Hamilton Historical Records 