Military Aviation Museum, Virginia Beach
Aug 20, 2021 20:15:58 #
For all you aviation buffs, a friend of mine invited me to go with him to visit the subject museum and what an interesting place. A little 'brief' history;....The heart of the collection was formed and created by Gerald and Elaine Yagen, longtime residents of Virginia Beach and founder of Tidewater Tech, now Centura College, and the Aviation Institute of Maintenance schools. Yagen had long been a general aviation pilot but never had the opportunity to serve in the military. All of his flight experience had been in civilian, general aviation flying and most often in his corporate, twin engine Piper Aerostar aircraft.
It was in the fall of 1994, when he was attending an annual convention for fellow Aerostar aircraft owners being held in Canada. One evening, at the CWH Museum in Hamilton, Ontario, they attended a dinner dance among all the many historic airplanes of the museum. The convention participants had been asked to dress up for the party in attire from the 1940’s. He located a former B-17 bomber uniform and they came as a wartime couple. It was here that evening, that he decided that it might be exciting to obtain just one of these historic aircraft for himself to fly on weekends over Virginia Beach....and many a/c have been added since.
I have to mention the Goxhall Tower....Anyone who've see 12 O'Clock High would recognize this immediately.
Perhaps no single airfield building evokes stronger memories of the air war of World War Two than the “Watch Office”, or “Control Tower” in American parlance. It was from here that operations were conducted, and it was from the second story balcony that men scanned the skies for planes returning after a mission, hoping against hope that all would come home safely.
The museum’s Control Tower is not a reproduction. It is in fact the very “Watch Office” built for RAF Station Goxhill in Lincolnshire, England (sans the a/c). RAF Goxhill opened in June of 1941, and it was the very first British base turned over to the arriving American air forces one year later, becoming USAAF Station F-345 Goxhill. As hundreds of those bases and towers are now being reclaimed by nature, this one is the only authentic tower of its type in the United States. It was taken apart brick by brick and brought back to Virginia Beach and reconstructed and filled with actual equipment including original maps obtained from America and the UK...the Desk is the only replica.
Another interesting fact, ALL aircraft in this museum are totally flyable and are routinely flown. Here are some images of these a/c. Also the WWI Hangar is a complete reproduction to specs with the exception of a dirt floor.
Part Two is WWII aircraft.
Cheers everyone, hope you enjoy
It was in the fall of 1994, when he was attending an annual convention for fellow Aerostar aircraft owners being held in Canada. One evening, at the CWH Museum in Hamilton, Ontario, they attended a dinner dance among all the many historic airplanes of the museum. The convention participants had been asked to dress up for the party in attire from the 1940’s. He located a former B-17 bomber uniform and they came as a wartime couple. It was here that evening, that he decided that it might be exciting to obtain just one of these historic aircraft for himself to fly on weekends over Virginia Beach....and many a/c have been added since.
I have to mention the Goxhall Tower....Anyone who've see 12 O'Clock High would recognize this immediately.
Perhaps no single airfield building evokes stronger memories of the air war of World War Two than the “Watch Office”, or “Control Tower” in American parlance. It was from here that operations were conducted, and it was from the second story balcony that men scanned the skies for planes returning after a mission, hoping against hope that all would come home safely.
The museum’s Control Tower is not a reproduction. It is in fact the very “Watch Office” built for RAF Station Goxhill in Lincolnshire, England (sans the a/c). RAF Goxhill opened in June of 1941, and it was the very first British base turned over to the arriving American air forces one year later, becoming USAAF Station F-345 Goxhill. As hundreds of those bases and towers are now being reclaimed by nature, this one is the only authentic tower of its type in the United States. It was taken apart brick by brick and brought back to Virginia Beach and reconstructed and filled with actual equipment including original maps obtained from America and the UK...the Desk is the only replica.
Another interesting fact, ALL aircraft in this museum are totally flyable and are routinely flown. Here are some images of these a/c. Also the WWI Hangar is a complete reproduction to specs with the exception of a dirt floor.
Part Two is WWII aircraft.
Cheers everyone, hope you enjoy
Aug 20, 2021 20:55:21 #
Aug 20, 2021 21:13:18 #
kpmac wrote:
Outstanding. I love aviation museums.
Thanks Ken, glad you liked it....
Aug 21, 2021 15:55:41 #
This is a great post! As a military aviation guy for 20 years although with somewhat more modern aircraft, a museum like this is pure eye candy for me. They probably didn't have much use for avionics techs in those days.
Aug 21, 2021 16:37:31 #
Retired CPO wrote:
This is a great post! As a military aviation guy for 20 years although with somewhat more modern aircraft, a museum like this is pure eye candy for me. They probably didn't have much use for avionics techs in those days.
Thanks chief most appreciated, I’m getting ready to post number two tonite And it’s all World War II aircraft at the same museum…Cheers
Aug 21, 2021 16:53:28 #
Blaster34 wrote:
For all you aviation buffs, a friend of mine invit... (show quote)
Awesome shooting of a great place
⭐✳️🏆✳️⭐
Aug 21, 2021 17:21:00 #
joecichjr wrote:
Awesome shooting of a great place
⭐✳️🏆✳️⭐
⭐✳️🏆✳️⭐
Thank you Joe, some really tight quarters…
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