Hoosier Air Museum
  Location within Indiana | |
| Established | October 2000 |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | 3 December 2019 |
| Location | Auburn, Indiana |
| Coordinates | 41°18′15″N 85°03′33″W / 41.3041°N 85.0593°W |
| Type | Aviation museum |
| Founder | Niles Walton[1] |
| Website | hoosierairmuseum.org (Archived) |
The Hoosier Air Museum was an aviation museum located at the DeKalb County Airport in Auburn, Indiana.
History[edit]
Background[edit]
The Hoosier Warbirds were founded by a group of aviation enthusiasts who met in October 1991 following the publication of a classified advertisement in a local newspaper.[2]
Establishment[edit]
The group raised money to build a hangar, which opened in October 2000.[3] It acquired a Cadillac Fleetwood and an AH-1 in 2002.[4]
The museum acquired two airplanes, four engines and an exhibit about the 434th Fighter Squadron from the Wings of Freedom Museum in Huntington, Indiana in 2006.[5][a]
Closure[edit]
Due to a lack of volunteers and difficulty accessing the site, the museum closed on 3 December 2019. Most of its exhibits were donated to Kruse Plaza, which opened the Hoosier Air Experience. However, the museum's WR-3 was donated to the National Air and Space Museum in 2020.[1][6][7]
Facilities[edit]
The museum was composed of a 10,000 sq ft (930 m2) hangar and a 6,375 sq ft (592.3 m2) event hall.[8] The latter included a library.[9]
Exhibits[edit]
The museum included exhibits about the Tuskegee Airmen, the Women Airforce Service Pilots, the Flying Tigers the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, memorabilia belonging to Robin Olds and a control tower cab.[8][10][11]
Collection[edit]
- Bell AH-1F Cobra[12]
- Brunner-Winkle Speedbird[12]
- Cessna T-50[12]
- Fokker D.VII – replica[12]
- Loving-Wayne WR-3[12]
- Model RHC1 Helicopter[12][failed verification]
- Nieuport XI – 7/10 scale replica[12]
- Nieuport XXIV – 3/4 scale replica[12]
- Piper J3C Cub[12]
- Pitts S-1 Special[12]
- Pratt-Read LNE-1[12]
- Stewart S-51D Mustang[12]
- Vultee V-77[12]
References[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^ a b Kurtz, Dave (13 September 2009). "Hoosier Air Museum is Moving". The Star. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ "Who We Are". Hoosier Warbirds, Inc. Archived from the original on 17 July 2006. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ Allison, Don (4 October 2001). "Warbird Museum's History and Prospects Outlined to Kiwanians". Bryan Times. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ Prentice, Sheryl (2 August 2002). "Cadillac, Cobra Helicopter Added to Hoosier Air Museum". KPCNews.com. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ a b Kurtz, Dave (28 February 2006). "Hoosier Air Museum Acquires New Exhibits". KPCNews.com. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ "Hoosier Air Experience". Kruse Plaza. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ Kurtz, Dave (13 February 2020). "Local Museum Donates Plane to Smithsonian". The Star. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ a b "About Us". Hoosier Air Museum. Archived from the original on 3 June 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ "Library: Books, Videos, Model Planes". Hoosier Air Museum. Archived from the original on 2 June 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ Kobiela, Jenny (2 July 2007). "Memorabilia of Late Air Ace on Display at Auburn Museum". KPCNews.com. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ Kurtz, Dave (3 December 2019). "Air Museum's Moving Day". The State. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Aircraft on Display". Hoosier Air Museum. Archived from the original on 3 June 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2023.