Quonset Air Museum

Last updated
Quonset Air Museum
MIG-17 on display at Quonset Air Museum, Rhode Island.jpg
MiG-17 on display at the Quonset Air Museum.
USA Rhode Island location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location within Rhode Island
Established1992
Dissolved2015
Location North Kingstown, Rhode Island
Coordinates 41°35′20″N71°24′58″W / 41.589°N 71.416°W / 41.589; -71.416
Type Aviation museum
Founder
  • William E. Sheridan
  • Larry Webster
PresidentDavid Payne
CuratorDavid Payne
Website www.quonsetairmuseum.com

The Quonset Air Museum was an aviation museum located at Quonset Point Air National Guard Station in North Kingstown, Rhode Island.

Contents

The museum's collection included military vehicles, missiles, aircraft and over 5,000 smaller aviation artifacts. An extensive archive of books, magazines, manuals, photos, documents and blueprints was preserved within the museum.

Notable aircraft in the collection included the last surviving Curtiss XF15C mixed propulsion prototype and a twin tail C-1A Trader. This one of a kind aircraft had been fitted with twin tails and radome (but without associated electronics) to serve the aerodynamic prototype for the E-1 Tracer Electronic Counter Measure aircraft. This C-1A has the distinction of being the last aircraft to fly from Naval Air Station Quonset Point upon its closure in 1974.

History

The museum recovered an F6F-5 Hellcat from Martha's Vineyard on 4 December 1993. It became the subject of a court battle after the U.S. Navy claimed that the aircraft had been salvaged without their permission. [1] Eventually, a settlement was reached where the museum received the aircraft on loan from the Navy. [2]

An Antonov An-2 at the museum was given to the Antonov Foundation in 2004. [3] The following year David H. Payne Sr. became the museum president. [4]

The museum occupied Painting Hangar #488 located at what was once the Naval Air Station Quonset Point. This 50,000 sq. ft. facility was one of only three existing specialized wood and brick hangars built during WWII. Heavy snowfall in March 2015 partially collapsed the building's roof and the hangar was condemned. [5] [6]

In January 2016, plans for a new museum were announced. [7] The museum was originally supposed to leave by April 2, but it was given an extension. [8] Later, in June, a $4 million request for state funding failed to materialize. [9] On December 16, 2016, it was announced that the museum would not reopen. [10] Although many aircraft in the collection have been transferred to other museums, the museum's P2V was scrapped in May 2018, as it was too large to move. [11]

Formerly on display

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grumman F6F Hellcat</span> United States Navy fighter airplane

The Grumman F6F Hellcat is an American carrier-based fighter aircraft of World War II. Designed to replace the earlier F4F Wildcat and to counter the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero, it was the United States Navy's dominant fighter in the second half of the Pacific War. In gaining that role, it prevailed over its faster competitor, the Vought F4U Corsair, which initially had problems with visibility and carrier landings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Aircraft Factory N3N</span> Type of aircraft

The Naval Aircraft Factory N3N was an American tandem-seat, open cockpit, primary training biplane aircraft built by the Naval Aircraft Factory (NAF) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during the 1930s and early 1940s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Convair C-131 Samaritan</span> 1954 airlifter series by Convair

The Convair C-131 Samaritan is an American twin-engined military transport produced from 1954 to 1956 by Convair. It is the military version of the Convair CV-240 family of airliners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grumman J2F Duck</span> American single-engine amphibious biplane

The Grumman J2F Duck is an American single-engine amphibious biplane. It was used by each major branch of the U.S. armed forces from the mid-1930s until just after World War II, primarily for utility and air-sea rescue duties. It was also used by the Argentine Navy, who took delivery of their first example in 1937. After the war, J2F Ducks saw service with independent civilian operators, as well as the armed forces of Colombia and Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patriots Point</span> Naval museum in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum is a naval museum located in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, at the mouth of the Cooper River on the Charleston Harbor, across from Charleston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palm Springs Air Museum</span> Aviation museum in Palm Springs, California

Palm Springs Air Museum is an aviation museum in Palm Springs, California. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit leases from the city 17 acres abutting Palm Springs International Airport.

The Air Zoo, founded as the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum, is an aviation museum and indoor amusement park next to the Kalamazoo-Battle Creek International Airport in Portage, Michigan. The Air Zoo holds many historical and rare aircraft, including the world's fastest air-breathing aircraft, the SR-71B Blackbird. Many of its antique planes are airworthy. Among its other attractions are a 180-degree theater that projects a 2-D film simulation of a B-17 bombing mission during World War II; and various amusement rides, including flight simulators of a rocket trip to Mars, a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornet, a stunt biplane, a hot air balloon, a veteran U.S. Navy F-14A Tomcat that served aboard USS America, and more. Air Zoo is a Smithsonian Affiliate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patuxent River Naval Air Museum</span> Naval aviation museum in Maryland, U.S.

The Patuxent River Naval Air Museum is a museum at Lexington Park, Maryland, first opened in 1978, which preserves and interprets the Naval Air Station Patuxent River history and heritage of advancing US naval aviation technology with artifacts, photographs and film, documents, and related heritage memorabilia from Patuxent River and other naval stations. The museum is dedicated to those who have employed their talents in advancing naval aviation research, development, testing, and evaluation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum</span> Aviation museum in Pueblo, Colorado

The Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum is a non-profit aviation museum located in Southern Colorado. It was founded in the mid-1970s by former Pueblo City Manager Fred Weisbrod. The museum is made up of two hangars that were built in 2005 and 2011. The hangars house several of the museum's aircraft along with thousands of artifacts dating from World War I to modern day. PWAM is home to the International B-24 Memorial Museum and the Southern Colorado Space Museum and Learning Center. There are several historic military vehicles in the museum's collection, many of which are still in operational condition. The museum is located six miles east of Pueblo, Colorado on US Highway 50 at the Pueblo Memorial Airport, occupying space on what was the Pueblo Army Air Base during World War II. It is managed and maintained by the Pueblo Historical Aircraft Society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grissom Air Museum</span> Aviation museum in Peru, Indiana

The Grissom Air Museum is a military aviation museum at Grissom Air Reserve Base near Peru, Indiana with over twenty aircraft on display.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum</span> Aviation museum in Lower Township, New Jersey

The Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum is an aviation museum located at the Cape May Airport in Lower Township, in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Airpower Museum</span> Airplane museum in East Farmingdale, NY, US

The American Airpower Museum is an aviation museum located on the former site of Republic Aviation at Republic Airport in East Farmingdale, New York. It maintains a collection of aviation artifacts and an array of aircraft spanning the many years of the aircraft factory's history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Collings Foundation</span> Aviation and automotive preservation foundation in Massachusetts, United States

The Collings Foundation is a private non-profit educational foundation located in Stow, Massachusetts, with a mission dedicated to the preservation and public display of transportation-related history, namely automobile and aviation history. The Collings Foundation is headquartered at a small private airfield in Stow that includes a small museum that opens for special events and pre-scheduled tour groups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chico Air Museum</span>

The Chico Air Museum is a nonprofit aviation museum located at the Chico Municipal Airport in Chico, California. Its mission statement is to "collect, preserve, document and display aircraft, and aviation and space artifacts. The museum’s primary purpose is to educate and inspire people of all ages about aviation and the history of flight".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War Eagles Air Museum</span> Aviation museum in Santa Teresa, New Mexico

War Eagles Air Museum is an aerospace and automotive museum with several exhibits. It is located at Doña Ana County International Jetport in Santa Teresa, New Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warhawk Air Museum</span> Military aviation museum in Nampa, Idaho

The Warhawk Air Museum is an aviation museum located in Nampa, Idaho.

The Historic Aircraft Restoration Project is an aviation museum located in Hangar B at Floyd Bennett Field in New York, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erickson Aircraft Collection</span> Aviation museum in Madras, Oregon

The Erickson Aircraft Collection is an aviation museum located at the Madras Municipal Airport in Madras, Oregon.

Lewis Air Legends is an organization located in San Antonio, Texas focused on historic aviation.

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Arnold, David (5 March 1994). "Museum, Navy battle over plane". Boston Globe. pp. 21, 24.
  2. ↑ Dailey, Keli (26 August 2001). "Fossils of Flight". Westside Weekly. Times Community News. p. 2.
  3. ↑ "A sight that's bound to stop traffic". The Record. Associated Press. 6 March 2004. p. A-13.
  4. ↑ Bessette, James (16 March 2017). "Passages: Former Quonset Air Museum president had 'great love' for state's military past". The Independent. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  5. ↑ "Quonset Air Museum may stay closed after building condemned". WPRO. 1 May 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  6. ↑ Towne, Shaun; Wright, Madeleine (18 April 2016). "Airport Road dome may end up at Quonset Air Museum". WPRI.com. Archived from the original on 6 August 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  7. ↑ Bessette, James (30 January 2016). "Plans for new Quonset Air Museum in their "infancy"". The Independent. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  8. ↑ Kirby, Shawn (2 April 2016). "Air museum to get extension from RIAC". The NK Standard Times. RICentral.com. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  9. ↑ Parker, Paul Edward (10 June 2016). "Quonset Air Museum threatened by lack of funds". Providence Journal. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  10. ↑ Bessette, James (16 December 2016). "Quonset Air Museum won't reopen". The Independent. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  11. ↑ Crandall, Brian (8 May 2018). "Old military plane demolished at Quonset Air Museum". Turn to 10. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "Exhibitions". The Quonset Air Museum. Archived from the original on 26 October 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  13. ↑ "Airframe Dossier - Bell OH-58A Kiowa, s/n 70-15117 US". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  14. ↑ "Airframe Dossier - Curtiss-Wright XF15C-1, s/n 01215 USN". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  15. ↑ "Airframe Dossier - Douglas A-4M Skyhawk, s/n 158148 USN". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  16. ↑ "Airframe Dossier - Grumman Avenger, s/n 53914 USN, c/n 3976, c/r N7029C". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  17. ↑ "Airframe Dossier - Grumman F-14 Tomcat, s/n 162591 USN". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  18. ↑ "Airframe Dossier - McDonnell F-4A-4-MC Phantom II, s/n 148252 USN, c/n 0024". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 20 August 2019.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.