Champaign Aviation Museum

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Champaign Aviation Museum
Champaign Aviation Museum Hangar.jpg
B-17 Flying Fortress undergoing restoration
Champaign Aviation Museum
Established2005 [1]
Location Grimes Field,
Urbana, Ohio, United States
Coordinates 40°08′05″N83°44′56″W / 40.134643°N 83.748957°W / 40.134643; -83.748957
Type Aviation museum
DirectorDave Shiffer
Website champaignaviationmuseum.org

The Champaign Aviation Museum is a non-profit World War II aviation museum in Urbana, Ohio. [2] It is situated on the north end of Grimes Field municipal airport, roughly a mile from central Urbana. The museum is known primarily for its ongoing restoration of a B-17 Flying Fortress to flying condition. The museum is the only organization in the state of Ohio to provide living history flight experiences to paying passengers in its North American B-25 Mitchell. It is also a component of the National Aviation Heritage Area, a federally designated heritage area primarily centered around sites pertaining to the Wright brothers. [3]

Contents

History

The museum began with the purchase of the wreckage of a JB-17G/model 299Z, a B-17 engine testbed variant with a fifth engine mounted on the nose, and several other parts sourced from various B-17s. The parts and pieces arrived at Grimes Field in November 2005. Restoration work started on the aircraft by volunteers at the south end of the airport soon after. The museum was established as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 2008, the same year a North American B-25 Mitchell was purchased. [4] [5] The next year the museum purchased a C-47 and a former waterbomber A-26. [6] [7] Work continued on the B-17 at the south end until 2010 when a purpose built hangar was completed and the B-17 project as well as the newly acquired aircraft were moved into it. [8] In August 2011, the museum recovered the remains, primarily the empennage, of a B-17G wreckage from Talkeetna, Alaska for use in the restoration. [9] In November 2018, a Grumman C-1 Trader in flying condition was donated to the museum. [10] Then a month later, in October, ground was broken on a project adjacent to the hangar to expand the museum by 20,000 sq ft (1,900 m2). [11] [12] [ failed verification ] In 2019 the restoration workshop was completed. In 2025 the museum completed an additional building expansion for learning and exhibits.

Aircraft

The museum's collection consists of primarily vintage military aircraft, but also includes several civilian aircraft.

AircraftStatusSerial numberRegistration/markingsNotes
Boeing B-17 [13] Under restoration44-85813N3154SNamed " Champaign Lady " [14]
Culver LFA [15] Flying condition247N34864
Douglas A-26 [16] Static44-35948N381ECFormer aerial firefighter
Douglas C-47 Skytrain [17] Static25720N105CA
Fairchild 24W-9 [18] Flying conditionW213N18695Formerly owned by Charles "Buddy" Rogers [19]
Grumman C-1 Trader [20] Flying condition136778N778SRNamed "Mudflap Girl"
North American B-25 Mitchell [10] Flying condition44-28866N744CGNamed "Champaign Gal" [21]
Stinson Voyager 10A [22] Flying condition8094N36794Used by the Civil Air Patrol during WWII [23]
Beechcraft Model 18 [24] Static gate guardian AF-276
Schweizer TG-3A Glider [25] [ better source needed ]Static42-52948
De Havilland Vampire T.35 [26] Disassembled/partially displayedA79-633 RAAFN35DSFormer Royal Australian Air Force training aircraft.
The museum's airworthy B-25 "Champaign Gal" B-25J Champaign Gal.jpg
The museum's airworthy B-25 "Champaign Gal"

Exhibits

In 2010 the museum began displaying an exhibit in their main hangar on Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) and how they helped with the war effort. [27] In 2021 the museum received a grant from the National Aviation Heritage Area, and in 2022 from the Ohio History Connection to update their WASP exhibit with interactive kiosks and a video display. [28]

In 2019 a 1941 Crosley convertible was donated to the museum and is on display in the museum's lobby. [29] [ better source needed ]

In 2024 the museum updated their interpretation to focus on both the home front and the war front experiences of the 1940s in partnership with America 250-Ohio. Visitors are invited to choose their own path.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Ohio museum volunteers building vintage WWII plane". Associated Press. March 20, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  2. ↑ "BRINGING A B-17 BACK TO LIFE". Aopa.org. Archived from the original on August 6, 2016. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  3. ↑ "National Aviation Heritage Area Map". www.aviationheritagearea.org. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  4. ↑ "CHAMPAIGN AVIATION MUSEUM". Guidestar. Candid. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  5. ↑ "Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - North American TB-25N Mitchell, s/n 44-28866 USAF, c/n 108-32141, c/r N744CG". www.aerialvisuals.ca. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Douglas A-26 Invader Registry - A Warbirds Resource Group Site". www.warbirdregistry.org. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - Douglas C-47B-1-DK, s/n 43-48459 USAF, c/n 14275, c/r N105CA". www.aerialvisuals.ca. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  8. ↑ "History Takes Flight in Urbana, Ohio". Champaign Uncorked. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  9. ↑ Deyoe, Sue; Talkeetna, KTNA- (August 2, 2011). "B-17 Bomber Remains to be Airlifted from Talkeetna to Ohio". Alaska Public Media. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
  10. 1 2 "FAA registry". FAA REGISTRY. Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  11. ↑ Selmek, Christopher (November 23, 2017). "Champaign Aviation Museum growing". Urbana Daily Citizen. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Small museum gives back in a big way". Urbana Daily Citizen. October 25, 2018. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  13. ↑ "FAA registry". FAA REGISTRY. Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  14. ↑ "B-17 Flying Fortress 'Champaign Lady' Warbird Restoration". Champaign Aviation Museum. Archived from the original on November 25, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  15. ↑ "FAA registry". FAA REGISTRY. Federal Aviation Administration. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  16. ↑ "FAA registry". FAA REGISTRY. Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  17. ↑ "FAA registry". FAA REGISTRY. Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  18. ↑ "FAA registry". FAA REGISTRY. Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  19. ↑ "Fairchild F24". Champaign Aviation Museum. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  20. ↑ "FAA registry". FAA REGISTRY. Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  21. ↑ "B-25 Mitchell Champaign Gal". museum. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  22. ↑ "FAA registry". FAA REGISTRY. Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  23. ↑ "Stinson 10A German U-Boat Hunter". Champaign Aviation Museum. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  24. ↑ "C-45 Expeditor Beech 18". Champaign Aviation Museum. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
  25. ↑ ""We recently were donated a Schweizer TG-3"" . Instagram . Archived from the original on December 26, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  26. ↑ "Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - de Havilland Vampire T.35, s/n A79-633 RAAF, c/r N35DS". www.aerialvisuals.ca. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  27. ↑ "Lunch with Champaign Lady". Tales from the Terminal. May 10, 2019. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  28. ↑ "Champaign Aviation Museum awarded Ohio History Grant". Urbana Daily Citizen. March 10, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  29. ↑ "Champaign Aviation Museum on Instagram: "Our newly donated 1941 Crosley Convertible". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 26, 2021. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
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