  Location within California | |
| Established | 1984 |
|---|---|
| Location | Santa Maria, California |
| Coordinates | 34°54′18″N120°27′17″W / 34.9050°N 120.4547°W |
| Type | Aviation museum |
| Website | www |
The Santa Maria Museum of Flight is an aviation museum located at the Santa Maria Public Airport in Santa Maria, California.
The origins of the museum lie in the efforts of fifteen business leaders who formed a committee in 1983 to evaluate the possibility of an aviation museum. Less than one year later, the Santa Maria Aeronautical Museum and Exhibits was chartered. [1] The museum initially opened in 1988 as a gift shop in the Santa Maria Airport terminal building. [2] Construction on a 6,000 sq ft (560 m2) hangar began in June 1989, with plans at the time eventually calling for a 140,000 sq ft (13,000 m2) facility. [3] The museum opened to the public in July 1990. [4]
A second hangar, built as a set for the movie The Rocketeer , was brought in from a different location at the airport and by 1994 was being renovated for use by the museum. [5] [6] Two years later, after the Western Spaceport Museum and Science Center failed, the Museum of Flight acquired its collection. [7]
The museum received an F-4S on loan from the National Museum of Naval Aviation in February 2000. [8] [9]
The museum was engaged in fundraising to build a 7,200 sq ft (670 m2) hangar in 2003. [10]
A memorial garden for the Ninety-Nines women's pilots association was dedicated in 2012. [11] [lower-alpha 1]
While the museum was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic it added a new member of the board of directors and replaced the roof and siding on one of the hangars. [13] [14]
The Edward J Horkey Memorial Research Library is located in the museum's Early Aviation Hangar and holds over 4,000 books. [15] [1]
The museum held an annual airshow called Thunder Over the Valley until 2015. [25] [lower-alpha 2]
The Curtiss JN "Jenny" is a series of biplanes built by the Glenn Curtiss Aeroplane Company of Hammondsport, New York, later the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company. Although the Curtiss JN series was originally produced as a training aircraft for the US Army, the "Jenny" continued after World War I as a civilian aircraft, becoming the "backbone of American postwar [civil] aviation".
Tillamook Air Museum is an aviation museum south of Tillamook, Oregon in the United States. The museum is located at a former U.S. Navy Air Station and housed in a former blimp hangar, known as "Hangar B", which is the largest clear-span wooden structure in the world.
The Michigan Flight Museum, formerly known as the Yankee Air Museum, is an aviation museum located at Willow Run Airport in Van Buren Township, Michigan. The museum has a small fleet of flying aircraft and a collection of static display aircraft outdoors.
The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum is an aviation museum located at the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport in Mount Hope, Ontario, Canada. The museum has 47 military jets and propeller-driven aircraft on display.
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 Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada is a museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The museum opened to the public in its new location on 21 May 2022.
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.
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.
The Dakota Territory Air Museum is an aviation museum on North Hill in Minot, North Dakota near Minot International Airport. The mission of the Dakota Territory Air Museum is to be a historical aviation resource honoring the men, women and machines that have impacted the rich history of aviation through displays and events that educate, inspire and entertain people of all ages.
The Alaska Aviation Museum, previously the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum, is located on Lake Hood Seaplane Base in Anchorage, Alaska. Its mission since 1988, is to preserve, display, and honor Alaska's aviation heritage, by preserving and displaying historic aircraft, artifacts, and memorabilia, and to foster public interest in aviation and its history. The museum has over thirty aircraft on display, a restoration hangar, flight simulators, two theaters, and a Hall of Fame. It provides an emphasis on historic aircraft, aviation artifacts, and memorabilia that contributed to the development and progress of aviation in Alaska, including Bush flying, and the World War II Army base on Adak Island.
The Estrella Warbirds Museum is an aviation museum dedicated to the restoration and preservation of military aircraft, vehicles, and memorabilia. The museum is located at Paso Robles Municipal Airport in central California and is named after Estrella Army Airfield. In July, 2009, the museum opened an automobile display featuring classic racing cars, The Woodland Auto Display.
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.
The Pacific Coast Air Museum is an aviation museum located at Charles M. Schulz–Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa, California. The museum displays a varied collection of over 30 American military, propeller, and jet aircraft.
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.
The Hagerstown Aviation Museum is an aviation museum at the Hagerstown Regional Airport in Hagerstown, Maryland. It is focused on the history of the Fairchild Aircraft Corporation.
The Historic Aircraft Restoration Project is an aviation museum located in Hangar B at Floyd Bennett Field in New York, New York.
The Mid America Flight Museum is an aviation museum located at the Mount Pleasant Regional Airport in Mount Pleasant, Texas.
The Heritage in Flight Museum is an aviation museum located at the Logan County Airport in Lincoln, Illinois.
The Historical Aircraft Squadron is a non-profit organization located at the Fairfield County Airport in Carroll, Ohio focused on aviation history.
The Museum of Mountain Flying is an aviation museum located at the Missoula Montana Airport in Missoula, Montana focused on the history of Johnson Flying Service.