Prairie Aviation Museum

The Prairie Aviation Museum is an aviation museum located in Bloomington, Illinois.

Prairie Aviation Museum
Prairie Aviation Museum is located in Illinois
Prairie Aviation Museum
Location within Illinois
LocationBloomington, Illinois
Coordinates40.488°N 88.926°W / 40.488; -88.926
TypeAviation museum
FounderNorm Wingler
Websitewww.prairieaviationmuseum.org

History

In 1982, a group of aviation enthusiasts led by Norm Wingler established the Gooney Bird Chapter of the Heritage in Flight Museum with the goal of acquiring and restoring a Douglas DC-3. However, due to legal and financial concerns the chapter decided to form the independent Prairie Aviation Museum in 1983.[1][2] The following year, the museum purchased a Douglas C-53 Skytrooper at an auction in Rockdale, Texas and flew it back to Indiana.[3][4][5] To complement the new acquisition, construction began on a 2,592 sq ft (240.8 m2) building in 1988.[6]

The museum opened a new exhibit featuring oral history interviews with World War II veterans in 1995.[7]

The museum's C-53 was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.[8] The historic designation was intended to help the museum qualify for funds that could be used to construct a new building.[9]

The museum opened a Challenger Learning Center in the former airport terminal in 2003, but was forced to transfer operations to the Heartland Community College due to a financial shortfall.[10][11][12] Further complications ensued and in 2009 the museum was forced to sell its DC-3, as it could no longer afford to maintain it in airworthy condition.[13] The museum again began developing a focus on space in 2010 and as part of this effort renovated the building in 2015.[14][15]

Exhibits

Exhibits at the museum include an airport beacon and a Link Trainer.[16][17]

Collection
An A-7 and A-4 on display at the museum

See also

References

Notes
  1. Zehr, Melinda (22 August 1993). "Norm Wingler Proved Dreams Can Fly". The Pantagraph. p. 2. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  2. "History of PAM". Prairie Aviation Museum. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  3. Marquardt, Susan (9 February 1984). "Old Plane Fanciers Land Museum Piece". The Pantagraph. p. A5. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  4. Zehr, Melinda (16 December 1985). "Plane Lovers Give 'Miss Moss Back' Her Second Wind". The Pantagraph. p. A3. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  5. Thompson, Stephen A. (21 August 1996). "The DC-3: Aviation History Graces Bloomington Skies". Journal Gazette. p. C1. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  6. Raker, Dan (24 March 1988). "Aviation Museum to Spread Wings in New Home". The Pantagraph. p. A3. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  7. Moewe, Karen (18 August 1995). "B-N Exhibit Honors Fliers of WWII". The Pantagraph. p. A3. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  8. Pierce, Victoria (19 October 1996). "Restored DC-3 Flies into History". The Pantagraph. p. A5. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  9. Richardson, Scott (26 April 1997). "Aviation Museum Gets Lift". The Pantagraph. p. A5. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  10. Wolfe, Sharon K. (17 December 2003). "Visitors Up to the Challenge". The Pantagraph. p. A3. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  11. Mannlein, Arlene (5 March 2004). "Old Terminal Transformed". Herald & Review. p. 8. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  12. Steinbacher, Michele (3 June 2007). "Challenger Center Seeks Rescue Mission". Pantagraph. pp. A1, A8. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  13. Ford, Mary Ann (14 April 2009). "An Icon Leaves for Bluer Skies". The Pantagraph. pp. A1, A12. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  14. Guetersloh, M. K. (19 March 2010). "Eyes on the Stars". The Pantagraph. pp. A1, A10. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  15. Ford, Mary Ann (31 March 2015). "Prairie Aviation Museum Looking Up". The Pantagraph. p. A3. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  16. "Airport Beacon". Prairie Aviation Museum. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  17. "Link Trainer". Prairie Aviation Museum. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  18. "Bell AH-1J SeaCobra". Prairie Aviation Museum. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  19. "Bell UH-1H Iroquois (Huey)". Prairie Aviation Museum. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  20. "Cessna 310". Prairie Aviation Museum. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  21. "Grumman F-14D Tomcat". Prairie Aviation Museum. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  22. "Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star". Prairie Aviation Museum. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  23. Mays, Gary (16 July 1994). "Historic T-33 Jet Makes Slow 'Flight' to Airport Museum". The Pantagraph. p. A4. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  24. "Vought A-7A Corsair II". Prairie Aviation Museum. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  25. "McDonnell-Douglas A-4M Skyhawk". Prairie Aviation Museum. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  26. "McDonnell-Douglas F-4N Phantom II". Prairie Aviation Museum. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  27. "North American F-100 Super Sabre". Prairie Aviation Museum. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  28. "Northrop T-38A Talon". Prairie Aviation Museum. Retrieved 19 October 2022.

Bibliography
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