The Arkansas Air & Military Museum is an
aviation and
military museum located at
Drake Field in
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Fayetteville () is the second-largest city in Arkansas, the county seat of Washington County, and the biggest city in Northwest Arkansas. The city is on the outskirts of the Boston Mountains, deep within the Ozarks. Known as Washington until ...
.
It is the largest aviation museum in
Arkansas.
History
The museum was originally established in 1986 as the Arkansas Air Museum. In 2012, it merged with the Ozark Military Museum housed next door into the Arkansas Air & Military Museum. In 2014, its board of directors noted that a decrease in visitors had resulted in the museum struggling to stay financially viable: that year, its monthly profits were roughly $5,000, compared to monthly expenses of around $7,000. Also in 2014, the museum only had one paid employee, with the remainder of its personnel consisting entirely of volunteers. According to board member Russell Smith, the museum's number of annual visitors shrunk from approximately 26,000 to 6,000 after the opening of
Interstate 540 and
Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport replaced Drake Field as the region's principal airport in 1998.
Facility
The wooden hangar in which the Arkansas Air & Military Museum is housed is one of the few surviving such buildings from the 1940s and is listed on the
Arkansas Register of Historic Places;
it previously served as the headquarters for a military aviation training post during World War II.
The museum rents the facility as an event venue as well as displaying a variety of its aircraft there. A second hangar houses the balance of the aircraft and vehicle collection with a third smaller building housing military aircraft, small arms, and other memorabilia.
Collection
The Arkansas Air & Military Museum's collection of aircraft ranges from the 1920s to the modern era, including many Golden Age racing aircraft, as well as military aircraft dating from
World War I,
World War II, and the
Vietnam War.
Featured aircraft in the collection include.:
*
Bell AH-1S Cobra
The Bell AH-1 Cobra is a single-engined attack helicopter developed and manufactured by the American rotorcraft manufacturer Bell Helicopter. A member of the prolific Huey family, the AH-1 is also referred to as the HueyCobra or Snake.
The ...
US Army attack helicopter
*
Bell UH-1H Huey US Army utility helicopter
*
Boeing-Stearman NS2S, a Naval version of the PT-17 military trainer
*
Curtiss-Wright CW-1 Junior
The Curtiss-Wright CW-1 Junior, originally named the Curtiss-Robertson CR-1 Skeeter is a light sports aircraft produced in the United States in the 1930s. It had been intended to sell it for the price of a mid-range automobile.
The Junior had t ...
*
Dassault Falcon 20 executive jet
*
Douglas A-4 Skyhawk US Navy attack aircraft
*
Ercoupe 415C
The ERCO Ercoupe is an American low-wing monoplane aircraft that was first flown in 1937. It was originally manufactured by the Engineering and Research Corporation (ERCO) shortly before World War II; several other manufacturers continued its ...
once owned by
Walmart founder
Sam Walton as his first aircraft.
*
Howard DGA-11
The Howard DGA-8, DGA-9, DGA-11, and DGA-12 were a family of four-place, single-engine, high-wing light monoplanes built by the Howard Aircraft Corporation, Chicago, Illinois from 1936.
Development
The various models were distinguished by differ ...
Golden Age general aviation aircraft
*
Howard DGA-18K open cockpit trainer
*
Learjet 23
The Learjet 23 (originally Lear Jet 23) is an American six-to-eight-seat (two crew and four to six passengers) twinjet, high-speed business jet manufactured by Learjet. Introduced in 1964, it was Learjet's first model and created a new market f ...
executive jet once the world's only aerobatic Lear Jet flown by
Bobby Younkin
Bobby or Bobbie may refer to:
People
* Bobby (given name), a list of names
* Bobby (actress), from Bangladesh
* Bobby (rapper) (born 1995), from South Korea
* Bobby (screenwriter) (born 1983), Indian screenwriter
* Bobby, old slang for a constab ...
*
Lockheed C-130 Hercules formerly operated by the commander of the
Arkansas Air National Guard
The Arkansas Air National Guard (AR ANG), commonly known as the Arkansas Air Guard, is the aerial militia of the State of Arkansas, United States of America. It is, along with the Arkansas Army National Guard, an element of the Arkansas National ...
*
LTV A-7 Corsair II US Navy attack aircraft
*
North American T-2 Buckeye
The North American T-2 Buckeye was the United States Navy's intermediate training aircraft, intended to introduce U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps student naval aviators and student naval flight officers to jets. It entered service in 1959, begi ...
US Navy training aircraft
*
North American SNJ Texan
The North American Aviation T-6 Texan is an American single-engined advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), United States Navy, Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force and other air forces ...
US Navy training aircraft
*
Piasecki H-21C Shawnee
The Piasecki H-21 Workhorse/Shawnee is an American helicopter, the fourth of a line of tandem rotor helicopters designed and built by Piasecki Helicopter (later Boeing Vertol). Commonly called "the flying banana", it was a multi-mission helic ...
US Army cargo helicopter also known as the "Workhorse" and nicknamed "The Flying Banana"
*
Piper J-3 Cub general aviation training aircraft
*
Piper Tri-Pacer
The PA-20 Pacer and PA-22 Tri-Pacer, Caribbean, and Colt are an American family of light strut-braced high-wing monoplane aircraft built by Piper Aircraft from 1949 to 1964.
The Pacer is essentially a four-place version of the two-place ...
general aviation aircraft
*
Stinson Junior
The Stinson Junior was a high-winged American monoplane of the late 1920s, built for private owners, and was one of the first such designs to feature a fully enclosed cabin.
Design and development
Stinson Aircraft had introduced their large high-w ...
Golden Age general aviation aircraft
*
Stinson L-13 Grasshopper, a rare liaison aircraft designed by
Stinson Aircraft Company and mass-produced by
Consolidated Aircraft
*
Travel Air Model R "Mystery Ship" replica
In addition to aircraft, the museum also displays a variety of aviation engines, including a
Curtiss OX-5, a
Rolls-Royce Spey, and a
Westinghouse J34.
Other collections and exhibits include a 1940
Packard
Packard or Packard Motor Car Company was an American luxury automobile company located in Detroit, Michigan. The first Packard automobiles were produced in 1899, and the last Packards were built in South Bend, Indiana in 1958.
One of the "Thr ...
automobile, military vehicles (including ambulances, jeeps, trucks, and a British
Ferret armored car
The Ferret armoured car, also commonly called the Ferret scout car, is a British armoured fighting vehicle designed and built for reconnaissance purposes. The Ferret was produced between 1952 and 1971 by the UK company Daimler. It was widely u ...
), and smaller military artifacts (such as uniforms, helmets, and even pieces of a
Mitsubishi A6M Zero).
Additionally, the museum features biographical exhibits on notable Arkansan aviators, including Commander
Richard O. Covey,
Field Eugene Kindley, Captain
Pierce McKennon
Pierce Winningham McKennon (November 30, 1919 – June 18, 1947) was an American flying ace of World War II with 12 aerial victories and 9.83 ground victories.
Early life
Pierce McKennon was born in Clarksville, Johnson County, Arkansas, on Novem ...
, and pioneering female pilot
Louise Thaden, who won the
Women's Air Derby in 1929 and the
Harmon Trophy in 1936.
Gallery
File:Arkansas Air & Military Museum May 2017 20 (Boeing-Stearman NS2-S).jpg, Boeing-Stearman NS2S
File:Arkansas Air & Military Museum May 2017 57 (Douglas A-4 Skyhawk).jpg, Douglas A-4 Skyhawk
File:Arkansas Air & Military Museum May 2017 05 (1941 Howard DGA-18K).jpg, Howard DGA-18K
File:Arkansas Air & Military Museum May 2017 59 (1970 Bell AH-1S Hueycobra).jpg, Bell AH-1S Cobra
The Bell AH-1 Cobra is a single-engined attack helicopter developed and manufactured by the American rotorcraft manufacturer Bell Helicopter. A member of the prolific Huey family, the AH-1 is also referred to as the HueyCobra or Snake.
The ...
File:Arkansas Air & Military Museum May 2017 33 (1916 Curtiss OX-5).jpg, Curtiss OX-5 engine
File:Arkansas Air & Military Museum May 2017 40 (1965 Rolls-Royce Ferret armoured car).jpg, Ferret armored car
The Ferret armoured car, also commonly called the Ferret scout car, is a British armoured fighting vehicle designed and built for reconnaissance purposes. The Ferret was produced between 1952 and 1971 by the UK company Daimler. It was widely u ...
References
External links
*
''Exploring Arkansas'' October 2014: Arkansas Air & Military Museum / National Championship Chuckwagon Races(
Arkansas Educational Television Network episode)
The Arkansas Air Military Museum(
KLRT-TV video)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arkansas Air and Military Museum
Aerospace museums in Arkansas
Military and war museums in Arkansas
Buildings and structures in Fayetteville, Arkansas
Tourist attractions in Fayetteville, Arkansas
Museums in Washington County, Arkansas
Museums established in 1986
1986 establishments in Arkansas