The Florida Air Museum, formerly known as the International Sport Aviation Museum and the SUN 'n FUN Air Museum, is designated as Florida's "Official Aviation Museum and Education Center." It features a display of aircraft including one-of-a-kind designs, classics, ultra-lights, antiques and warbirds.

Facility

The museum is housed in a main building and a hangar annex. Both are located on the campus of the Sun 'n Fun fly-in and expo, which supplies much of the funding for the museum's collections and programs. The entire campus is located at the

Lakeland Linder International Airport Lakeland Linder International Airport is a public airport five miles southwest of Lakeland, in Polk County, Florida. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021 categorized it as a nati ...

, just south of the runways. The main building holds much of the collection, especially smaller aircraft like a

Boeing-Stearman Model 75 The Stearman (Boeing) Model 75 is a biplane formerly used as a military trainer aircraft, of which at least 10,626 were built in the United States during the 1930s and 1940s. Stearman Aircraft became a subsidiary of Boeing in 1934. Widely known ...

from the classic Red Baron Pizza aerobatic team. A wide variety of unique designs, homebuilts, and even a Mercury rocket motor share the display floor. The aircraft are supplemented by a collection of engines from World War I to the present day. It also houses a library, offices, a conference room and the museum's small gift shop. The hangar annex houses larger aircraft and engines. Also on campus is the Buehler Restoration Center. This 8,000-square-foot facility, located adjacent to the Florida Air Museum at SUN 'n FUN, houses SUN 'n FUN's year–round aircraft restoration activities. The facility, which opened in April 2006, was made possible by a $300,000 grant from The Emil Buehler Perpetual Trust, with additional support from a State of Florida Cultural Facilities and Historical Grant.

Collection

The museum's collection includes some unique and notable aircraft, including many

homebuilt aircraft Homebuilt aircraft, also known as amateur-built aircraft or kit planes, are constructed by persons for whom this is not a professional activity. These aircraft may be constructed from "scratch", from plans, or from assembly kits.Armstrong, Kenn ...

* Aeronca LB ''NC15292'' - built in 1934 and restored on site * Aerosport Woody Pusher ''N100FQ'' - built in 1930 * Anglin Space Walker II ''N168CM'' - built in 1994 *

Bede BD-5 The Bede BD-5 Micro is a series of small, single-seat homebuilt aircraft created in the late 1960s by US aircraft designer Jim Bede and introduced to the market primarily in kit form by the now-defunct Bede Aircraft Corporation in the early 19 ...

Micro ''N51GB'' - original

pusher propeller In an aircraft with a pusher configuration (as opposed to a tractor configuration), the propeller(s) are mounted behind their respective engine(s). Since a pusher propeller is mounted behind the engine, the drive shaft is in compression in nor ...

design *

Boeing 727 The Boeing 727 is an American narrow-body airliner that was developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After the heavy 707 quad-jet was introduced in 1958, Boeing addressed the demand for shorter flight lengths from smaller airpo ...

-233 ''N265FE'' - a 1979 cargo model donated by FedEx and being converted to a classroom/meeting space *

- from the now-retired Red Baron Squadron aerobatic team * Cirrus VK-30 ''N94CM'' - built in 1993, this was the first Cirrus Aircraft design and was sold as a kit for homebuilders. Displayed on Sun 'N Fun campus grounds * Colomban Cri-cri MC-12 "Cricket" ''N98DJ'' - built in 1983, this aircraft is the world's smallest twin-engined manned aircraft * Command-Aire MR-1 "Little Rocket racer" ''N345JA'' *

Convair F2Y Sea Dart The Convair F2Y Sea Dart was an American seaplane fighter aircraft that rode on twin hydro-skis during takeoff and landing. It flew only as a prototype, and never entered mass production. It is the only seaplane to have exceeded the speed of so ...

- pylon-mounted at the entrance to the main building, the Sea Dart was the only seaplane to ever exceed the speed of sound * Culver Model V ''NC134K'' - built in 1946 *

Denney Kitfox The Denney Kitfox is a series of small side-by-side, two-seat, high-wing, single engine kit aircraft, designed and originally manufactured by Dan Denney and his company Denney Aerocraft of Boise, Idaho. The aircraft is amateur-built and ...

''N3LB'' - built in 1989 *

Dyke Delta The Dyke Delta JD-2 is an American homebuilt aircraft designed in the United States in the 1960s and marketed for amateur construction. It is a monoplane with retractable tricycle undercarriage and seating for four. The wings can be folded for to ...

''N18DW -'' built in 1972 * Douglas DC-3 ''N839M'' - originally built in 1943 as a C-47 Skytrain and later converted to a DC-3 for passenger service *

Ford Flivver The Ford Flivver is a single-seat aircraft introduced by Henry Ford as the "Model T of the Air". After a fatal crash of a prototype into the ocean off Melbourne, Florida, production plans were halted. Development The Ford Trimotor was Henry Ford ...

''N3218'' - reproduction built in 1994 *

Heath Super Parasol The Heath Parasol is an American single or two seat, open-cockpit, parasol winged, homebuilt monoplane. Design and development In 1926, Edward Bayard Heath, a successful American air racer and the owner of an aircraft parts supply business, b ...

''N88EG'' - built in 1934 * Greene Lovings Love ''N100PH'' - built in 1976 *

Grumman F-14 Tomcat The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American carrier-capable supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, twin-tail, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental (VFX) program after the ...

- on long-term loan from the

National Naval Aviation Museum The National Naval Aviation Museum, formerly known as the National Museum of Naval Aviation and the Naval Aviation Museum, is a military and aerospace museum located at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. Founded in 1962 and moved to its cur ...

* Laird Baby Biplane - reproduction *

Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star The Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star (or T-Bird) is an American subsonic jet trainer. It was produced by Lockheed and made its first flight in 1948. The T-33 was developed from the Lockheed P-80/F-80 starting as TP-80C/TF-80C in development, then d ...

- in Thunderbirds colors; pylon-mounted at the front gate *

Lockheed XFV The Lockheed XFV (sometimes referred to as the "Salmon") was an American experimental tailsitter prototype aircraft built by Lockheed in the early 1950s to demonstrate the operation of a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) fighter for protect ...

Vertical Riser - restored onsite *

Mignet Pou-du-Ciel The Flying Flea (french: Pou du Ciel, lit=Louse of the Sky) is a large family of light homebuilt aircraft first flown in 1933. The odd name comes from the French nickname for the Ford Model T automobile: ''Pou de la Route'', or "Louse of the Ro ...

"Flying Flea" - built in 1979 * M-Squared Breese 2 - only aircraft ''inside'' of the museum to have seen actual combat; was used to drop bombs on Guerilla fighters * Northrop Radioplane Drone * Piel CP-30 Emeraude ''N31EB'' - built in 1975 *

Pietenpol Air Camper The Pietenpol Air Camper is a simple parasol wing homebuilt aircraft designed by Bernard H. Pietenpol. The first prototype that became the Air Camper was built and flown by Pietenpol in 1928.Bowers, Peter M.: ''Guide to Homebuilts'', 9th ...

''N3513'' - reproduction on 1929 model built in 1967 *

Pitts Special The Pitts Special (company designations S-1 and S-2) is a series of light aerobatic biplanes designed by Curtis Pitts. It has accumulated many competition wins since its first flight in 1944. The Pitts biplanes dominated world ae ...

S-1 ''N58P'' - built in 1972 by

Paul Poberezny Paul Howard Poberezny (September 14, 1921 – August 22, 2013) was an American aviator, entrepreneur, and aircraft designer. He founded the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) in 1953, and spent the greater part of his life promoting hom ...

S-1C ''N5LU'' - built in 1983 * Quickie ''N303Q'' - built in 1989 *

Rans S-9 Chaos The Rans S-9 Chaos is an American single-engined, tractor configuration, single-seat, mid-wing monoplane designed by Randy Schlitter for aerobatics and manufactured by Rans Inc. The Chaos is available in kit form for amateur construction.Down ...

''N218ER'' * RotorWay Exec ''N824DL -'' displayed on Sun 'N Fun campus grounds * Sorrell Hiperbipe ''N135HB'' - built in 1995, displayed on Sun 'N Fun campus grounds *

Spirit of Peace ''Spirit of Peace'' is the fifteenth album by Popol Vuh. It was originally released in 1985 on Cicada. The first track was used by Werner Herzog as original motion picture soundtrack for his documentary '' The Dark Glow of the Mountains'' (origin ...

Rozière Balloon A Rozière balloon (or simply Rozière) is a type of hybrid balloon that has separate chambers for a non-heated lifting gas (such as hydrogen or helium) as well as for a heated lifting gas (as used in a hot air balloon or Montgolfière). The design ...

Capsule - on long-term loan by

Kermit Weeks Kermit Weeks (born July 14, 1953 in Salt Lake City, Utah) is an American aviation enthusiast, pilot, and aircraft collector. He has competed in aerobatics, designed aircraft, and promoted aviation and vintage aircraft restoration. Oil and ...

from

Fantasy of Flight Fantasy of Flight is an aviation museum in Polk City, Florida. It opened in November 1995, to house Kermit Weeks' collection of aircraft that, until Hurricane Andrew damaged many in 1992, were housed at the Weeks Air Museum in Tamiami, Florid ...

* Stits SA-11-A Playmate ''N77JA'' * Sunshine Clipper ''N62SC'' - built and donated by Henry Palmer, displayed on Sun 'N Fun campus grounds * Wittman Chief Oshkosh ''N14855'' - built 1931 *

Wittman Tailwind The Wittman W-8 Tailwind is a popular two-seat light aircraft for homebuilding. It is a high-wing, braced cabin monoplane of taildragger configuration. It is constructed with a steel tubing fuselage, wood wings, and fabric covering. It offers exc ...

''N314T'' - built 1962

References

External links

* {{authority control Aerospace museums in Florida Museums in Polk County, Florida Buildings and structures in Lakeland, Florida 1986 establishments in Florida Museums established in 1986

Facility

Collection

See also

References

External links