The Wings of Freedom Aviation Museum in

Horsham, Pennsylvania Horsham is a home rule municipality in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 14,842 at the 2010 census. Horsham is located entirely within Horsham Township, and it is home to the Horsham Air Guard Station at the form ...

is a museum dedicated to preserving the aviation history of the Greater Delaware Valley including NAS Willow Grove and Harold F. Pitcairn. It is owned and operated by the Delaware Valley Historical Aircraft Association (DVHAA), a non-profit organization. Opened in 2004, the museum features restored historic aircraft,

flight helmet A flight helmet, sometimes referred to as a "bone dome" or "foam dome", is a special type of helmet primarily worn by military aircrew. A flight helmet can provide: Aerospace International (magazine), March 2011, pages 26–29 * Impact protection ...

s, flight gear,

air to air missile The newest and the oldest member of Rafael's Python family of AAM for comparisons, Python-5 (displayed lower-front) and Shafrir-1 (upper-back) An air-to-air missile (AAM) is a missile fired from an aircraft for the purpose of destroying a ...

Martin-Baker Martin-Baker Aircraft Company Limited is a British manufacturer of ejection seats and safety-related equipment for aviation. The company's origins were originally as an aircraft manufacturer before becoming a pioneer in the field of ejection s ...

ejection seat In aircraft, an ejection seat or ejector seat is a system designed to rescue the pilot or other crew of an aircraft (usually military) in an emergency. In most designs, the seat is propelled out of the aircraft by an explosive charge or rock ...

s, and military

service medal A service medal is an award to individuals who participated in designated wars, campaigns, or expeditions, or who have fulfilled specific service requirements in a creditable manner. Service medals are sometimes also Campaign medals. Examples of s ...

History

The museum traces its history back to the work of Lieutenant Commander David Ascher. Shortly after becoming the aircraft maintenance officer in May 1946, Ascher acquired a Curtiss TP-40N Warhawk from a local high school and displayed it at NAS Willow Grove. Later, through his efforts, an Arado Ar 196 was also added for display. Finally, in 1947, several captured Axis aircraft were recovered from Patuxent River and transported to the base for display. Although most of the aircraft were later transferred to the National Air and Space Museum, Naval Aviation Museum, and other institutions, the Delaware Valley Historical Aircraft Association was able to found a new museum. Construction on the new building began in May 2002 and the museum opened to the public in 2004.

Aircraft on display

Aircraft are on display both inside the museum and outside on the ground, and include: *

Beechcraft T-34 Mentor The Beechcraft T-34 Mentor is an American propeller-driven, single-engined, military trainer aircraft derived from the Beechcraft Model 35 Bonanza. The earlier versions of the T-34, dating from around the late 1940s to the 1950s, were piston ...

* Bell H-13G Sioux * Bell UH-1V Iroquois *

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 ...

* Douglas A-4M Skyhawk * Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II * Fokker D.VIII * Grumman C-1A Trader *

Grumman F9F-2 Panther The Grumman F9F Panther is one of the United States Navy's first successful carrier-based jet fighters, as well as Grumman’s first jet fighter. A single-engined, straight-winged day fighter, it was armed with four cannons and could carry a wi ...

* Gyrodyne QH-50C DASH *

Kaman SH-2G Super Seasprite The Kaman SH-2G Super Seasprite is an American ship-based helicopter with anti-submarine, anti-surface threat capability, including over-the-horizon targeting. This aircraft extends and increases shipboard sensor and weapon capabilities agains ...

Lockheed P-3B Orion The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a four-engined, turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft developed for the United States Navy and introduced in the 1960s. Lockheed based it on the L-188 Electra commercial airliner.

* Piasecki HUP-2 Retriever * Pitcairn PA-8 Mailwing *

Republic F-84F Thunderstreak The Republic F-84F Thunderstreak was an American swept-wing turbojet fighter-bomber. While an evolutionary development of the straight-wing F-84 Thunderjet, the F-84F was a new design. The RF-84F Thunderflash was a photo reconnaissance version. ...

* Sikorsky UH-34J Seabat * Vought F7U-3 Cutlass * Vought F8U-1 Crusader

References

External links

Wings of Freedom Aviation Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wings Of Freedom Aviation Museum Aerospace museums in Pennsylvania Museums in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Military and war museums in Pennsylvania