Military Aviation Museam in Virgnina Beach, VA

The collection of aircraft at Va Beach airport is absolutely stunning -- great shots, Toggie!

All of the aircraft used to be based at Suffolk Executive (SFQ) before the museum/airfield was completed. I started training at SFQ, and it was always a pleasure to wander into the hangars and see all of that history right there in my hometown. Back then ('04 or so) they had just started working on the B-25, which has come a long way. It was a fairly normal thing to be preflighting and get a bit distracted by the P-51 or Spitfire beginning a takeoff roll. Kudos to the owner and the crew who keep those magnificent machines flying and accessible to the public!

 

I visited them a number of years ago at Suffolk. While I was there I watched them fire up the F4U and take it up for a spin. To me the most interesting aircraft were the two Polikarpovs. And their collection keeps growing!

 

Looks very intersting and FAR different than when I went there in 1945 on a weekend from Langley Field. There was nothing but a boardwalk, a ferris wheel, the ocean, and a bunch of pretty little girls. The town was three blocks long and one block deep with a few fun houses along the boardwalk. Boy how things have changed in 66 years!

 

The more I look at those pictures the more I realized that every one of the WW1 airplanes were replica look-a-likes and the Japanese bomber is one of the Tora Tora Tora BT-13's. .

 

The Val is definitely a "movie" bird, but even if the WWI types are reproductions, where else are you going to see a flying 1-1/2 Strutter? I hope to pay them another visit later this year.