Located at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum showcases the history of US Marine Corps aviation. A few days ago it was announced that the museum would close its doors on April 1st, 2021 permanently due to 'financial costs'. I have been lucky enough to visit the museum twice while at El Toro end more recently whilst at Miramar. It was on my itinerary for my March 2020 west coast trip but then COVID-19 intervened...
Origins
The Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum opened in 1989 at MCAS El Toro and remained there until the base closed in 1999. Since then, it had been located at MCAS Miramar. It boosts an impressive collection of aircraft, ranging from World War Two Wildcat and Corsair fighters to modern-day F/A-18 Hornets.
The end..?
For the museum itself? Yes. MCAS Miramar is no longer prepared to spend money on the museum, choosing instead to invest in 'higher priority missions' such as safety gear. However, museum staff are appealing this decision. As for the collection, the museum has stated that they wish to redistribute their aircraft, with the nearby San Diego Air and Space Museum and the USS Midway Museum mentioned as possible recipients. So hopefully this will not be the end of the 40+ aircraft currently in the hands of the museum.
The exhibits
I thought I'd celebrate the museum by showing some of the photos I've made there over the years as a tribute. Enjoy!
1993
1997
Cool tribute, good that you got to see these, some look pretty special (to me as a layman).
ReplyDeleteThanks Joeri. This is the only museum to cover Marine Corps aviation so it is sad to see it close its doors. However I read today the the city of Irvine where the former MCAS El Toro is located has plans to move this collection back to El Toro. I'm sure there is a lot of red tape but let's hope they pull it off.
ReplyDelete