Military Aviation Museum Being Sold

[Bomber_12th]

It's the subject of quite a bit of chatter recently within the warbird community, and its coming to more public attention now after being reported in the current installment of "Aeroplane Monthly". It sounds like the whole of the collection of aircraft owned/operated by the Military Aviation Museum (Fighter Factory/Jerry Yagen collection), which I've talked about quite a bit on this board, is being sold, with rumors already as to where some of these aircraft are headed. For those that may not recall, it is this collection that operates the world's only flying DH Mosquito and a multitude of other warbirds, based in Virginia Beach, such as an Me 262, Fw 190, Ju 52, Mig 3, several Polikarpov fighters, Yak-3, Corsair, B-25, Dragon Rapide, P-40, P-26, B-17, Catalina, Spitfire and Hurricane, and many, many other types (about 70+ aircraft, either restored or in the process of being restored (including several original Fw 190's, original Me 109's, a P-39, Japanese Tony, Kingfisher, and more). The early rumor is of many of the aircraft being sold to Rod Lewis (current owner of about 30 warbirds, including the P-38 Glacier Girl, a P-40C, two Tigercats, and the largest single owner of F8F Bearcats), who has expressed an interest in building a warbird museum from his private collection (which he flies and has other pilots fly).

It all comes as quite a major shock, as the collection continued to be growing at quite a rapid pace over the past year, and quite a large infastructure of museum buildings and hangars has been completed at the Virginia Beach location (including an original WWII Luftwaffe hangar that had been saved and reconstructed).

Some early discussion about it here: http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?124924-Military-Aviation-Museum-Collection-for-Sale
(http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?124924-Military-Aviation-Museum-Collection-for-Sale)
The Military Aviation Museum's website: http://www.militaryaviationmuseum.org/

[Wittpilot]

John,

I actually had not heard this yet... I am extremely shocked by the news actually. I mean, like you stated, he was still buying up airplanes! He only recently acquired some big ones too, like the Ju-52 & the B-17... That is a huge lot to be broken up. I guess we shall see what we shall see... what would you do with all the $$ There is a very large fortune in aircraft there...

[Bomber_12th]

Yeah, that's how I felt when I read it - when you think of how massive the collection is, to all be sold, it's just astonishing. There had been reports leading up to this, however, such as a rumor that all of the Museum's restoration projects had recently and suddenly been stopped and ordered to be packaged up within the last couple weeks or so (like those that were being worked on at MeierMotors in Germany and at Precision in Australia), and the Museum's annual WWI air show was also canceled a week or two back.

[Wittpilot]

I heard the 17 is already sold, but don't know who to. With Ray being pretty close to Jerry, it's hard to imagine there wasn't some kind of bargaining going on there to get Chuckie to Georgia....

[robert41]

Hope the new owner(s) keep them flying and continue the restorations.

[Bomber_12th]

Platinum Fighter Sales are reporting via their Facebook page that MAM's B-17 "Chuckie" and Flugwerk FW-190A-8 have been sold and are heading to Oregon (to a yet unknown owner). Interesting that Kermit Weeks was visiting MAM yesterday as well, though it may just be pure coincidence (he and Jerry have been good friends and a lot of the MAM was modeled similarly to that of Fantasy of Flight).

[Odie]

I was just there last year when we went to Oceana's open house weekend. Lots of great warbirds and friendly folks!

[Quicksand]

Sad to see the collection broken up, as I live a short drive from VA Beach... I hope they all find good homes and the restorations continue.. A real shock!! :isadizzy: