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Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum

Location in California
Former name	El Toro Historical Center and Command Museum Jay W. Hubbard Aviation Museum
Established	1989 (1989)
Location	4203 Anderson Avenue Marine Corps Air Station Miramar San Diego, California United States
Coordinates	32°53′28″N 117°8′21″W / 32.89111°N 117.13917°W / 32.89111; -117.13917
Type	Military aviation museum
Founder	Brig. Gen. Jay W. Hubbard
President	Brigadier General Michael J. Aguilar, USMC (Ret.)
Curator	Steve Smith
Website	flyingleathernecks.org

The Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum is a United States Marine Corps aviation museum currently located at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, San Diego, California. The museum contains exhibits and artifacts relating to the history and legacy of United States Marine Corps Aviation. The outdoor exhibits include 31 historical aircraft, multiple military vehicles and equipment. Indoor exhibits feature photographs, artifacts and artwork from the early days of aviation to the present.

History

The El Toro Historical Center and Command Museum opened to the public in June 1991 in a squadron aviation building at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro. By 1998, the name of the museum had changed to the Jay W. Hubbard Command Museum.

Move to Miramar

When MCAS El Toro closed in 1999, the museum again changed its name to the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum and moved to Naval Air Station Miramar. The museum's 41 aircraft were loaded onto trailers and towed down highways to the museum's new location, where it reopened on 25 May 2000. There it had a 27,000 sq ft (2,500 m) restoration hangar. In 2002, the museum announced plans to construct a 30,000 sq ft (2,800 m) building to display its collection. At the same time, however, increased security on the base after the September 11th attacks made it more difficult for civilians to visit.

Separately, plans for a museum at El Toro began in 2008.

The Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundation was formed to support the museum's efforts and to provide interpretive programs to educate the public on the history and legacy of Marine Corps aviation. These include tours for school field trips, STEM education, the Marine Spouse Award, and annual student essay and art contests.

Return to El Toro

In 2021, the Marine Corps announced that it would be permanently closing the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum and transferring the aircraft to other museums. Subsequently, museum supporters began a campaign to move the museum to a new location.

The Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundation began discussions with the City of Irvine about a possible relocation of the museum back to the former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro. The museum would become part of a planned Cultural Terrace at the former air station, now renamed Orange County Great Park. In December, the museum announced that an agreement had been reached to move the aircraft to the abandoned Marine Aircraft Group 46 hangars. By March of the following year, aircraft on loan from the National Naval Aviation Museum were being disassembled in preparation for moves to other museums. Plans and fundraising are currently underway to move the rest of the aircraft to the new location in Great Park, Irvine, California. The museum began moving aircraft to the new location in the 215,000 sq ft (20,000 m) Hangar 296 in March 2024.

Collection

Aircraft on display

• Beechcraft T-34B Mentor 140688
• Bell AH-1J Sea Cobra 157784
• Bell 214ST 28166
• Bell UH-1L Iroquois 157824
• Boeing Vertol CH-46E Sea Knight 154803
• Douglas A-4C Skyhawk 148492
• Douglas A-4F Skyhawk 154204
• Douglas A-4M Skyhawk II 160264
• Douglas TA-4J Skyhawk 158467
• Douglas F3D-2 Skyknight 124630
• Douglas F4D-1 Skyray 139177
• General Motors TBM-3E Avenger 53726
• Grumman A-6E Intruder 154170
• Grumman F9F-2 Panther 123652
• Grumman F9F-8P Cougar 141722
• McDonnell F2H-2 Banshee 124988
• McDonnell Douglas F/A-18A Hornet 161749
• McDonnell Douglas F-4S Phantom II 157246
• McDonnell Douglas RF-4B Phantom II 151981
• Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 81072
• North American SNJ-5 Texan 90866
• North American Rockwell OV-10D Bronco 155494
• Sikorsky CH-53A Sea Stallion 153304
• Sikorsky HRS-3 Chickasaw 130252
• Sikorsky HUS Seahorse 150219
• Vought F8U-2NE Crusader 150920
• Vought RF-8G Crusader 144617

Other exhibits

• AAI RQ-2B Pioneer – This aircraft is mounted to the M927 Truck on display.
• BMP-1 – This vehicle was captured from the Iraqi Army during Desert Storm.
• D-20 – This vehicle was captured from the Iraqi Army during Desert Storm.
• MT-LB – This vehicle was captured from the Iraqi Army during Desert Storm.
• Landing Signals Officer (LSO) Shack
• M1097 Avenger
• M927 Truck

In storage

• Bell HTL Sioux 64-15338
• Bell UH-1N Twin Huey 159198
• Stinson OY-1 Sentinel 42-14918
• Douglas A-4B Skyhawk 142879
• Ford M151A2
• Kaman HOK-1 Huskie 139990
• Lockheed TO-1 33840
• North American PBJ-1J Mitchell 44-86727 – Under restoration
• Piasecki HUP-2 Retriever 128596 – Under restoration
• Vought RF-8G Crusader 146858

MCAS Miramar Post Exchange

The following items, being located away from the museum complex, are available only to visitors who have access to the post exchange.

• Douglas R4D-8 50835
• Douglas R5D Skymaster 90392
• Fairchild R4Q Packet 131708

Formerly on Display

The following items were at one time displayed at the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum but have since moved on to other collections.

• Douglas SBD-1 Dauntless 1612 – Under restoration. Now at the Air Zoo, Kalamazoo, Michigan
• General Motors FM-2 Wildcat 16278. Now at the Hickory Aviation Museum, Hickory, North Carolina
• Hawker Siddeley AV-8C Harrier 158387. Now at the Fort Worth Aviation Museum in Fort Worth, Texas
• McDonnell Douglas F/A-18A Hornet 163152 Now at the Pacific Coast Air Museum in Santa Rosa, California
• Northrop F-5E Tiger II 741564. Now at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona
• Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler 161882. Now at the March Field Air Museum in Riverside, California

See also

• Marine Corps Museums
• United States Marine Corps Aviation
• Naval Aviation Hall of Honor (including USMC)
• United States naval aviator

References

Footnotes

1. At the same time, the MCAS El Toro Historical Foundation was replaced by the Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundation.

Notes

1. Reza, H. G. (18 January 2003). "Jay W. Hubbard, 80; Marine Pilot, Builder". Los Angeles Times. p. B13. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
2. "Board Of Directors". Flying Leathernecks. Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundation. 3 April 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
3. "About The Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum". Flying Leathernecks. Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundation. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
4. Frank, George (6 January 1992). "Marines Capture Past". Los Angeles Times. pp. B1, B5. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
5. Hicks, Jerry (15 August 1995). "Base Museum Salutes El Toro's Role in County History". Los Angeles Times. pp. B1, B6. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
6. Reza, H. G. (28 February 1998). "Corps Values". Los Angeles Times. pp. B1, B4. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
7. Hicks, Jerry (30 June 1999). "Departure Leaves Hole in County's Heart". Los Angeles Times. p. V3. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
8. Grad, Shelby (22 July 1996). "To Some, El Toro's Future Can't Compare to Past". Los Angeles Times. p. B3. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
9. ""Here's the Rest of the Story"", Log Book, p. 7, Summer–Fall 2020, retrieved 12 December 2022
10. Meyer, J. Stryker (26 May 2000). "Marines Dedicate Leatherneck Aviation Museum". North County Times. pp. B-1, B-5. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
11. Laubach, Patricia (May 2019). "Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum". San Diego Veterans' Magazine. pp. 18–21. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
12. Luke, Steven (31 August 2012). "Stepping Inside the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum". NBC 7 San Diego. NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
13. Fuentes, Gidget (4 July 2002). "Marine Flight Museum in Works". North County Times. pp. B-1, B-2, B-8. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
14. Reyes, David (21 March 2007). "Base Jetsam is Prized". Los Angeles Times. p. B4. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
15. Barboza, Tony (31 January 2008). "Park's Museum Will be a Nod to El Toro's History". Los Angeles Times. p. B4. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
16. "Education Programs | Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundation - Aviation Museum". flyingleathernecks.org. 3 August 2017. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
17. "Marine Spouse | Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundation - Aviation Museum". flyingleathernecks.org. 10 February 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
18. "Art Contest | Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundation - Aviation Museum". flyingleathernecks.org. 29 March 2019. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
19. "Student Essay Contest | Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundation - Aviation Museum". flyingleathernecks.org. 2 March 2017. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
20. "Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundation - GuideStar Profile". www.guidestar.org. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
21. Saunders, Mark (23 February 2021). "MCAS Miramar Flying Leatherneck Museum to close permanently". 10 News San Diego. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
22. Dyer, Andrew (18 March 2021). "Backers fight to save Marines' Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum ahead of April 1 closure". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
23. Robinson, Alicia (21 June 2021). "Marine Corps air museum could be coming to Irvine's Great Park". Orange County Register. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
24. "Flying Leathernecks Aviation Museum". City of Irvine. 14 June 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
25. "Planning & Future Development". City of Irvine. 3 June 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
26. "Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum Finds New Home". Warbirds News. 31 December 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
27. McIntosh, Linda (18 March 2022). "Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum, and its dozens of restored aircraft, moving from S.D. to Irvine". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
28. Kime, Patricia (22 March 2022). "Marine Corps Flying Leatherneck Museum to Reopen at Former El Toro Base". Military.com. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
29. Aguilar, M. J. (3 October 2022). "President's Update-October 2022". Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundation. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
30. Ritchie, Erika I. (6 March 2024). "First Military Aircraft Make Journey to New Home in OC at Great Park". Orange County Register. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
31. Langhorne, Daniel (28 May 2021). "Irvine Invites Marine Aviation Museum to Return to El Toro". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
32. ^ "Aircraft Listing" (PDF). Flying Leathernecks. Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundation. October 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 February 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
33. ""Lady Ace 09" unveiled at aviation museum". Marines. 30 April 2010. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
34. Gray, James (Summer 2014). "L-5 Newsletter" (PDF). Sentinel Owners & Pilots Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 May 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
35. Wilkens, John (13 August 2017). "Three Americans, one plane: Seeking closure for a WWII disappearance". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
36. "EA-6B Prowlers on Display". VAQ136.com. Retrieved 11 August 2017.

Bibliography

• Hicks, Jerry (4 August 1998). "Throughout Life, El Toro has Been His Base". Los Angeles Times. pp. B1, B4. Retrieved 12 December 2022.

External links

• Official website
• Marine Corps Air Station Miramar

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