The Florida Air Museum is designated as Florida’s “Official Aviation Museum and Education Center.”Шаблон:Cn It features a display of aircraft including one-of-a-kind designs, classics, ultra-lights, antiques and warbirds.
Facility
The museum is housed in a main building and a hangar annex. Both
are located on the campus of the Sun 'n Fun fly-in and expo, which
supplies much of the funding for the museum's collections and
programs. The entire campus is located at the Lakeland Linder
Regional Airport, just south of the runways.
The main building holds much of the collection, especially
smaller aircraft like a Boeing-Stearman Model 75 from the classic
Red Baron Pizza aerobatic team. A wide variety of unique designs,
homebuilts, and even a Mercury rocket motor share the display
floor. The aircraft are supplemented by a collection of engines
from WWI to the present day. It also houses a library, offices, a
conference room and the museum's small gift shop. The hangar annex
houses larger aircraft and engines.
Also on Campus is the Buehler Restoration Center. This 8,000
square–foot facility, located adjacent to the Florida Air Museum at
SUN ‘n FUN, houses SUN 'n FUN’s year–round aircraft restoration
activities. The facility, which opened in April 2006, was made
possible by a $300,000 grant from The Emil Buehler Perpetual Trust,
with additional support from a State of Florida Cultural Facilities
and Historical Grant.
Collection
The museum's collection includes some unique and notable
aircraft, including many homebuilt aircraft:
- Acro Sport I - currently under restoration
- Aeronca C-3 Collegiate NC13557 - built in 1934
- Aeronca LB N15292 - built in 1934 and restored on
site
- Aerosport Scamp N25130 - built in 1982
- Aerosport Woody Pusher N100FQ - built in 1930
- Anglin Space Walker II N168CM - built in 1994
- Bede BD-5 Micro N5168 - original pusher propeller
design
- Boeing 727-233 N265FE - a 1979 cargo model donated by
FedEx and being converted to a classroom/meeting space
- Boeing-Stearman Model 75 - from the now-retired Red Baron
Squadron aerobatic team
- Brokaw Bullet N520BJ - built in 1972
- Bowers Fly Baby - built in 1994
- Cirrus VK-30 N94CM - built in 1993, this was the first
Cirrus Aircraft design and was sold as a kit for homebuilders
- Colomban Cri-cri MC-12 "Cricket" N98DJ - built in 1983,
this aircraft is the world's smallest twin-engined manned
aircraft
- Command-Aire MR-1 "Little Rocket racer" N345JA
- Convair F2Y Sea Dart - pylon-mounted at the entrance to the
main building, the Sea Dart was the only seaplane to ever exceed
the speed of sound
- Denney Kitfox N3LB - built in 1989
- Douglas DC-3 N839M - originally built in 1943 as a C-47
Skytrain and later converted to a DC-3 for passenger service
- Evans VP-1 Volksplane N24PB - built in 1975
- Ford Flivver N3218 - reproduction built in 1994
- Franklin PS-2 Glider N69279 - built in 1965
- Heath Super Parasol N88EG - built in 1934
- Greene Lovings Love N100PH - built in 1976
- Grumman F-14 Tomcat - on long-term loan from the National Naval
Aviation Museum
- Laird Baby Biplane - reproduction
- Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star - in Thunderbirds colors;
pylon-mounted at the front gate
- Lockheed XFV Vertical Riser - restored onsite
- Mignet Pou-du-Ciel "Flying Flea" - built in 1979
- Mitchell Wing B-10 ultralight
- Northrop Radioplane Drone
- Piel CP-30 Emeraude N31EB - built in 1975
- Pietenpol Air Camper N3513 - reproduction on 1929 model
built in 1967
- Pitts Special S-1 N58P - built in 1972 by Paul
Poberezny
- Pitts Special S-1C N5LU - built in 1983
- Porterfield Collegiate - currently undergoing restoration
- Quickie N303Q - built in 1989
- Rand KR-2 N28RM
- Rans S-19 Venterra
- RotorWay Exec N824DL
- Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 - a 7/8 replica currently on
display in the terminal of the Lakeland Linder Airport
- SNS7 Hyperbipe N135HB - built in 1995
- Spirit of Peace Rozière Balloon Capsule - on long-term loan by
Kermit Weeks from Fantasy of
Flight
- Stits SA-11-A Playmate N77JA
- Sunshine ClipperN62SC - built and donated by Henry
Palmer
- Whittman Chief N14855 - built 1931
- Whittman Tailwind N314T - built 1962
