Look Back on Visits to OK and TX Aviation Museums Large and Small

By Mark Nankivil

The Aero Experience Team makes a point to visit and report on aviation museums along our path of travel, and we have a few more from previous years to show our audience.  Our goal is not to provide a comprehensive view of each museum, but to show some exhibits we found interesting and encourage others to visit and experience the results of years of hard work and vast resources expended to build and maintain aviation museums.  The links to each museum are provided to encourage readers to check out the museum's websites for further information on exhibits, directions, hours, etc.  Then go and visit the museum, thank the staff, and support their continued success.

Cavanaugh Flight Museum

By Fred Harl

The Cavanaugh Flight Museum is located at Addison Airport just north of Dallas, TX.  The museum offers a collection of aircraft and armored vehicles from WW I to the Vietnam War era, including MiG-15, MiG-17 and MiG-21 jets.  They also give rides in warbirds that span from Stearman trainers to the mighty Douglas Skyraider.  Annual events include the Warbirds Over Addison airshow.  Here are some views in and out of the museum during our visit:

Cimarron Field and Mustang Field Museum

This museum is located at Clarence E. page Airport in Yukon, OK.  As the name implies, the history of two WW II training airfields is commemorated along with some representative aircraft.  Cimarron Field was located at the current site, while Mustang Field was eight miles west in El Reno, OK.  The museum is also dedicated to the 23 airmen who lost their lives training at the bases, and the many more who sacrificed their lives throughout the war.  Several exhibits also feature trainer and transport aircraft of the age following WW II that paved the way to the modern U.S. Air Force.

 

Fort Worth Aviation Museum

The Fort Worth Aviation Museum is a union of organizations that preserve and exhibit aircraft and aviation collections from the area.  Included in the museum's coalition are the B-36 Peacemaker Museum, Forward Air Controllers' Museum, Veterans Memorial Air Park, and the OV-10 Bronco Association among others. Included in the outstanding air park is the mock-up of the McDonnell Douglas/General Dynamics A-12 Avenger II, a tri-service stealth attack aircraft that was cancelled after years of delayed development and cost overruns. 

Frontiers of Flight Museum

The Frontiers of Flight Museum, located at Love Field in Dallas, TX, grew from humble beginnings to a major attraction.  The collection began as a donation of archives from publisher of Flight magazine, George Haddaway, to the University of TX.  When the collection outgrew the university's allotted space, it moved to the Love Field Terminal building, and it now resides in a new facility opened in 2004.  Today, over 30 aircraft are included with exhibits that prominently feature Dallas-based Southwest Airlines.       

Vintage Flying Museum

The Vintage Flying Museum is located at Meacham International Airport in Fort Worth, TX.  The museum strives to be student and family friendly by offering hands-on activities along with the educational exhibits.  The aircraft featured are from the WW II era or the post war years.  The Vintage Flying Museum shares space with the CAF B-29/B-24 Squadron, the A-3 Skywarrior Association, Greatest Generation Aircraft and CAF Invader Squadron.