Grissom Air Museum
Encyclopedia
The Grissom Air Museum, near Peru, Indiana
Peru, Indiana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 12,994 people, 5,410 households, and 3,397 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,815.5 people per square mile . There were 5,943 housing units at an average density of 1,287.7 per square mile...

 and named for astronaut
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....

 Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom
Gus Grissom
Virgil Ivan Grissom , , better known as Gus Grissom, was one of the original NASA Project Mercury astronauts and a United States Air Force pilot...

, was founded in 1981 by seven prior service military personnel who lived in the area. The Heritage Museum Foundation (HMF) wanted to preserve aircraft that were currently located at Grissom Air Reserve Base
Grissom Air Reserve Base
Grissom Air Reserve Base is a United States Air Force base, located approximately north of Kokomo, Indiana. The facility is a joint use civil airport/military base with the Grissom Aeroplex which provides general aviation and charter service....

, formerly Grissom Air Force Base. The HMF started the Grissom Air Museum in 1982 outside of what then was the main gate of Grissom Air Reserve Base.

The museum currently has 32 aircraft: 24 on display, 7 in different stages of restoration, and one awaiting its display area. It is also the home of the 305th Bomb Wing (BW) and the 319th Fighter Interceptor Squadron (FIS).

History

The Grissom Air Reserve Base
Grissom Air Reserve Base
Grissom Air Reserve Base is a United States Air Force base, located approximately north of Kokomo, Indiana. The facility is a joint use civil airport/military base with the Grissom Aeroplex which provides general aviation and charter service....

, was the Grissom Air Force Base before it was changed from an active service facility. Prior to May 12, 1968, it was known as the Bunker Hill Air Force Base. Bunker Hill was renamed Grissom AFB in honor of Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom
Gus Grissom
Virgil Ivan Grissom , , better known as Gus Grissom, was one of the original NASA Project Mercury astronauts and a United States Air Force pilot...

, an Indiana native and the second American astronaut to fly in space, who perished in the Apollo 1
Apollo 1
Apollo 1 was scheduled to be the first manned mission of the Apollo manned lunar landing program, with a target launch date of February 21, 1967. A cabin fire during a launch pad test on January 27 at Launch Pad 34 at Cape Canaveral killed all three crew members: Command Pilot Virgil "Gus"...

 launch pad fire of January 27, 1967.. The indoor museum was completed in 1989 when the aircraft were moved from the base to a public access site. From 1995-2009, the Museum was a State Historic Site under Indiana's Department of Natural Resources. Current funding is obtained through donations, membership, gift shop sales, and admissions.

Displays

The museum has approximately 20 aircraft on outdoor display reflecting both the base's history and that of the USAF. The indoor museum contains a number of artifacts related to the 305th Bomb Group and the AVG, among other subjects, and has some interesting sit-in displays, including a Phantom cockpit.

Aircraft

Grissom Air Museum

Attack Aircraft: A-10A Thunderbolt II

Bombers: B-17G Flying Fortress, B-25J Mitchell, B-47B Stratojet, B-58A Hustler

Fighters: F-4C Phantom, F-11F Tiger, F-14B Tomcat, F-84F, Thunderstreak, F-100C Super Sabre, F-101B Voodoo, F-105 Thunderchief

Refueling: KC-97L Stratofreighter, EC-135 Stratotanker

Transports: C-1 Trader, C-47 Skytrain, C-119G Flying Boxcar

Museum

In the museum, you have the opportunity to climb into the cockpit of a replica 1903 Wright Flyer
Wright Flyer
The Wright Flyer was the first powered aircraft, designed and built by the Wright brothers. They flew it four times on December 17, 1903 near the Kill Devil Hills, about four miles south of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, U.S.The U.S...

, a UH-1L Huey
UH-1 Iroquois
The Bell UH-1 Iroquois is a military helicopter powered by a single, turboshaft engine, with a two-bladed main rotor and tail rotor. The helicopter was developed by Bell Helicopter to meet the United States Army's requirement for a medical evacuation and utility helicopter in 1952, and first flew...

 Helicopter, and a F-4C Phantom.

Tower

The entire Grissom Air Reserve base and aircraft display are visible from the top of the five-story Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...

-era Observation Tower. An admission fee is charged ($1.00 in 2009).

Events

Events on location include the Festival of Flight, car shows, Warbird Cruise-In, and local aviation art contests.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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