The Valiant Air Command, Inc. Warbird Museum (VAC) is located at the Space Coast Regional Airport in Brevard County, just south of Titusville, Florida. The VAC contains vintage aircraft and a 30,000-square-foot (2,800 m2) hangar with a restoration area.[1] The VAC also has a Memorabilia Hall with flight gear, dress uniforms, weapons and artifacts. The collection includes fixed and rotary wing aircraft from World War I to the present.[2] The flagship aircraft of the museum is a Douglas C-47 Skytrain called "TICO Belle" which returned to flying status in July 2009 after the aircraft was involved in an accident.[3]
History
The museum began raising money as part of a four phase plan for expansion in 2021.[4]
Following an accident a year prior, the museum was forced to sell its damaged TBM Avenger in March 2022.[5][6]
Aircraft on display
Aircraft on display
- Beechcraft RU-21A Ute[7]
- Beechcraft T-34C Turbo Mentor[8]
- Bell H-13 Sioux[9]
- Bell UH-1 Iroquois[10]
- Cessna O-2 Skymaster[citation needed]
- de Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth[10]
- Douglas TA-4J Skyhawk[10]
- Douglas C-47A Skytrain – Airworthy - "Tico Belle"[11]
- Douglas SBD Dauntless[12]
- English Electric Canberra TT.18[13]
- Epps 1907 Monoplane – Replica[14]
- Fouga CM.170 Magister[15]
- General Dynamics F-16A Fighting Falcon[10]
- Grumman F-11F Tiger[10]
- Grumman A-6 Intruder[10]
- Grumman FM Wildcat[16]
- Grumman F9F-5 Panther[10]
- Grumman F-14A Tomcat[10]
- Grumman S-2F Tracker[10]
- Lockheed T-33[10]
- Ling-Temco-Vought A-7A Corsair II[10]
- McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom II[10]
- McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet[10]
- McDonnell F-101B Voodoo[10]
- Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17[10]
- Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21[10]
- Nord Noralpha[10]
- North American B-25 Mitchell[17]
- North American F-86 Sabre[18]
- North American F-100D Super Sabre[19]
- North American T-2C Buckeye[20]
- North American SNJ-5 Texan[17]
- North American XP-82 Twin Mustang – On loan[21]
- Piper L-4J Grasshopper[10]
- Republic F-105 Thunderchief[10]
- Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw[10]
- Sikorsky MH-53E Sea Dragon[22]
- Northrop F-5E Shaped Sonic Boom Demonstration[10]
- Stearman PT-17[17]
- Stinson L-5 Sentinel[23]
- Vought F-8K Crusader[10]
Aircraft under restoration
Restoration to static display
Restoration to airworthy
See also
References
- ^ Florida Today. The Fact Book: Your Guide to Brevard County (Melbourne, Florida: Florida Today, February 28, 2004), p. 119.
- ^ Lyn Dowling. "Warbird Air Museum opens hangar doors," Florida Today, November 09, 2007, TgIF 25.
- ^ Valiant Air Command website
- ^ Reigada, Flora (1 February 2021). "Four-phase Warbird Museum expansion forges ahead". Senior Life. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
- ^ Tribou, Richard (3 March 2022). "Space Coast museum's crashed air show plane sold after failed restoration effort". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
- ^ "Avenger Ditches During Cocoa Beach Air Show". AVweb.com. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
- ^ "Beechcraft - RU-21A Ute". Valiant Air Command. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
- ^ "T-34C Turbo Mentor". Valiant Air Command. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
- ^ "Bell H-13 Sioux". Valiant Air Command. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v "Static Non-Flying Collection". Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum. Valiant Air Command. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
- ^ "Douglas C-47 Skytrain 42-100591 "Tico Belle"". Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum. Valiant Air Command. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
- ^ "1943 SBD5N - Dauntless". Valiant Air Command. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
- ^ "English Electric TT.18 WJ574 Canberra Restoration". Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum. Valiant Air Command. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
- ^ "1907 Epps Monoplane". Valiant Air Command. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
- ^ "Fouga CM.170 Magister". Valiant Air Command. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
- ^ "FM-1 Wildcat". Valiant Air Command. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
- ^ a b c "Resident Flying Aircraft". Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum. Valiant Air Command. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
- ^ "F-86 Sabre". Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum. Valiant Air Command. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
- ^ "F-100D Super Sabre". Valiant Air Command. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
- ^ "T-2C Buckeye". Valiant Air Command. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
- ^ "VALIANT AIR COMMAND EVENTS/news". Valiant Air Command. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
- ^ "MH-53E Sea Dragon". Valiant Air Command. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
- ^ "1946 Stinson L-5 "Sentinel"". Valiant Air Command. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
- ^ "OV-1C Mohawk". Valiant Air Command. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
Further reading
- Savage, Mike (1990). Valiant Air Command. London: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 0-85045-954-0.
- Sonnenberg, Maria (17 June 2021). "Commanding Presence". Space Coast Living. Retrieved 21 November 2022.