| Champaign Aviation Museum | |
| Coordinates: | 40.1346°N -83.749°W |
| Established: | 2005[1] |
| Location: | Grimes Field, Urbana, Ohio, United States |
| Type: | Aviation museum |
| Director: | Dave Shiffer |
The Champaign Aviation Museum is an aviation museum in Urbana, Ohio.[2] It is situated on the north end of Grimes Field municipal airport, roughly a mile from central Urbana. The museum is known primarily for its ongoing restoration of a B-17 Flying Fortress to flying condition. It is also a component of the National Aviation Heritage Area, a federally designated heritage area primarily centered around sites pertaining to the Wright brothers.[3]
The museum began with the purchase of the wreckage of a JB-17G/model 299Z, a B-17 engine testbed variant with a fifth engine mounted on the nose, and several other parts sourced from various B-17s. The parts and pieces arrived at Grimes Field in November 2005. Restoration work started on the aircraft by volunteers at the south end of the airport soon after. The museum was established as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 2008, the same year a North American B-25 Mitchell was purchased.[4] [5] The next year the museum purchased a C-47 and a former waterbomber A-26.[6] [7] Work continued on the B-17 at the south end until 2010 when a purpose built hangar was completed and the B-17 project as well as the newly acquired aircraft were moved into it.[8] In August 2011, the museum recovered the remains, primarily the empennage, of a B-17G wreckage from Talkeetna, Alaska for use in the restoration.[9] In November 2018, a Grumman C-1 Trader in flying condition was donated to the museum. Then a month later, in October, ground was broken on a project adjacent to the hangar to expand the museum by 20000square feet, and in late 2019 half of the expansion was completed.[10] [11]
The museum's collection consists of primarily vintage military aircraft, but also includes several civilian aircraft.
| Aircraft | Status | Serial number | Registration/markings | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing B-17[12] | Under restoration | 44-85813 | N3154S | Named "Champaign Lady"[13] | |
| Culver LFA[14] | Flying condition | 247 | N34864 | ||
| Douglas A-26[15] | Static | 44-35948 | N381EC | Former aerial firefighter | |
| Douglas C-47 Skytrain[16] | Static | 25720 | N105CA | ||
| Fairchild 24W-9[17] | Flying condition | W213 | N18695 | Formerly owned by Charles "Buddy" Rogers[18] | |
| Grumman C-1 Trader[19] | Flying condition | 136778 | N778SR | Named "Mudflap Girl" | |
| North American B-25 Mitchell[20] | Flying condition | 44-28866 | N744CG | Named "Champaign Gal"[21] | |
| Stinson Voyager 10A[22] | Flying condition | 8094 | N36794 | Used by the Civil Air Patrol during WWII[23] | |
| Beechcraft Model 18[24] | Static gate guardian | AF-276 | |||
| Schweizer TG-3A Glider[25] | Static | 42-52948 | |||
| De Havilland Vampire T.35[26] | Disassembled/partially displayed | A79-633 RAAF | N35DS | Former Royal Australian Air Force training aircraft. |
In 2010 the museum began displaying an exhibit in their main hangar on Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) and how they helped with the war effort.[27]
In 2019 a 1941 Crosley convertible was donated to the museum and is on display in the museum's lobby.[28]
The museum received a grant from the Ohio History Connection to complete a display about WASPs in 2022.[29]