March Field Air Museum

March Field Air Museum

Location within California
Established	1979 (1979)
Location	Riverside County, near Moreno Valley, California
Coordinates	33.883848°N 117.266682°W / 33.883848; -117.266682
Type	Aviation museum
Founder	Lt. Gen. James E. Mullins[1]
Curator	Jeff Houlihan
Website	www.marchfield.org

The March Field Air Museum is an aviation museum near Moreno Valley and Riverside, California, located at March Air Reserve Base.

History

The museum was founded in 1979 as March Air Force Base Museum. One of the first exhibits at the museum was a collection of art painted by Hazel Olson.^[1][2] It moved to a new location at the base's former commissary, where it reopened to the public in 1981. That same year, a B-29 was flown to the museum.^[3] The museum moved again in 1993 to its current location west of the runway along Interstate 215. Originally operated by the Air Force, the museum's operation was transferred to a nonprofit organization in 1996.^[4]

Exhibits

Indoor exhibits

Indoor displays include:

• A replica Wright Flyer
• A section of a Boeing B-47 cockpit which was used in the filming of the 1955 film Strategic Air Command starring Jimmy Stewart.
• Many movies playing on a regular recurring schedule
• A German 30mm cannon and jet engines
• Missile and bomb cross-sections
• A recreation of a World War II-era mural^[5]
• B-52 training modules

Memorials

• A memorial to War dogs.^[6]
• The Distinguished Flying Cross National Memorial Act, signed July 25, 2014, designated the memorial at the museum in honor of current and former members of the Armed Forces who have been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross as the Distinguished Flying Cross National Memorial. The national memorial was dedicated on October 27, 2010.^[7][8]
• A memorial to NASA astronauts killed in the Challenger and Columbia disasters that uses a Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster.^[9]
• 15th Air Force Commemorative Wall. Dedicated in 1998, the 15th Air Force Commemorative Wall at March Field Air Museum pays tribute to the courageous men and women who served in the 15th Air Force. This solemn monument stands as a testament to their valor and sacrifice during World War II.^[10]

Aircraft on display

Bell P-59A Airacomet

North American B-25J Mitchell

Vultee BT-13A Valiant

Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress

The museum has over 114 aircraft on display.^[11][12][13]

• Aero Commander U-9A 52-6218^[14]
• Bell AH-1F Cobra 69-16416^[15]
• Bell P-39Q Airacobra – Composite^[16]
• Bell P-59 Airacomet 44-22614^[17]
• Bell OH-58 Kiowa 71-61668^[18]
• Bell UH-1B Iroquois 62-12537^[19]
• Bell UH-1D Iroquois 66-0925^[20]
• Bell UH-1F Iroquois 63-13143^[20]
• Bensen B-8M^[21]
• Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress 44-6393 "Starduster" – This aircraft served as Lt Gen Ira C. Eaker's personal transport.^[22]
• Boeing B-29A Superfortress 44-61669^[23]
• Boeing B-47E Stratojet 53-2275^[24]
• Boeing B-52D Stratofortress 55-0679 – This aircraft flew 175 combat missions in the Vietnam War.^[25]
• Boeing KC-97L Stratofreighter 53-0363^[26]
• Boeing KC-135A Stratotanker 55-3130 "Old Granddad"^[27]
• Cessna A-37 Dragonfly 71-0790^[28]
• Cessna T-37B Tweet 57-2316^[29]
• Cessna O-2A Skymaster 68-11067^[30][31]
• Cessna O-2B Skymaster 67-21465^[32]
• Consolidated PT-6A 30-385^[33]
• Convair C-131D Samaritan 54-2808^[34]
• Convair F-102A Delta Dagger 56-1114^[35]
• Douglas TA-4J Skyhawk^[36]
• Douglas A-26C Invader 44-35224^[37]
• Douglas EA-1E Skyraider 132789^[38]
• Douglas C-54Q Skymaster 56514^[39]
• Fairchild PT-19B^[40]
• Fairchild C-123K Provider 54-0612^[41]
• Folland Gnat E1076^[42]
• General Atomics MQ-1B Predator^[43]
• General Dynamics FB-111A Aardvark 68-0245^[44]
• Grumman YF-14A Tomcat 157990 – This aircraft was the 11th prototype F-14.^[45]
• Grumman HU-16E Albatross 1293^[46]
• Hughes OH-6A Cayuse 68-17252^[47]
• Lockheed C-141B Starlifter 65-0257^[48]
• Lockheed D-21B^[49]
• Lockheed P-38L Lightning – Replica^[50]
• Lockheed R5O-5 Lodestar 12473^[51]
• Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird 61-7975^[52]
• Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star 58-0513^[53]
• LTV A-7D Corsair II 69-6188^[54]
• Martin EB-57B Canberra 52-1519^[55]
• McDonnell F-101B Voodoo 59-0418^[56]
• McDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantom II 63-7693^[57]
• McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II 68-0382^[58]
• McDonnell Douglas RF-4C Phantom II 63-7746^[59]
• McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle 76-0008^[60]
• McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender 84-0185^[61]
• Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15^[62]
• Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17^[63]
• Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19^[64]
• Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21^[65]
• Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 0393215744^[66][67]
• MMIST CQ-10A Snowgoose^[68]
• Nieuport 11 – Scale replica^[69]
• Nieuport 11 – Scale replica^[70]
• North American TB-25J Mitchell 44-31032^[71]
• North American F-86H Sabre 53-1304^[72]
• North American F-86L Sabre 50-0560^[73]
• North American F-100C Super Sabre 54-1786^[74]
• North American SNJ-4 Texan 51360^[75]
• Northrop F-89J Scorpion 52-1949^[76]
• Northrop T-38A Talon 60-0593^[77]
• Northrop YA-9A 71-1368^[78]
• Piasecki H-21 Workhorse 53-4326^[79]
• Republic F-84C Thunderjet 47-1595^[80]
• Republic F-84F Thunderstreak 51-9432^[81]
• Republic F-105B Thunderchief 57-5803^[82]
• Republic F-105D Thunderchief 62-4383^[83]
• Sauser P6E^[84]
• Schweizer TG-2^[85]
• Sikorsky HH-34J Choctaw 148943^[86]
• Stearman PT-13D Kaydet 42-16388^[87]
• Stinson L-5 Sentinel^[88]
• Vultee BT-13A Valiant 41-21487^[89]
• Vultee BT-13A Valiant N54865 – This aircraft was converted to resemble an Aichi D3A Val Dive Bomber for the 1970 movie Tora! Tora! Tora!.^[90]
• Wright Flyer – Replica^[91]

In the media

Television

The March Field Air Museum was featured on an episode of Ghost Adventures in 2018. The team of paranormal investigators investigated paranormal claims of artifacts being thrown out of their glass cases by an unseen force while in the Main Hangar, voices of children who died with their mother from the flu when they lived on the property before the Restoration Hangar was built, and sounds of soldiers preparing for battle while in the Lockheed C-141 Starlifter display aircraft.^[92]

References

Notes

1. Ellis, Howard (12 June 1979). "Artist to Donate Painting to March Air Base Museum". The Sun. p. B-2. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
2. Ellis, Howard (30 September 1979). "March Historical Art Museum Features Colton Woman's Work". The Sun. p. B-1. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
3. "Oldest Flying Fortress Makes Its Last Flight Soon". The Biggs News. 9 July 1981. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
4. "Our History". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
5. "March Field Air Museum Proudly Showcases Mural "Man's Supremacy in the Air"". InlandEmpire.us. 26 December 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
6. "Heritage Courtyard". March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
7. "Heritage Courtyard". March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
8. "H.R. 330 – Summary". United States Congress. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
9. "Shuttle rocket booster to be part of memorial at California museum". CollectSpace. 4 December 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
10. "Heritage Courtyard". March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
11. Ogden, Bob. Aviation Museums and Collections of North America, Sudbourne, England, 2007. ISBN 978-0851303857.
12. Parker, Dana T. Building Victory: Aircraft Manufacturing in the Los Angeles Area in World War II, Cypress, CA, 2013. ISBN 978-0-9897906-0-4.
13. "Aircraft Collection". March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
14. "U-9A Aero Commander". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
15. "AH-1F Cobra". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
16. "P-39Q Airacobra". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
17. "P-59A Airacomet". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
18. "Bell OH-58 Kiowa". March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
19. "UH-1B Iroquois "Huey"". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
20. "Bell UH-1F Iroquois". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
21. "Bensen B-8M". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
22. "B-17G Flying Fortress". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
23. "B-29A Superfortress". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
24. "B-47E Stratojet". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
25. "B-52D Stratofortress". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
26. "KC-97L Stratofreighter". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
27. "KC-135A Stratotanker". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
28. "A-37 Dragonfly". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
29. "T-37B Tweety Bird". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
30. "O-2/C-337 Super Skymaster". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
31. "Airframe Dossier – Cessna O-2A Super Skymaster, s/n 68-11067 USAF, c/n 337M-0343, c/r N475DF". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
32. "O-2B Skymaster". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
33. "[Untitled]". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
34. "Convair C-131D Samaritan". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
35. "F-102A Delta Dagger". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
36. "TA-4J Skyhawk". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
37. "A-26C Invader". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
38. "EA-1E Skyraider". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
39. "C-54Q Skymaster". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
40. "PT-19B Cornell". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
41. "C-123K Provider". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
42. "FO-141 Gnat". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
43. "MQ-1B Predator". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
44. "FB-111A Aardvark". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
45. "YF-14A Tomcat". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
46. "HU-16E Albatross". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
47. "OH-6A Cayusa [sic]". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
48. "C-141 Starlifter". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
49. "D-21 Drone". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
50. "P-38 Lightning". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
51. "R5O Lodestar". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
52. "SR-71A Blackbird". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
53. "T-33A Shooting Star". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
54. "A-7D Corsair II". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
55. "EB-57B Canberra". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
56. "F-101B Voodoo". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
57. "F-4C Phantom II". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
58. "F-4E Phantom II". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
59. "RF-4C Phantom II". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
60. "F-15 Eagle". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
61. Horseman, Jeff (15 August 2023). "Retired Air Force KC-10 tanker moves to March Field Air Museum". The Press-Enterprise. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
62. "MiG-15 Fagot". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
63. "MiG-17 Fresco". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
64. "MiG-19 Farmer". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
65. "MiG-21F-13 Fishbed". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
66. "MiG-23 Flogger". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
67. "Airframe Dossier – Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-23BN Flogger-H (NATO), s/n 5744 CEF, c/n 0393215744". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
68. "CQ-10A (UAV) Snow Goose". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
69. "Nieuport 11 [1]". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
70. "Nieuport 11 [2]". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
71. "B-25J Mitchell". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
72. "F-86H Sabre". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
73. "F-86L Sabre". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
74. "F-100C Super Sabre". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
75. "SNJ-4 Texan". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
76. "F-89J Scorpion". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
77. "Northrop T-38A Talon". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
78. "YA-9A". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
79. "H-21 Workhorse". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
80. "F-84C Thunderjet". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
81. "F-84F Thunderstreak". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
82. "F-105B Thunderchief". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
83. "F-105D Thunderchief". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
84. "[Untitled]". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
85. "TG-2 Glider". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
86. "HH-34J Choctaw". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
87. "PT-13D Stearman". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
88. "L-5 Sentinel". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
89. "BT-13 Valiant". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
90. "BT-13A Japanese Aichi D3A "Val"". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
91. "1903 Wright Flyer I". March Field Air Museum. March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
92. "Riverside Plane Graveyard".

Bibliography

• Moreau, Michael (12 November 1983). "Flying Machines from WWII to Vietnam on Display". Los Angeles Times. pp. 1, 5, 10, 14. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
• Straight, Susan (25 May 2015). "The Unknown Helicopter". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 6 August 2017.

External links

• Official website

33.883848°N 117.266682°W / 33.883848; -117.266682