Wikipedia

Southern Museum of Flight

The Southern Museum of Flight is a civilian aviation museum Birmingham, Alabama. The facility features nearly 100 aircraft, as well as engines, models, artifacts, photographs, and paintings. In addition, the Southern Museum of Flight is home to the Alabama Aviation Hall of Fame, which presents Alabama Aviation History through collective biography.

Southern Museum of Flight
Southern Museum of Flight is located in Alabama
Southern Museum of Flight
Location in Alabama
Southern Museum of Flight is located in the United States
Southern Museum of Flight
Southern Museum of Flight (the United States)
Established1966 (1966)
Location4343 73rd Street North
Birmingham, Alabama 35206
Coordinates33°33′49″N 86°44′17″W / 33.56348°N 86.73806°W / 33.56348; -86.73806
FounderMary Alice Beatty
DirectorDr. Brian J. Barsanti
Websitewww.southernmuseumofflight.org

Overview

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The Lake Murray B-25C Mitchell[1] bomber crashed in South Carolina during a 1943 training exercise. The right engine was torn off during the crash but the crew was able to escape unharmed before it sank to a depth of 150 feet (46m). The aircraft became a dive site for local technical divers until it was raised from the depths of the lake in September 2005.[2] Dr. Bob Seigler who spearheaded the project, John Hodge and Dr. Bill Vartorella, formed the Lake Murray B-25 Rescue Project to salvage the aircraft from the bottom of Lake Murray.[3] After recovery the remains of the aircraft were moved to the Southern Museum of Flight in Birmingham, Alabama for conservation and museum display.[4] A video crew, including maritime video experts from Nautilus Productions, documented the recovery for the Mega Movers series on the History Channel.[5]

Featured on display is a diorama exhibit honoring Alabama's famed Tuskegee Airmen, as well as the Korean War Jets Exhibit and Vietnam War Helicopters Exhibit.

The museum is currently on the grounds of the Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport but plans to reopen at the Grand River Technology Park.[6]

In 2017, the museum announced plans to move to the Barber Motorsports Park.[7] In 2023, after delays, the museum stated that it was going to retain its original campus, although it would continue to move forward with plans for the new location as an expansion.[8]

Selected aircraft on display

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Lockheed A-12
 
MiG 15
Military aircraft
Civilian aircraft

References

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Notes

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  1. ^ "Podcast: Southern Museum of Flight". AL.com. Archived from the original on 26 May 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  2. ^ "Lake Murray's Mitchell". Air & Space Magazine, Smithsonian.
  3. ^ "B-25 Mitchell Bomber Salvaged from Lake Murray". Lake Murray's B-25.
  4. ^ "Lake Murray B-25 Exhibit". Southern Museum of Flight. Archived from the original on 2002-04-08.
  5. ^ "Rick Allen (XIX)". IMDB.
  6. ^ Bonnett, Dona (28 June 2019). "Southern Museum of Flight on track for 2021-22 opening". St. Clair News-Aegis. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  7. ^ Paepcke, Jon (24 November 2017). "Birmingham's Southern Museum of Flight moving to Barber Motorsports Park". WTVM 13. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  8. ^ Paepcke, Jon (23 May 2023). "WVTM 13 Investigates: New Southern Museum of Flight site is delayed". WVTM 13. Retrieved 13 September 2023.

Bibliography

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  • Barsanti, B. J. Interview with James T. Griffin (20 Jan 2013).
  • Stevenson, E. W. "The History of the Southern Museum of Flight", SMF Trustee Manual, 15 May 2004.
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