• Source: Prairie Aviation Museum

      • The Prairie Aviation Museum is an aviation museum located at Central Illinois Regional Airport in Bloomington, Illinois.


      History


      In 1982, a group of aviation enthusiasts led by Norm Wingler established the Gooney Bird Chapter of the Heritage in Flight Museum with the goal of acquiring and restoring a Douglas DC-3. However, due to legal and financial concerns the chapter decided to form the independent Prairie Aviation Museum in 1983. The following year, the museum purchased a Douglas C-53 Skytrooper at an auction in Rockdale, Texas and flew it back to Indiana. To complement the new acquisition, construction began on a 2,592 sq ft (240.8 m2) building in 1988.
      The museum opened a new exhibit featuring oral history interviews with World War II veterans in 1995.
      The museum's C-53 was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. The historic designation was intended to help the museum qualify for funds that could be used to construct a new building.
      The museum opened a Challenger Learning Center in the former airport terminal in 2003, but was forced to transfer operations to the Heartland Community College due to a financial shortfall. Further complications ensued and in 2009 the museum was forced to sell its DC-3, as it could no longer afford to maintain it in airworthy condition. The museum again began developing a focus on space in 2010 and as part of this effort renovated the building in 2015.


      Exhibits


      Exhibits at the museum include an airport beacon and a Link Trainer.


      Collection




      See also


      List of aviation museums


      References




      = Notes

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      = Bibliography

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      External links



      Official website

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