06/17/2021
The FM-2 Wildcat has left the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum and on the way to the Hickory Aviation Museum, North Carolina.
Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum
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Dedicated to U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) aviation, with the largest and most complete collection of vintage aircraft flown by Marine pilots in the world.
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Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum is the only Museum in the world dedicated to United States Marine Corps (USMC) aviation, with the largest and most complete collection of vintage aircraft flown by Marine pilots in the world. The Museum tells the proud story of USMC Aviation and the part it has played in defending America. Free Admission. Great for Kids. USMC former pilots and crew tell stories about the aircraft they flew.
Operating as usual
04/29/2021
The F-5 is officially heading to the Pima Air &Space Museum, Tucson, AZ
04/29/2021
The F-5 is loaded up and will be heading to the Pima Air & Space Museum.
04/28/2021
Airframe #2 outbound to the Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson, AZ
04/14/2021
The AV-8C HARRIER is prepped and ready to be transferred to the Ft. Worth Aviation Museum.
03/23/2021
Had the opportunity to escort VMGR-352s freshly restored 1969 Continental to El Toro for a photo shoot at the old hangar. Has been 31 years since I have been to the old hangar. The scene of the KC-130 returning from Grenada in the movie "Heartbreak Ridge" was filmed at the VMGR-352 hangar.
03/12/2021
Open Cockpit Days! | Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum
Open Cockpit Days! | Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum
Open Cockpit Days! by flyingEdit | Mar 11, 2021 | Podcasts | 0 comments Come sit in a plane! Weather permitting, several aircraft at the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum will be open for visitors of all ages to experience U.S. Marine Corps aviation from a pilot’s perspective. Open Cockpit Days a...
02/13/2021
Welcome back!
Our outdoor display is now open and available to enjoy every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday! 9:00am-3:30pm!
We look forward to.seeing you soon!
11/10/2020
Commandant’s 245th Marine Corps Birthday Message
Happy 245th Birthday Marines!
As the 245th Marine Corps birthday draws near, Gen. David H. Berger reminds us how the Corps' legacy lives on in every Marine. (U.S. Marine Corps video by St...
11/10/2020
November 10, 2020, is the 245th birthday of the United States Marine Corps. https://flyingleathernecks.org/inside-loop/podcasts/happy-245th-birthday-marines/
11/04/2020
U.S. Navy Blue Angels
NAS PENSACOLA, Fla. – The U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, will conduct a final flight with six F/A-18 A/B/C/D “Legacy” Hornets, Nov. 04 from 4 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. CST. The final flight of the Legacy Hornets signifies the official transition of the Blue Angels to the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet platform.
https://www.dvidshub.net/news/382189/blue-angels-conduct-final-flight-legacy-hornet-aircraft-marking-transition-super-hornet
#BlueAngels #USNavy #USMC
10/23/2020
The Crash, Fire Rescue Marines took the P-19A for some detailing. Looks amazing. The Marines even repainted the vehicle number and added maintenance markings on the truck!!
10/23/2020
23, October 1983, 37 years ago today - At around 6:20 a.m., a yellow Mercedes-Benz truck drove to Beirut International Airport, where the 1st Battalion 8th Marines under the 2nd Marine Division had set up its local headquarters. The truck was not the water truck they had been expecting, but a hijacked truck carrying the explosives. The truck turned onto an access road leading to the compound and circled a parking lot. The driver then accelerated and crashed through a barbed wire fence around the parking lot, passed between two sentry posts, crashed through a gate and drove into the lobby of the Marine headquarters. The sentries at the gate were operating under rules of engagement which made it very difficult to respond quickly to the truck. Sentries were ordered to keep their weapons at condition four (no magazine inserted and no rounds in the chamber). By the time the two sentries were able to engage, the truck was already inside the building's entry way, armed.
The suicide bomber detonated his explosives, which were equivalent to 5,400 kg (12,000 pounds) of TNT. The force of the explosion collapsed the four-story building into rubble, crushing many inside. killing 299 American and French servicemen. The organization Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the bombing.
SEMPER FI - REST IN PEACE - YOU WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN
10/21/2020
Inside loop podcasts | Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum
Just launched - The Inside Loop Podcast. Subscribe to our latest educational initiative. We field questions from kids of all ages, check out Episode 1 – “Why the inverted gull wing on the Corsair?” https://flyingleathernecks.org/.../inside-loop-podcasts/
Inside loop podcasts by Flying Leathernecks | Oct 21, 2020 | Podcasts The Inside Loop Promo Introduction The Corsair – Why is there gull shaped wings on the Corsair aircraft.
10/01/2020
Back to celebrating amazing Marines and their accomplishments! Marine history continues to grow 🇺🇸
10/01/2020
The A4 Skyhawk I The Inside Loop Episode 4 Feat. Major General Bob Butcher
Our latest episode of The Inside Loop. The museum is now open. Stop by and say hello to Justin on Sundays 9:30 am. - 12:30 pm.
Welcome to The Inside Loop Featuring Major General Bob Butcher, USMC (Ret.) part two. Click the following link to read the details of General Butcher's 25+-Y...
09/18/2020
The Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum at MCAS Miramar reopened to the public after six months yesterday! We were honored to welcome our first visitors to learn about the history and legacy of Marine Corps aviation!
Special thanks to the Hyde family from Perth, Australia for being our first guests! We welcome one and all. Stop by, love to see those smiling faces!
09/17/2020
Thank you all for your patience while we prepare to re-open!
We look forward to seeing you all tomorrow!
Be sure to look for our new banners at our entrance gate off Miramar Road!
Questions?
https://flyingleathernecks.org
09/17/2020
Check out the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum's new entrance banners!
09/16/2020
Opening tomorrow
08/22/2020
Episode 2, more.from Bob Cramsie about the SBD-1 DAUNTLESS restoration project
08/22/2020
Episode one....Restoration of the World's only SBD-1 Dauntless.
Bob Cramsie will tell you how it is done!
08/21/2020
Unique items on display at the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum
08/21/2020
Stand By! Just a heads up we will be posting two videos this week!
We will have a Mr. Bob Cramsie talking about the restoration of the world's only SBD-1 Dauntless and a video on the F-8U Crusader.
Stay tuned and keep checking in!
08/12/2020
Why is there a tank at an Aviation museum?
LtCol. A.J. "Juice" Ward, USMC, ret, will explain!
08/12/2020
Space Force I The Inside Loop Episode 3 Feat. Lieutenant Colonel Joe Bassi, Ph.D.
Welcome to episode three of the Inside Loop featuring Foundation Board Member Dr. Joe Bassi. In this episode, Dr.
Bassi responds to a student¹s question about Space Force.
Welcome to this episode of The Inside Loop Featuring Lieutenant Colonel Joe Bassi, Ph.D. Dr. Bassi is a member of the Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundatio...
08/05/2020
Bill Connor discusses the A-6 Intruder from the BN perspective!
07/17/2020
Ok Maintainers,
Time to hear from you,
Please post the Unit, years and type of aircraft you worked on.
Post a picture of you with your bird!
SEMPER FI!
07/17/2020
| The Inside Loop Episode 2 Feat. Major General Bob Butcher
Welcome to Episode 2 of The Inside Loop Featuring Major General Bob Butcher, USMC (Ret.) Click the following link to read the details of General Butcher's 25+-Year-Old favor.
https://flyingleathernecks.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/History-of-FLAM-Article.pdf
Welcome to The Inside Loop Featuring Major General Bob Butcher, USMC (Ret.) Click the following link to read the details of General Butcher's 25+-Year-Old fa...
07/12/2020
Ok folks,
Show the world your favorite Marine Aviation picture.
07/11/2020
VMFAT-101 Change of Command Video Message
Amazing Change of Command video in these Covid times.
A change of command video message for Marine Fighter Attack Training Sqaudron 101, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., July 7, 2020. The official change of command was conducted on July 10, 2020. (Video courtesy of Kara Acosta)
07/02/2020
Major General Bob Butcher on the TA-4J
07/02/2020
Major General Bob Butcher on the A-4M Skyhawk (the last Skyhawk)
07/02/2020
Major General Bob Butcher on the A-4F
07/02/2020
Major General Bob Butcher on the A-4C
Address
4203 Anderson Avenue
San Diego, CA
92145
Opening Hours
| Tuesday | 9am - 3:30pm |
| Wednesday | 9am - 3:30pm |
| Thursday | 9am - 3:30pm |
| Friday | 9am - 3:30pm |
| Saturday | 9am - 3:30pm |
| Sunday | 9am - 3:30pm |
Telephone
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Contact The Museum
Send a message to Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum:
Videos
Opening tomorrow
Episode 2, more.from Bob Cramsie about the SBD-1 DAUNTLESS restoration project
Episode one....Restoration of the World's only SBD-1 Dauntless. Bob Cramsie will tell you how it is done!
Why is there a tank at an Aviation museum? LtCol. A.J. "Juice" Ward, USMC, ret, will explain!
Bill Connor discusses the A-6 Intruder from the BN perspective!
Major General Bob Butcher on the TA-4J
Major General Bob Butcher on the A-4M Skyhawk (the last Skyhawk)
Major General Bob Butcher on the A-4F
Major General Bob Butcher on the A-4C
A tour through the restoration hangar with our curator, Steve Smith.
A tour through the restoration hangar with our curator, Steve Smith.
If you have any questions about this segment, comment below and we will get those answered
A-4 with General (retired) Butcher
All is f your questions answered!
Curator, Steve “Smitty” Smith, speaking about the Lockheed TO-1/TV-1 Shooting Star. Visit the website at www.flyingleathernecks.org
Steve “Smitty” Smith, the curator, speaking on the SBD-1 Dauntless from the Restoration Hangar
Marine Aviation never slows down 🇺🇸
Mike Wifler recording for CH-46 audio tour.
UH-1 Huey segment being recorded by Gen (ret) Aguilar
T-34 audio tour segment in process. Thanks Col. Doran!
A NEW audio tour coming to the museum soon!
Shortcuts
Category
Nearby museums
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Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum Hangar
4203 Anderson Ave -
Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundation
4203 ANDERSON Ave -
4010 Sorrento Valley Blvd, # 400
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3717 John J Montgomery Drive
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Atkinson Hall, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla
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SDMesa College Foundation World Cultures Coll
7250 Mesa College Dr -
4411 Morena Blvd #240, San Diego, CA 92117 92117 San Diego, California, California City
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5171 B Santa Fe Street
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13084 SIGNATURE POINT, APT 145
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10818 San Diego Mission Rd
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San Diego Marine Corps League Det 835
4730 Twain Ave -
14114 Midland Rd, Poway
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Vinyl Preservation Society of San Diego
1939 Grand Ave -
7661 Girard Avenue, La Jolla
Other Museums in San Diego
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2215 Pan American Rd E -
92101
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91915
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92109
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San Diego Marine Corps League Det 835
4730 Twain Ave -
San Diego Model Railroad Museum, 1649 El Prado
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4746 El Cajon Blvd
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4142 Adams Ave #103-104
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1875 El Prado
Comments
This is Oshkosh Air Show 2007 Marine Flyers answered questions and told war stories of the Pacific Campaign. Was an interesting day.
Don't be afraid to bother your elected officials with a piece of your mind. In the words of a great Marine Corps General, be professional, be polite (the rest shall not apply in this circumstance).
Ryan Patrick
(Address Redacted)
April 29, 2021
Senator Alex Padilla
112 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator Padilla:
I will keep this brief as I know that you have a large quantity of issues on your plate currently. I am a constituent of yours and desire to voice a concern regarding the future of the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum located at 4203 Anderson Avenue, San Diego, California.
I had the distinct privilege of serving with the world’s most elite fighting force (the U.S. Marines) for the fist several years of my Naval career as a Corpsman. I saw the invaluable assistance the Marine Air Wing provided in combat operations abroad and consider the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum in San Diego to be an invaluable component in the historical understanding of our great country.
I was similarly privileged to be the grandson of a man who had a similar appreciation for the U.S. Military and its history. I first toured the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum as a child with him over 20 years ago. I chose to become a member of the foundation after joining the military and have continued my membership in support of its values and vision.
I understand that the cost of maintaining the museum is burdensome for MCAS Miramar. I strongly believe that the value provided by this museum is more that worthy of federal funding to ensure its continued presence in the San Diego community.
It is my express desire that you ensure that the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum maintain its presence in our society and receive the funding that it requires to do so.
Very Respectfully,
Ryan Patrick
Thank you so much for the memories!
The Marine Corps intends to close the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum at #MCASMiramar on April 1, 2021. According to the base CO, there is no current plan aligned to dispose of the historic aircraft collection, and it will cost millions of dollars to move the aircraft.
In the meantime, the museum gates will close, the aircraft will be unmaintained, and the important programs that reach thousands of visitors and school children each year will go undone. These veteran volunteers who serve at the museum are not just heartbroken. They feel beat up and thrown out by their own Corps.
This history belongs at the local level and to the people who serve here every day. The Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundation has the ability to take over the financial responsibility of operating and maintaining the Museum. This is NOT about budget constraints, it's about the Marine Corps simply not wanting its own aviation museum anymore. #Savetheflyingleatherneckaviationmuseum
If this sounds wrong to you, then please make your voice heard by writing to the Commandant of the Marine Corps at bit.ly/2MIXnoM.
and signing the petition at https://www.change.org/p/save-the-flying-leatherneck-aviation-museum. #marines #marineaviation
I know it is lousy timing given the sad news of the closure but does anyone have any information (purpose? history? other images?) about this Jeep based vehicle I photographed at the Museum a decade or so ago? I am planning to make a model of it as part of a diorama. Any and all help will be much appreciated...
On July 30, 1970, a KC-130F Hercules (tail number 150685) from VMGR-352 was involved in a training incident at MCAS El Toro while performing an obstacle approach. The aircraft made a high rapid descent to runway 34L. It touched down hard, bounced and then dropped on the left wing and rolled over, skidding towards midfield. A fire immediately erupted.
On the aircraft were the following crew members:
Major Walter Zytkewicz, passed away on August 7, 1970
Captain Robert Walls (my cousin), passed away on August 8, 1970
1st Lieutenant Robert Mullins, passed away on July 30, 1970
Staff Sergeant Kenneth Davis, passed away on December 25, 2013 and was the only survivor of the incident
Corporal Kenneth Metzdorf, passed away on August 5, 1970
Last year, I have started the process of finding the families of the other crew members on-board that flight. I have been able to connect with the families of the following crew members:
• Maj Walter Zytkewicz
• SSgt Kenneth Davis
• Cpl Kenneth Metzdorf
There was one other crew member on-board the flight that day and he was 1stLt Robert Mullins. Unfortunately, I have not been able to locate any of his family. All of the families were reunited at MCAS Miramar in San Diego this past December for the first time in almost 50 years..
Following are the two links to news articles on the crash and reunion..
https://www.10news.com/news/local-news/man-works-to-unite-families-of-marines-who-died-from-training-exercise-in-1970
https://www.10news.com/families-from-across-the-country-dedicate-plaque-to-marines-in-1970-training-crash?fbclid=IwAR3fIDqrA2tuf9NF-2IQX2kVpgTgUk2ElGnT9sJ1HxEwSUkk_GJHZopCeJk
I think I should send you some of my prints so you can hang in the museum!
**Help Support the Sailors' Snug Harbor Cemetery Mariners Memorial Campaign** @SSHMarinersGenealogy
https://www.facebook.com/SSHMarinersGenealogy/
The Descendants of Sailors’ Snug Harbor Mariners have been reaching out to Historical and Genealogical Societies, Museums, Military Veterans Groups, and Concerned Citizens, to invite them to join a Letters of Support Campaign to support their efforts to gain access to the old Sailors’ Snug Harbor Cemetery on Staten Island, in New York City, to honor their Ancestors and all of the 6,500 Merchant and Naval Mariners interred there (1834-1976), by installing a Memorial Monument (Obelisk) and holding an annual Memorial Service. Some of the Mariners were famous Sea Captains and some sailed on famous Merchant, Coast Guard, and Naval ships dating back to the American Revolution. Many were just average seamen whom sailed and endured for many years on the sea under arduous conditions. The Mariners were from many areas of the United States, Canada, and other countries. Some Mariners sailed from California seaports. https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2244490/sailors-snug-harbor-cemetery
Sadly, the Sailors' Snug Harbor Cemetery is devoid of gravestones or markers, except for 15 remaining gravestones. The Cemetery is closed and not open to the public. The Board of Trustees of Sailors' Snug Harbor have rejected the Descendants' requests to access the SSH Cemetery to honor their Ancestors. https://nypost.com/2018/12/29/caretakers-shoot-down-plans-for-monument-for-fallen-sailors/
The Descendants are collecting Letters of Support to persuade the Trustees of Sailors’ Snug Harbor to change their decision. You can help support the Descendants by writing a Letter of Support using the Support Letter Writing Instructions at the following link: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1sZv5VFLNWw0HA-pW2i33RhbgVFQ6oExx
Sailors’ Snug Harbor has a very interesting history. It was one of the first large scale retirement facilities in the United States and the first established for Merchant Mariners. It was founded by the Randall family whom were New York City Merchant Sea Captains and Privateers during the French Indian War and Patriots during the Revolutionary War. Alexander Hamilton was a friend of the Randall family and their Attorney. He helped draft the Robert Richard Randall Will in 1801 to create the SSH Trust which funded the SSH Retirement Home. During its 140+ years of operation (1833-1976) approximately 16,000 Mariners resided there. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailors%27_Snug_Harbor
Great Docents and Volunteers!!
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