Thunderstorm Hits Museum

Yesterday the museum experienced a freak thunderstorm which damaged 15 aircraft and flooded some of the interior of the museum. Museum staff and volunteers implemented an Emergency Plan that was developed as part of our Accreditation application. This, and the hands on effort of everyone that was here averted what could have been a major disaster.  Nothing in our Collections was damaged and all the aircraft is reparable. Thanks team! Hope we don’t ever face this again…but we will be ready. 

Patricia Korzec  

Executive Director

C-141 now faces East after being turned 90 degrees

Curatorial/Collections Dept office flooded

Main Hangar flooded

F-105B tail dropped

Lafayette Escadrille

The March Field Air Museum is constantly changing as seen with the newly re-painted Nieuport 11. The museum’s Nieuport 11 is now painted in the colors of the Lafayette Escadrille. Prior to the United States 1917 entry into World War I a squadron of volunteer American pilots was established with the French Air Service. This squadron was known as Lafayette Escadrille. The tail of the museum’s Nieuport 11 has been repainted in the French colors and our Executive Director, Patricia Korzec used her artistic talents to hand paint the Lafayette Escadrille’s unit insignia, an Indian chief head, on the fuselage. Future plans for the aircraft include hanging it over a newly re-constructed First World War and Early March Field history display. The curator hopes to be able to hang the aircraft within the next couple of months 

Nieuport 11 before 

Executive Director, Patricia Korzec hand painting the Lafayette Escadrille’s unit insignia

Finish emblem

Nieuport 11 now