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Welcome to the Prairie Aviation Museum.  We hope you enjoy the display and exhibits inside the museum and the aircraft in the Airpark.  We have 9 aircraft and 2 helicopters on display.  We also have one piston and three jet engines (J57, TF-30 and A-4) on display. At times, like the Open Cockpit Days, we display a Convair 880 simulator and other items we are restoring. Please stop by and join us for a visit, tour, or one of our Open Cockpit Days.

Take a virtual tour of our Airpark.

Includes a history of the planes, pictures, hot spots for details and videos of interest. 

Take a virtual tour of our static displays in the museum.  

Includes a history of the display, pictures, hot spots for details and videos of interest.

Our museum is a not for profit organization.

We do not receive any funds from local, state or federal sources.

Volunteer

You do NOT need to have a background in aviation, just an interest in aviation and space plus a willingness to help others. 

Final Calendar for 2023

Sunday 10-15-2023  11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Saturday 10-21-2023  11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Sunday 10-22-2023  11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Saturday 10-28-2023  11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Sunday 10-29-2023  11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Closed November 2023 – Reopens April 6, 2024

 

Annual Veterans Day tour by Heyworth’s 6th Graders.

11-10-2023

 

How is Prairie Aviation Museum associated
with the original Top Gun movie?
With the newly released Top Gun: Maverick, Prairie Aviation Museum has three planes associated with the original Top Gun movie.
We have the only F-14 Tomcat in static display in Illinois. This is the type of plane Tom Cruise flew in the movie.
 
Spoiler Alert:  An F-14 Tomcat appears in the Top Gun Maverick!
Get your picture sitting in the engine intake of the F-14 Tomcat.
How about Jester and Viper?
They flew a modified A4-Skyhawk. Our Board member, David Wilson, flew the A4M-Skyhawk in the Marines. He hosts the A4-Skyhawk during OCDs.

Put on his flight jacket and get a picture.

How about the MIG-28?
Hollywood took the tactical version of the T-38, the F-5, and called it a MIG-28 in the movie. The aircraft flown in the movie were actually Navy F-5’s used by Top Gun as adversary aircraft. They painted them black, stuck a red star on the side, and started rolling the cameras.
 
Our T-38 is an Air Force version. The T-38 was also used by NASA to train Space Shuttle pilots.

2023 Schedule

January 2023 Schedule – Closed
February 2023 Schedule – Closed
March 2023 Schedule – Closed
April 2023 Schedule – Open Saturdays and Sundays 11 – 3
May 2023 Schedule – Open Saturdays and Sundays 11 – 3
Open Cockpit Day –  May 20: 10 – 3
June 2023 Schedule – Open Saturdays and Sundays 11 – 3
Open Cockpit Day –  June 17: 10 – 3
July 2023 Schedule – Open Saturdays and Sundays 11 – 3
Open Cockpit Day –  July 15: 10 – 3
August 2023 Schedule – Open Saturdays and Sundays 11 – 3
Open Cockpit Day –  August 19: 10 – 3
September 2023 Schedule – Open Saturdays and Sundays 11 – 3
Open Cockpit Day –  September 16: 10 – 3
October 2023 Schedule – Open Saturdays and Sundays 11 – 3
November 2023 Schedule – Open Saturdays and Sundays 11 – 3
Closed
November 20,2023 – April 1, 2024