| Florence Air and Missile Museum |
Avg. visitor rating:  (124 visitors) |
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Reviews / Comments by our visitors
| william maddox greenville, South Carolina |  I found a link to Wikipedia page about the Florence museum and it's collection moved to Charlotte, North Carolina in 1997. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Air_%26_Missile_Museum 10/26/2013 @ 19:23 [ref: 55535] |
| JLawson , Georgia |  Long closed, I'm afraid - back in '97 or '98 the airport needed to expand, so they wanted the space for a parking lot. Which, near as I can tell - was never built. Darn shame... 05/04/2012 @ 20:40 [ref: 40897] |
| Jody Richmond, Virginia |  I remember the museum fondly and have wondered what happened to the Titan missile (and the V-2 and the Merucry era space suit). On every visit I wandered the field alone and felt honored and lucky to be able to photograph, study and touch (though I was careful not to), amazing artifacts. This "unkept backyard" feel gave the place an intimate appeal - making the planes more "yours," since your were trusted with them. The last time I visited though, I did chastise whoever was behind the desk. I said "You can't just leave a V-2 out in the rain like that. It's rusting." When I went back one day and the museum was gone, I couldn't believe it. 12/01/2008 @ 13:27 [ref: 8541] |
| Jared Gant , North Carolina | Although I never visited the Florence musuem, I owe them a debt of gratitude. About the same time that Florence shut down, a new musuem was opening in Charlotte, NC-the Carolinas Aviation Musuem. We were able to procure quite a few of their items, and they provided a welcome jumpstart to our fledgling musuem. We have three of their items currently on display-an F-101, an F-102 (actually a YF-102 prototype), and the cockpit to a KC-97 Stratotanker. All the items, especially the 97, have been restored to pristine condition. We have quite a few of their other artifacts in storage, including two Honest John field artillery missiles, a Matador Cruise Missle, and the aforementioned F-86H. I am currently a volunteer at this musuem, and any questions can be emailed to me at jaredg40@yahoo.com. Pictures of our collection can be viewed at my site, www.flickr.com/photos/planephotography, and our musuem website is www.carolinasaviation.org 03/02/2008 @ 07:01 [ref: 6864] |
| Gerry Scott , Missouri |  The B-47 that was on display did drop an atomic bomb on Forence. The story used to surface every once in a while in the Florence Morning News. It's a shame the museum is gone. I used to go there as a child in the early 70's. I remember when the C-97 was flown to the airport to be a part of the museum. 08/29/2006 @ 09:37 [ref: 5219] |
| E.Christensson , Florida | I grew up at Shaw and use to visit the museum alot, really sad that they wouldn't keep it up. I kinda remember reading something about how a nuke was dropped from a plane maybe in the 60's? Does anyone know anything about it? 05/04/2006 @ 20:09 [ref: 4976] |
| Jeff McVey Jasper, Georgia | While growing up just northwest of Atlanta in the '70's, my grandmother lived in Wilmington, NC. We never failed to stop at the Florence Museum on the way. I have many pictures of the place from that time period. I remember when they first displayed the BTD and when they first received the B-29 that they never assembled. What a shame. My wife and I went to Wilmington and Carolina Beach on our honeymoon in 1992. I of course had not been to nor laid eyes on the place in over ten years. I was dismayed at the conditon of the place. It broke my heart to see the ruin os such beautiful and in some cases, extremely rare aircraft. I video taped the place as we walked through it, so I actually have video of most of the aircraft that were on display. Remember the A-26K Counter-Invader out by the street? 08/13/2005 @ 17:59 [ref: 4338] |
| Keith Bryan Jacksonville, North Carolina | I was in the museum the last day it was open, according to the person working that day. As a matter of fact, my friend and I were asked to leave an hour or so early, due to the museum operator deciding that since it was the last day, he was "Done with it!" We got just about 45 minutes of looking around for the price of a days admission! I remember the date to be August 30, 1997. (I recall the date because later that evening, Princess Dianna was killed. Since it was after midnight where she was killed, her date of death is listed as August 31, 1997) According to the gentleman at the museum, they were closing their doors as a result of the Air Force's announcement that the US Government was taking back the aircraft the museum had on display, due to the museum not maintaining the aircraft. The man at the museum actually showed me the letter they had received related to the aircraft. According to what I understand, the United States never COMPLETELY gives up ownership to aircraft on display at museums around the world. Apparently if the aircraft are not maintained in a condition deemed suitable by the US Government, they can be taken back. As an example, millions of dollars have been spent housing the Memphis Belle (which was "purchased" by the city of Memphis)on Mudd Island in Memphis, TN. Two years ago, according to the Pilot, Robert Morgan, the Air Force was still threatening to take the aircraft back and place it in the Air Force Museum in Dayton, if the aircraft wasn't placed in a structure with a controlled environment. In 1998 or 1999, some of the display aircraft at Florence were listed for sale through a National DRMO auction advertisement. The ad stated that the purchaser of the aircraft had to de-mil(sp) or destroy the aircraft prior to moving them, to the point that they could never be used again. In other words, they had to be turned into scrap aluminum. Some of the planes I saw in 1997 were falling apart. Fabric covered control surfaces were completely bare. Trees were actually growing up through the landing gear on several planes. Canopies were cracked/broken open, allowing the planes interiors to be exposed to the elements. It was sad to see what had once been a wonderful display of aircraft in that condition. I did obtain a Florence Air and Missle Museum ink pen, and a large, laminated, 3-view drawing of a B-17G bomber that had been displayed on the wall of the museum. I made notes on the back of the 3-view drawing of the date, and of the museum's closing, and I still have the ink pen. Both still serve as a reminder of a day that I not only witnessed the death of the Florence Air and Missle Museum, but the Beautiful Princess Dianna as well. 02/14/2005 @ 14:21 [ref: 3812] |
| david christian myrlte beach, South Carolina | hey i miss this place alot , even though i am only 16 and went there when i was little if anyone has any info on the place email me.thanx 01/13/2005 @ 22:38 [ref: 3696] |
| Earl Berlin, Jr. San Antonio, Texas |  Can anyone tell me what became of the F-86H, Serial No. 52-5737, that was on display at the museum? I'm writing a book about the F-86H, to be published by Steve Ginter, and one of the chapters covers surviving F-86H aircraft. Thanks. 08/16/2003 @ 07:43 [ref: 2930] |
External pages about this museum
| http://www.coastcomp.com/av/florence/florence.htm |
Last updated: 02/14/00.
Send corrections/additions by e-mail to museum-info@brooklyn.cuny.edu