Florence Air and Missile Museum

Updated on Nov 01, 2023

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Established unknown Type Aviation museum		Dissolved 1997 Director T.C. "Tommy" Griffin

Location Florence, South Carolina, United States Headquarters South Carolina, United States

The Florence Air & Missile Museum was an aviation museum previously located at the entrance to the Florence Regional Airport, in Florence, South Carolina. The museum closed at the end of 1997.

The airport was originally known as Florence Army Airfield, or more simply as Florence Field, a World War II U.S. Army Air Corps / U.S. Army Air Forces training field for P-39 Airacobra and P-40 Warhawk pursuit aircraft and A-20 Havoc and A-26 Invader attack aircraft. Because of its former military connection and available runways, the military was able to fly in aircraft and leave them at the museum as they were retired from service.

The museum was founded by "T.C." Tommy Griffin After the war, he served as executive director of the Florence Airport.

During the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s, the museum built up a collection of World War II and Cold War era U.S. military aircraft and early 1950s/1960s military space hardware. The museum was located along routes once frequented by travelers between the southeastern and northeastern United States and between Florence and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, but once Interstate 95 was built, attendance declined. The museum closed in December 1997 and much of the collection transferred to the newly established Carolinas Aviation Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Exhibits

Boeing NTB-47B-20-BW Stratojet, AF Ser. No. 50-0062

Now on display at the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum in Pooler, Georgia

Chance Vought Regulus I

Now on display at the Carolinas Aviation Museum

Convair YF-102A Delta Dagger, AF Ser. No. 53-01788

Now on display at the Carolinas Aviation Museum

Douglas BTD-1 Destroyer, BuNo 4959

Now on display at Wings of Eagles Discovery Center at Elmira-Corning Regional Airport, Elmira, New York

Douglas MGR-1 Honest John tactical battlefield missiles (2)

Now on display at the Carolinas Aviation Museum

Grumman C-1A Trader "COD" aircraft, BuNo 136790, c/n 43

Now displayed at the Grissom Air Museum at Grissom Air Reserve Base (former Grissom AFB), Indiana

Grumman F-11A Tiger, BuNo 141790, c/n 107

Now displayed at the Grissom Air Museum at Grissom Air Reserve Base, Indiana

Lockheed F-104B-5-LO Starfighter, AF Ser. No. 57-1301, c/n 283-5013

Now displayed at the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center, Hutchinson, Kansas

Lockheed NC-121K Lockheed Constellation, BuNo 141292, c/n 4416

This aircraft flew the final USN Constellation mission in 1982 with Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 33 (VAQ-33) from NAS Key West, Florida - Front 50' now in a private collection in Charlotte, North Carolina

Lockheed T-33A-5-LO Shooting Star, AF Ser. No. 53-6089

Now on display at the Darlington, South Carolina Airport

Martin RB-57A-MA Canberra, AF Ser. No. 52-1459, c/n 42

Moved to National Warplane Museum, Genesco, New York; noted in Sep 2006 at the Wings of Eagles Discovery Center, Elmira, New York

Martin TB-61C Matador missile

Now on display at the Carolinas Aviation Museum

McDonnell F-101F Voodoo, AF Ser. No. 56-00243

Now on display at the Carolinas Aviation Museum

Republic F-84F-40-RE Thunderstreak, AF Ser. No. 52-6553

Moved to Drister Aviation and Space Museum, Amarillo, Texas, then to English Field Air & Space Museum, Tradewind Airport, Amarillo, Texas

Sikorsky HO4S Chickasaw, BuNo 125506

Now on display at Tyler, Texas

Sikorsky CH-34A Choctaw, Army Ser. No. 55-04496, c/n 58-509

Now on display at the Carolinas Aviation Museum

Waco CG-4 WW II era assault glider skeleton

Current location unknown; is not the CG-15 skeleton in storage at the Carolinas Aviation Museum

Boeing KC-97G Stratofreighter, AF Ser. No. 52-2624, c/n 16655

Parts were used by Don Creason to complete the KC-97G, AF Ser. No. 52-0335, on display at the Carolinas Aviation Museum

Douglas A-26A Invader, AF Ser. No. 64-17671

Remanufactured from 44-35820; scrapped for parts

Douglas WB-66D Destroyer, AF Ser. No. 53-00431

scrapped

Grumman HU-16 Albatross, AF Ser. No. 51-07212

Sold following museum closure. Currently owned by Margaret S. Dewitt of Corpus Christi, Texas for restoration to flyable condition with civilian registration N10625

Martin SM-72 Titan I Ballistic Missile, AF Ser. No. 61-4499

scrapped

North American F-86H-5-NH Sabre, AF Ser. No. 52-05737

Moved to Burlington Township Office Complex, Burlington, New Jersey

Northrop F-89J Scorpion, AF Ser. No. 53-02646

Moved to Friendship Park, Smithfield, Ohio

Piasecki CH-21B Workhorse "Flying Banana", Army Ser. No. 54-04003

On display at the American Helicopter Museum and Education Center in West Chester, Pennsylvania

Ryan AQM-91A Firebee Reconnaissance Drone

Ryan Ryan Firebee Model G Drone

F-101A Simulator

T-28 Simulator

Kaman HH-43A Huskie, AF Ser. No. 58-1833

Now on display at the Museum of Flight, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia

Boeing B-29 Superfortress "Sweet Eloise" (former "Miss Marilyn Gay"), AAF Ser. No. 44-70113

Now on display at the main gate of Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia

References

Florence Air & Missile Museum Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA