Lone Star Flight Museum

Lone Star Flight Museum, December 2008, after damage from Hurricane Ike. Pictured here is a North American F-100D Super Sabre.

The largest aircraft owned and operated by the museum is a Boeing B-17G, christened Thunderbird.

Douglas SBD Dauntless, 2012 photo.

The Lone Star Flight Museum, located in Galveston, Texas in the United States, is an aerospace museum that displays more than 40 historically significant aircraft and many hundreds of artifacts related to the history of flight. The museum's collection is rare because most of the aircraft are flyable. Located next to Scholes International Airport at Galveston, Schlitterbahn Galveston Island Waterpark, and Moody Gardens, the museum is housed on about 100,000 ft² (10,000 m²) of property, including its own airstrip. The museum is in the process of moving to Houston to avoid a repeat of the devastation suffered during Hurricane Ike.

History

The museum began as a private collection of historic aircraft in 1985. By 1990, that collection had grown enough that its owner decided to place them on public display. The Lone Star Flight Museum, a non-profit organization funded entirely through private donations, was formed for that purpose.

Airshows

The museum's collection often participates in airshows across the country. As of 2005, the museum's aircraft annually log more than 40,000 miles (60,000 km) of cross-country flying to various air demonstrations.

The museum's P-47 Thunderbolt participates in USAF Heritage Flights throughout the year. The USAF Heritage Flight program was established in 1997 to commemorate the Air Force's 50th anniversary. It involves today's state-of-the-art fighters flying in close formation with World War II, Korean and Vietnam era fighters such as the P-51 Mustang and the F-86 Sabre. The flight's mission is to safely and proudly display the evolution of US Air Force airpower and to support the Air Force's recruiting and retention efforts.

The museum's North American B-25 Mitchell also serves closely with the Disabled American Veterans program. The DAV Airshow Outreach Program was developed to increase public awareness of disabled veterans and to serve veterans in communities across the nation. Using two B-25 medium bombers, the program reminds the public of the sacrifices veterans have made.

In 2007, the museum launched its newest program by offering rides in some of its warbirds. The LSFM now operates flights for passengers in the B-17 Flying Fortress, North American B-25 Mitchell, T-6 Texan and the PT-17 Stearman.

Texas Aviation Hall of Fame

The Texas Aviation Hall of Fame, located within the museum, honors the contributions of residents or natives of Texas to aviation and spaceflight. Inductees include Howard Hughes, Alan Bean, Senator Lloyd Bentsen, and President George H. W. Bush.^[1]

2008 damage and restoration

The museum reported heavy damage from Hurricane Ike, stating on September 16, 2008, that the hangars and Hall of Fame had received seven to eight feet of water and the lobby three to four. Damaged aircraft include a B-58A and F-100 on loan from the US Air Force Museum, Consolidated PBY-5A, Dehavilland DH-82A, Grumman F3F-2, Lockheed PV-2D, and Stinson L-5. Aircraft flown out of harm's way in advance include their B-17, B-25, DC-3, P-47, F6F, F4U, SBD, PT-17, T-6 and the F8F. Most of the airworthy planes were flown out of the museum prior to the hurricane. Those remaining as well as the static displays were largely destroyed or heavily damaged.^[2]

Move to Houston

Following the destruction of Hurricane Ike, the museum made the decision to move to Ellington International Airport in Houston. It is working with the Collings Foundation and Texas Flying Legends to create a combined aviation museum complex.^[3] There it will combine

TF-51 crash

On October 23, 2013 a P-51 (TF-51) Mustang owned by the museum crashed in Halls Lake, just south west of the museum. Both the pilot and a paying passenger from the UK were killed in the crash.^[4]^[5]