Tennessee Museum of Aviation

Aviation museum in Sevierville, Tennessee

Tennessee Museum of Aviation

Location within Tennessee

Established| 1999 (1999)
Location| Sevierville, Tennessee
Coordinates| 35°51′36″N 83°32′06″W﻿ / ﻿35.860°N 83.535°W﻿ / 35.860; -83.535
Type| Aviation museum
Founder|

* R. Neal Melton
* Bob Minter

Website| www.tnairmuseum.com

The Tennessee Museum of Aviation is an aviation museum located at the Gatlinburg–Pigeon Forge Airport in Sevierville, Tennessee.

## History

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### Background

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The Tennessee Aviation Hall of Fame was founded by Bob Minter in 1996. Separately, three years later, R. Neal Melton began construction of Tennessee Museum of Aviation at the Gatlinburg–Pigeon Forge Airport. The two organizations merged shortly thereafter.[1]

### Establishment

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The combined museum opened in a 50,000 sq ft (4,600 m2) facility on 15 December 2001.[2][a]

## Exhibits

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Exhibits at the museum include a history of military chaplains and a timeline of aviation history.[4]

## Collection

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The majority of the museum's aircraft are on loan.[5]

Grumman HU-16E Albatross

### Aircraft

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* 1902 Wright glider[6]
* Beechcraft Model 18 – fuselage[7]
* Beechcraft RC-45J Expeditor[8][9]
* Beechcraft T-34B Mentor[10]
* Canadair CT-133 Silver Star[11][12]
* Cessna P172D Skyhawk[13]
* Cessna O-1A Bird Dog[14]
* Dornier Do 27 B-1[15]
* Douglas A-1H Skyraider[16]
* Douglas A-4 Skyhawk – cockpit[17]
* Grumman HU-16E Albatross[18]
* LTV A-7A Corsair II[19]
* Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21US[20][21]
* North American B-25 Mitchell – forward fuselage[22]
* North American P-51D Mustang – replica[23][failed verification]
* North American T-28B Trojan[24]
* North American Rockwell OV-10D Bronco[25][26]
* Republic P-47D Thunderbolt[27]
* Republic P-47D Thunderbolt[28]
* Sikorsky UH-34G[29]
* WSK-Mielec Lim-5[30][31]
* WSK-Mielec Lim-5R[32][33]

### Other

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* Gnome Monosoupape 9 Type B[34]
* Link C-11 trainer[35]

## See also

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* List of aviation museums

## References

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### Footnotes

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1. ^ Only 35,000 sq ft (3,300 m2) of the building is hangar space.[3]

### Notes

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1. ^ "Tennessee's First Aviation Museum Opens in Sevierville". Knoxville News-Sentinel. 4 November 2001. p. 13. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
2. ^ Wierbeicki, Olga (14 December 2001). "Tennessee Museum of Aviation Opens to Public on Saturday". Knoxville News-Sentinel. p. B4. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
3. ^ Mason, Doug (9 April 2006). "One Man's Collectables Form the Bulk of Aviation Museum Exhibits". News Sentinel. pp. E1, E7. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
4. ^ "The Museum". Tennessee Museum of Aviation. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
5. ^ Beck, Ken (5 September 2004). "Warbirds on the Prowl as Museum Takes Wing in East Tennessee". The Tennessean. pp. 1J, 2J. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
6. ^ "1902 Wright Glider". Tennessee Museum of Aviation. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
7. ^ "Beech-18 (Cockpit Section)". Tennessee Museum of Aviation. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
8. ^ "Beech SNB". Tennessee Museum of Aviation. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
9. ^ "Airframe Dossier - Beech RC-45J Expeditor, s/n 51233 USN, c/n 5560, c/r N145J". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
10. ^ "Beech T-34B Mentor". Tennessee Museum of Aviation. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
11. ^ "Lockheed T-33 Silver Star". Tennessee Museum of Aviation. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
12. ^ "Airframe Dossier - Lockheed-Canadair Silver Star 3, s/n 21566 RCAF, c/n T33-566, c/r N307FS". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
13. ^ "FAA Registry [N99RT]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
14. ^ "Airframe Dossier - Cessna O-1A Bird Dog, s/n 51-16910 USAF, c/r N10714". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
15. ^ "FAA Registry [N5667]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
16. ^ "Douglas A-1H Skyraider "Lieutenant America"". Tennessee Museum of Aviation. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
17. ^ "Douglas A-4 Skyhawk (Cockpit Section)". Tennessee Museum of Aviation. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
18. ^ "Grumman HU-16E Albatross". Tennessee Museum of Aviation. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
19. ^ "Airframe Dossier - Vought A-7A Corsair II, s/n 152669 USN". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
20. ^ "Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21". Tennessee Museum of Aviation. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
21. ^ "Airframe Dossier - Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-21US Mongol-B (NATO), s/n 4007 SPRP, c/n 07685140". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
22. ^ "North American B-25 Mitchell (Cockpit Section)". Tennessee Museum of Aviation. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
23. ^ "North American P-51D Mustang". Tennessee Museum of Aviation. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
24. ^ "North American T-28B Trojan". Tennessee Museum of Aviation. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
25. ^ "North American Rockwell OV-10 Bronco". Tennessee Museum of Aviation. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
26. ^ "Airframe Dossier - North American Rockwell OV-10D Bronco, s/n 155451 USMC, c/n 305-062, c/r N12320". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
27. ^ "Republic P-47D Thunderbolt "Wicked Wabbit"". Tennessee Museum of Aviation. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
28. ^ "Republic P-47D Thunderbolt "Hun Hunter XVI"". Tennessee Museum of Aviation. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
29. ^ "Sikorsky UH-34G". Tennessee Museum of Aviation. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
30. ^ "Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17F". Tennessee Museum of Aviation. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
31. ^ "Airframe Dossier - Mikoyan Gurevich-WSK-Mielec Lim-5 Fresco-C (NATO), s/n 1706 SPRP, c/n 1C 17-06". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
32. ^ "Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17". Tennessee Museum of Aviation. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
33. ^ "Airframe Dossier - Mikoyan Gurevich-WSK-Mielec Lim-5R Fresco-C (NATO), s/n 1728 SPRP, c/n 1C 17-28". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
34. ^ "Gnome Rotary Model B Engine". Tennessee Museum of Aviation. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
35. ^ "Link Aviation C-11B Instrument Trainer". Tennessee Museum of Aviation. Retrieved 27 October 2023.

## Further reading

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* "Gallatin Man to Be Inducted into Aviation Hall of Fame". Gallatin News Examiner. 22 August 2012. p. 7A. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
* Tennis, Joe (14 August 2014). "Insight into the Skies". Bristol Herald Courier. pp. A7, A11. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
* Williams, Rebecca D. (24 July 2014). "In My Lifetime". News Sentinel. pp. 1D, 16D. Retrieved 27 October 2023.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tennessee Museum of Aviation.

* Official website