About the Museum
Aerospace Discovery at the Florida Air Museum
Aerospace Discovery at the Florida Air Museum
Hours
Monday – Saturday 10:00am – 4:00pm
Sunday 12:00pm – 4:00pm
HOLIDAY HOURS 2019
Thanksgiving
Thursday, Nov. 24th (Thanksgiving) CLOSED
Christmas
Tuesday, Dec. 24th 10:00am – 2:00pm
Wednesday, Dec. 25th (Christmas) CLOSED
New Years
Tuesday, Dec. 31st 10:00am – 2:00pm
Wednesday, Jan. 1st (New Years Day) CLOSED
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What Is Florida’s Official Aviation
Museum & Education Center
Aerospace Discovery at The Florida Air Museum – Sharing the passion of flight!
Aerospace Discovery at The Florida Air Museum, Florida’s “Official Aviation Museum and Education Center” features a dynamic display of the best examples aviation has to offer including one-of-a-kind designs, classics, ultra-lights, antiques and warbirds.
But the Museum is more than a collection of airplanes; it is a tribute to the history and joy of flight highlighting pioneers such as Howard Hughes, early air racers, and countless Floridians who have influenced the world of aviation. The Museum also offers a variety of unique year-round educational experiences for all ages including camps, tours, workshops and speaker presentations.
Aerospace Discovery at The Florida Air Museum continues to grow and meet the challenge of our mission – to be the premier showcase for Florida’s aviation history through exhibits, restoration and preservation, education and outreach and to share the passion of flight with all ages.
Museum News
Sixth Annual Solo to Success
carol cali 2019-11-27T16:07:43+00:00 November 19th, 2019|0 Comments
Sixth Annual ‘Solo To Success’ The sixth annual ‘Solo To Success’ was held Friday, November 22, on the campus of the Central Florida Aerospace Academy (CFAA) to honor 32 recipients of the James C. [...]
Project: Stratos 2020
Jayme 2019-11-11T17:08:18+00:00 November 11th, 2019|0 Comments
Click anywhere on the image below for additional information!
National Anthem Auditions
admin 2019-12-05T19:49:24+00:00 October 17th, 2019|0 Comments
Calling all those amazing singers who are Polk County residents and are between the ages of 13 and 18 years old. We are pleased to announce open auditions for the daily performance of [...]
Help Us Design Our Zenith
admin 2019-10-10T11:57:59+00:00 October 9th, 2019|0 Comments
ACE partnered with Able Flight, a unique organization that shares a similar belief that learning to fly is a life changing experience. This partnership will enable those with physical disabilities an opportunity to earn [...]
SUN ‘n FUN Fly-In Inc. mourns the loss of its Founder, Billy Henderson, and shares the date for his Celebration of Life.
Aerospace Discovery at the Florida Air Museum hosts Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for new exhibit, NOAA: Where Science Meets Service
CFAA's Class of 2018 Rocks with over $30k in College Scholarships Awarded and its First Military Academy Appointment!
TORA! TORA! TORA! reenactment brings history to life at SUN ‘n FUN International Fly-In and Expo April 10-15, 2018
The Aerospace Center for Excellence Will be “Aligning the Stars for Students” Thanks to GiveWell Community Foundation
The Largest Assembly of P-51 Mustangs to Fly in Over a Decade during the 43rd Annual SUN ‘n FUN International Fly-In & Expo
4th Annual Career Fair Presented by JSFirm.com to be Held During the 43rd Annual SUN ‘n FUN International Fly- In & Expo
SUN ‘n FUN and the Aerospace Center for Excellence Welcomes High School Students from Imabari, Japan.
FedEx Express Support of Polk County Aviation Education Programs Being Recognized at Dedication of Boeing 727
Kermit Weeks featured at SUN 'n FUN for Tour of Aircraft from the Weeks Private Collection of Aircraft and Book Signing
The Aerospace Discovery’s Heritage
As early as the 1980’s – just a few years into the SUN ‘n FUN Fly-In – founding director Billy Henderson and others envisioned an aviation museum to anchor the campus and provide a year-round educational and historic presence. Formal planning began in 1983 by a museum committee that interviewed architects, solicited land from the City of Lakeland, and secured the present museum location on the SUN ‘n FUN Fly-In property southwest of Lakeland Linder Regional Airport.
A “mini-museum” first appeared in the corner of Hangar A in 1986. In 1988 the SUN ‘n FUN Aviation Foundation was formed to oversee the construction and operation of the SUN ‘n FUN Air Museum, and all of Hangar A became a temporary museum in 1989. Volunteer curator Marion Robles used his ties to the Naval Air Museum in Pensacola, Florida to obtain the loan of a number of aircraft and aircraft engines, including a Boeing NA-75 (N-25) Stearman and the Lockheed XFV-1 “Vertical Riser” shipboard fighter. Long-time SUN ‘n FUN Fly-In attendees may recall seeing the “Vertical Riser” for many years standing on its tail near the main office. Now, visitors can find it beside the Guest Hospitality Center in Southeast Exhibits. Fully restored after several years of work by dedicated volunteers.
In 1991 the City of Lakeland approved funding for the construction of the current museum building and lease of adjacent land. Although originally planned as a restoration and education facility, the building is now the core of the Florida Air Museum with current and projected expansion to all sides. The main museum building was formally opened to the public during the April, 1992 SUN ‘n FUN Fly-In.
At the same time, volunteer Milt Voigt established a research library. Formerly housed in a small building behind the museum, it is now located on the second level of the Florida Air Museum and open to visitors with a scheduled appointment. Mr. Voigt was instrumental in convincing the Howard Hughes Corporation that the Sun ‘n Fun Museum would be an ideal facility in which to house a large collection of Mr. Hughes’ aviation memorabilia. The collection is among the museum’s most valuable and treasured assets and a rotating selection of artifacts is on display year-round in the Museum.
The Museum was renamed the International Sport Aviation Museum, and informational exhibits such as the Florida Aviation History Wall were added as a complement to the aircraft on display and the Hughes collections. These exhibits are updated and changed periodically, and 2007 marked the visit of our first touring exhibition from The Smithsonian Air & Space Museum.
In 1999 the next phase of the Museum complex, a pavilion, slated to become the structural core of an enlarged building, was completed. Serving as a home for evening programs during the SUN ‘n FUN Fly-In and a variety of year-round events, the pavilion includes conference rooms, outside seating with a stage, and various support areas.
In 2002, the Museum was renamed the Florida Air Museum and that same year, received designation as the “Official aviation museum and education center of the State of Florida” by Governor Jeb Bush and the Florida Legislature. We are very proud of this honor and aspire to meet the challenges of this distinction.
Recent years have seen more construction. The Tom Davis Education Center, funded by the family trust of the founder of Piedmont Airlines, with additional support from the State of Florida, was dedicated at the 2005 Fly-In and houses summer camp and many other educational programs. The Davis Center also hosted the first residential summer camp session for students during 2007.
During Fly-In 2006, the 8,000 sq. ft. air conditioned Buehler Restoration Skills Center opened just behind the Museum and has been the home to several projects in progress each winter. Finished just in time for the 2007 Fly-In, the adjacent annex classroom building hosts workshop participants during the Fly-In, and the new Central Florida Aerospace Academy during the school year. These spaces offer tremendous year-round opportunities for restoration and educational programs as part of our museum offerings.
August 2014 ushered in a new era for Aerospace Discovery when it was re branded as Aerospace Discovery at Florida Air Museum. The new name brought a focus on the educational programs that happen year round at the Aerospace Center for Excellence on the SUN ‘n FUN Campus. Aerospace Discovery at Florida Air Museum has a rich tradition as the “Official Aviation Museum and Aviation Education Center of the State of Florida” and continues to serve as the anchor point for the Aerospace Center for Excellence for generations to come.