Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum

The Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum is a United States Marine Corps aviation museum currently located at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, California. The museum contains exhibits and artifacts relating to the history and legacy of United States Marine Corps Aviation. The outdoor exhibits include 31 historical aircraft, multiple military vehicles and equipment. Indoor exhibits feature photographs, artifacts and artwork from the early days of aviation to the present. History The El Toro Historical Center and Command Museum opened to the public in June 1991 in a squadron aviation building at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro. By 1998, the name of the museum had changed to the Jay W. Hubbard Command Museum. Move to Miramar When MCAS El Toro closed in 1999, the museum again changed its name to the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum and moved to Naval Air Station Miramar. The museum's 41 aircraft were loaded onto trailers and towed down highways to the museum's new location, where it reopened on 25 May 2000. There it had a 27,000 sq ft (2,500 m2) restoration hangar. In 2002, the museum announced plans to construct a 30,000 sq ft (2,800 m2) building to display its collection. At the same time, however, increased security on the base after the September 11th attacks made it more difficult for civilians to visit. Separately, plans for a museum at El Toro began in 2008. The Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundation was formed to support the museum's efforts and to provide interpretive programs to educate the public on the history and legacy of Marine Corps aviation. These include tours for school field trips, STEM education, the Marine Spouse Award, and annual student essay and art contests. Return to El Toro In 2021, the Marine Corps announced that it would be permanently closing the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum and transferring the aircraft to other museums. Subsequently, museum supporters began a campaign to move the museum to a new location. The Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundation began discussions with the City of Irvine about a possible relocation of the museum back to the former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro. The museum would become part of a planned Cultural Terrace at the former air station, now renamed Orange County Great Park. In December, the museum announced that an agreement had been reached to move the aircraft to the abandoned Marine Aircraft Group 46 hangars. By March of the following year, aircraft on loan from the National Naval Aviation Museum were being disassembled in preparation for moves to other museums. Plans and fundraising are currently underway to move the rest of the aircraft to the new location in Great Park, Irvine, California. The museum began moving aircraft to the new location in the 215,000 sq ft (20,000 m2) Hangar 297 in March 2024. By December 2024, the museum's collections had been moved from Miramar to Hangar 297. The museum received a copy of 525 oral histories from California State University, Fullerton of individuals connected to El Toro in February 2025. The museum broke ground on a new 131,000 sq ft (12,200 m2) facility on 28 October 2025. Collection Aircraft on display Other exhibits AAI RQ-2B Pioneer – This aircraft is mounted to the M927 Truck on display. BMP-1 – This vehicle was captured from the Iraqi Army during Desert Storm. D-20 – This vehicle was captured from the Iraqi Army during Desert Storm. MT-LB – This vehicle was captured from the Iraqi Army during Desert Storm. Landing Signals Officer (LSO) Shack M1097 Avenger M927 Truck In storage MCAS Miramar Post Exchange The following items, being located away from the museum complex, are available only to visitors who have access to the post exchange. Douglas R4D-8 50835 Douglas R5D Skymaster 90392 Fairchild R4Q Packet 131708 Formerly on Display The following items were at one time displayed at the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum but have since moved on to other collections. See also Marine Corps Museums United States Marine Corps Aviation Naval Aviation Hall of Honor (including USMC) United States naval aviator References Footnotes Notes Bibliography External links Official website Marine Corps Air Station Miramar