The Southern Museum of Flight is a civilian aviation museum

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson County. The population was 200,733 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List ...

. The facility features nearly 100 aircraft, as well as engines, models, artifacts, photographs, and paintings. In addition, the Southern Museum of Flight is home to the Alabama Aviation Hall of Fame, which presents Alabama Aviation History through collective biography.

Overview

The Lake Murray B-25C Mitchell bomber crashed in South Carolina during a 1943 training exercise. The right engine was torn off during the crash but the crew was able to escape unharmed before it sank to a depth of 150 feet (46m). The aircraft became a dive site for local technical divers until it was raised from the depths of the lake in September 2005. Dr. Bob Seigler who spearheaded the project, John Hodge and Dr. Bill Vartorella, formed the Lake Murray B-25 Rescue Project to salvage the aircraft from the bottom of Lake Murray. After recovery the remains of the aircraft were moved to the Southern Museum of Flight in

for conservation and

museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

display. A video crew, including maritime video experts from Nautilus Productions, documented the recovery for the Mega Movers series on the

History Channel History (formerly and commonly known as the History Channel) is an American pay television television broadcaster, network and the flagship channel of A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney General Entertainme ...

. Featured on display is a diorama exhibit honoring Alabama's famed Tuskegee Airmen, as well as the Korean War Jets Exhibit and Vietnam War Helicopters Exhibit. The museum is currently on the grounds of the Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport but plans to reopen at the Grand River Technology Park. In 2017, the museum announced plans to move to the

Barber Motorsports Park Barber Motorsports Park is an racing facility in Birmingham, Alabama. It was built by George W. Barber, and includes the Barber Vintage Motorsport Museum. It has been the site of the IndyCar Series' Grand Prix of Alabama since 2010 IndyCar Ser ...

. In 2023, after delays, the museum stated that it was going to retain its original campus, although it would continue to move forward with plans for the new location as an expansion.

Selected aircraft on display

;Military aircraft ;Civilian aircraft

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Barsanti, B. J. ''Interview with James T. Griffin'' (20 Jan 2013). * Stevenson, E. W. "The History of the Southern Museum of Flight", ''SMF Trustee Manual'', 15 May 2004.

External links

Southern Museum of Flight websiteAlabama Aviation Hall of Fame websiteLake Murray's MitchellPodcast: Southern Museum of Flight
* Rubicon Foundation {{DEFAULTSORT:Southern Museum Of Flight Aerospace museums in Alabama Museums in Birmingham, Alabama Museums established in 1966 1966 establishments in Alabama Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport