Grissom Air Museum

kalamazookid · **Posted:** Mon Aug 10, 2009 5:33 pm

On my way down to the Indianapolis Airshow in early June, I stopped by Grissom Air Musem to visit the airpark.

Great museum! They have a great model aircraft display inside and some other neat artifacts including a P-47 cowling with the original noseart on it.

The outdoor aircraft are in pretty good condition. Here are some pics that I took:

One of the nicest museum Tomcats I've seen

The B-17 had been repainted since my last visit

They have a small tower set up in the airpark that you can walk up for $1. Definitely worth it:

T-33 project in the weeds. They also had an F-89 project sitting in the same corner. I was also told that they are working on a HUP-3 project.

Clifford Bossie · **Posted:** Mon Aug 10, 2009 5:52 pm

WoW! My oldest is in West Laffeyette and that museum is one I plan on visiting on one of my trips to see her. Thank you for posting photos.

jet1 · **Posted:** Mon Aug 10, 2009 8:29 pm

...an airworthy B-58...well A guy can dream!
:lol:

ktst97 · **Posted:** Mon Aug 10, 2009 10:06 pm

They didn't have the F-102 when I visited a year or so ago, and the F-84F was just sitting in the grass by the north fence.

kalamazookid · **Posted:** Tue Aug 11, 2009 1:30 am

The F-102 looks a lot like the one that used to be at Yankee Air Museum, but I'm not sure if it's the same one or not. Seems to be the same unit markings, at least.

Django · **Posted:** Tue Aug 11, 2009 10:13 am

Any pics of the P-47 panel?

Pat Carry · **Posted:** Tue Aug 11, 2009 10:23 am

Nice! There is yet another B-17 that needs to come inside. A good candidate to replace Shoo Shoo Baby as a G model for display at the NMUSAF when Shoo Shoo Baby "takes off" for the NASM someday.

kalamazookid · **Posted:** Tue Aug 11, 2009 1:11 pm

Quote:

Any pics of the P-47 panel?

I tried, but it was in a case so all I ended up getting out of it was my camera's flash reflecting off the case.

Django · **Posted:** Tue Aug 11, 2009 1:31 pm

Found this in the Kokomo tribune, but no pics unfortunately...

but I did find this model of his P-47. Was it the whole panel with the insignia or just the name Kokomo?

from hsfeatures.com

Quote:

History preserved at Grissom Air Museum

The museum north of Kokomo features an array of vintage aircraft.

By Mike Fletcher
Tribune staff writer
BUNKER HILL — How would you like to climb inside an F-4 jet cockpit and let your imagination take flight; or see the first plane to shoot itself down; or learn the untold story of a man who personally helped shorten World War II?

You can do all three and more by visiting the Grissom Air Museum, north of Kokomo.

The museum is located at the Grissom Air Reserve Base, which is also home of the 434th Air Refueling Wing.

Visitors can sit in airplanes and helicopter cockpits, learn about aviation equipment and flying, and explore more than 25 historic aircraft in the museum airpark, Museum Director Andy Cougill said.

“Our outdoor aircraft are our mainstay of the museum, particularly the B-17 World War II bomber and our newest aircraft, the F-4 Tomcat,” Cougill said. “Inside, we have all sorts of great items. In the middle of the floor, we have the most powerful thermal nuclear bomb ever deployed by the U.S. — the BA 53 —which was carried by the B-58 Hustlers flying out of Grissom. And that’s just one of many interior displays.”

Cougill said a new display — an authentic piece of World War II nose art and a personal memento given to Miami-native Lt. Gen. William E. Kepner by Dwight D. Eisenhower — is attracting attention.

Kepner’s family loaned the artifacts to the museum for public display. The nose art was painted on the engine cowling of the general’s P-47 Thunderbolt fighter “Kokomo” during World War II.

Also on display from the Kepners is a silver cigar box awarded to Kepner from Eisenhower and the 8th Fighter Command, among many other historical items.

During the war, Kepner commanded the 4th Fighter Command, the 8th Fighter Command, and toward the end of the war, commanded the entire 8th Air Force.

Grissom Air Museum is located 15 miles north of Kokomo on U.S. 31. The museum is currently open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays. Extended summer hours will begin Memorial Day.

Admission is $4 for adults, $3 for veterans, seniors, and students, and children 6 and under are free. Call (765) 689-8011 or for more information visit GrissomAirMuseum.com.

• Mike Fletcher is a Kokomo Tribune reporter. He can be reached at (765) 454-8577 or mike.fletcher@kokomotribune.com.

kalamazookid · **Posted:** Wed Aug 12, 2009 8:45 am

They have the whole panel with the insignia on it. It's in really good condition too.

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