Aviation Museum Layout Maps

[Noha307]

Maps (Cont.)

• New England Air Museum (Motorcycle Show, 2014) (Source)

[Noha307]

Maps (Cont.)

• Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum (Source)

Reproductions of Maps (Cont.)

• Air Force Armament Museum (Museum Indoor Exhibit Map) (Source)
• Air Force Armament Museum (Museum Outdoor Exhibits) (Source)
• Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum (Source)

What if you can't find an museum layout map?
Obviously, there are many museums that have not created maps. What can you do to identify locations then?

• First, it is worth noting that many museums do have maps, they have just not made them available on their website. Frequently, they have provided them in their brochure or another handout. In that case, it is worth searching sites such as TripAdvisor for pictures that guests have taken of said handouts. Alternatively, sometimes museums post maps on the wall in a sort of "you are here fashion". Then it is worth searching photo sharing sites like Flickr for visitors' photo tours. (The "reproductions of maps" category was created to include these maps. They were listed separately because their quality suffers as a result of the way they have been reproduced.)
• The Airport and Airway Improvement Act of 1982 requires airports to have an Airport Layout Plan.[1] (e.g. Lunken Airport) These maps are much more detailed than approach plates or airport diagrams and often list the tenants of each building.
• The alternative to the above for military museums are base maps. These can be found online, frequently in PDF form, as they are often uploaded to various sites for the benefit of non-military personnel visiting a base for some sort of special event.
• Essentially every county in the United States has a graphical information system, or GIS, available through the auditor or a similar office. Simply searching "[insert county name] GIS" will usually bring it up. (For what it's worth, the dominant software is ArcGIS from Esri.) These interactive maps show the outlines of parcels that, when selected, display useful information.
• Similar to the above are collaborative mapping sites - the leading example of which is OpenStreetMap. (Another example being Wikimapia.) Essentially "Wikipedia for maps" they allows users to mark features by drawing a point, path or outline and then add tags to describe them. If there's something in your area you've always wondered what it is, these type of sites may have the answer.
• Also similar to the above is Aerial Visuals, which is of course Mike Henniger's aircraft focused locator.
• Lastly, the website Historic Aerials allows the previewing of historic aerial imagery. It is immensely useful for determining how a museum develops and determining what buildings were built when.

Although these won't mark individual aircraft (with the exception of Aerial Visuals), they can be helpful in determining the layout of larger museums with multiple buildings.

[Noha307]

Maps (Cont.)

• Hill Aerospace Museum (May 2024) (Source)

[Noha307]

Maps (Cont.)

• Antique Airfield/Airpower Museum (Source)

[Noha307]

The Warhawk Air Museum has a pair of maps, but they are apparently only available through the museum's mobile app. So please enjoy these screenshots from my smartphone:

(Source: Warhawk Air Museum (via App))

[Noha307]

Maps (Cont.)

• Finnish Aviation Museum (Proposed Tour Path, 2020) (Source)
• Finnish Aviation Museum (Site Plan) (Source)
• Hiller Aviation Museum (2022) (Source)
• Kbely Aviation Museum (2012) (Source)
• Kbely Aviation Museum (2023) (Source)

Reproductions of Maps (Cont.)

• China Aviation Museum (Source)
• Kbely Aviation Museum (Source)

Proposed Maps (Cont.)

• Dumfries & Galloway Aviation Museum (2015) (Source)
• Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum (Floor Plan) (Source)
• Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum (Site Plan) (Source)

Why does this not look like the Leatherneck museum is in one of the original hangars? Did something change?

Not sure, but the above site plan gives an idea of what building the proposed floorplan is located.

[Noha307]

The Alaska Aviation Museum was mentioned in a previous post, but the example included therein did not have the names of the hangars. An older version does:

Maps (Cont.)

• Alaska Aviation Museum (By 2012) (Source)

[Noha307]

Reproductions of Maps (Cont.)

• Cavanaugh Flight Museum (Source)

[Noha307]

I wanted to identify the individual hangars at the Pioneer Airport, so I reached out to Chris Henry of the EAA Aviation Museum and he was able to provide a map of them as well as another for the EAA Air Academy Lodge showing the grounds of the area around the museum:

EDIT (24-07-24): Here are higher resolution copies of the above:

(Source: Imgur)

(Source: Imgur)

Last edited by Noha307 on Wed Jul 24, 2024 5:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Noha307]

Maps (Cont.)

• National Model Aviation Museum (Source)

[Noha307]

Maps (Cont.)

• Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre (Holiday Gift & Craft Show, 2022) (Source)
• Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre (Holiday Gift & Craft Show, 2023) (Source)
• Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre (Holiday Gift & Craft Show, 2024) (Source)
• Greenwood Military Aviation Museum (Source)

[Noha307]

Maps (Cont.)

• Bentwaters Cold War Museum (Floor Plan) (Source)
• East Midlands Aeropark (Aeropark Attractions Map) (Source)

[Noha307]

I sent out emails to 17 aviation museums that I was unable to find layout maps for on Monday asking them if they could provide their own. If not, I attached an annotated map and asked if they could name the numbered buildings. So far, I have received three replies, of which one, the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Center, provided a map:

Here are higher resolution copies of two of the above:

(Source: Imgur)

(Source: Imgur)

[Noha307]

The Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum unveiled the final floor map for the museum today:

Maps (Cont.)

• Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum (Source)

As the numbers are not identified in the image, they are identified below. Note that it is impossible to distinguish certain models/variants as there is insufficient detail in the illustrations used, so there are multiple possibilities for certain numbers:

1. R4D-8, 50835
2. R4Q, 131708
3. L-5, 42-14893/42-14918
4. HOK-1, 139990
5. UH-25B, 128596
6. SNJ-5, 90866
7. TB-25J, 44-86727
8. TBM-3E, 53726
9. F4U-5N, 122189
10. FJ-3, 135883
11. CH-46E, 154803
12. AH-1J, 157784
13. UH-1L or UH-1N, 157824 or 159198
14. CH-53A, 153304
15. TV-1, 33840
16. HTL or OH-13, 52-7873 or 64-15338 or 142394
17. F9F-8P, 141722
18. UH-34D, 150219
19. CH-19E, 130252
20. A-6E, 154170
21. AH-1, 182543?
22. UH-1L or UH-1N, 157824 or 159198
23. Bell 214ST, 28166
24. OV-10D, 155494
25. RF-4B or F-4S, 151981 or 157246
26. RF-4B or F-4S, 151981 or 157246
27. A-4, 142879 or 148492 or 154204 or 158467 or 160264
28. A-4, 142879 or 148492 or 154204 or 158467 or 160264
29. A-4, 142879 or 148492 or 154204 or 158467 or 160264
30. Not on map?
31. F9F-2, 123652
32. F4D-1, 139177
33. F2H-2, 124988
34. F3D-2, 124630
35. F/A-18A, 161749
36. F8U-2NE, 150920
37. RF-8G, 144617 or 146858
38. T-34B, 140688

[Noha307]

A different version of the map of the Israeli Air Force Museum mentioned in a previous post:

Maps (Cont.)

• Israeli Air Force Museum (2004) (Source)