Gen Billy Mitchell airport in Milwaukee.

[Pat Carry]

On a recent visit to Billy Mitchell airport I noticed that their museum The Mitchell Gallery Museum was gone. It was a good little museum and I missed not being able to go in. Anyone know what happened to it?

[Cvairwerks]

According to their website, they are in the main terminal, south side, right next to the USO.....

[Pat Carry]

Thanks!

[L-188]

It's been gone for quite a while. There was an absolutely beautiful collection of 1/72nd scale models all built by a guy named Dave Hodgson, Who worked for Northwest Airlines in the freight office under the old main terminal. There was also a model of the Graf Zeppelin haging from the ceiling as well as vairous displays with a lot of handbuilt museum quality models. The models disappeared and were replaced by more contemporary Pac Min style pieces (Pac Min is a medium quality airline presentation type model company). A lot of the museum stuff not on display was sold off site in a sale. They were in a building in the USAF reserve complex that now houses a few businesses and a small cargo airline. I scored a couple of display bases and a model of a Lear 25 for my collection. I haven't been in the main terminal since so I'll defer to CV on the location.
Oh, before I forget, there was a display of a cockpit of the SE-210 Caravelle that was mind-boggling in it's detail. Maybe there is a pic of it somewhere out there. UAL flew Caravelles in the 1960's and I remember seeing them occasionally. There used to be a company called Kearney and Trecker that had quite an eclectic flight department. A Caravelle, a Vickers Viscount, Super DC3, various Beechcraft models. After high school and before the Military, I worked for a company called Check Air. They flew an F-27 and we did ground handling for various night freight companies, (Viking International, SMB Stage LInes, Hogan air to name a few) Wish I'd carried a camera back then.
Sorry about the thread hijack. I now return it to it's original purpose

[StangStung]

Dang. I'm really sorry to hear this. I used to pass through there a lot for work and would always stop at the museum. It was a little local gem.

I'm sure it's turned into another money grab storefront. Blech.

[bdk]

Whatever happened to the collapsed B-25?

[L-188]

The B-25 was repaired and remounted a couple of years ago IIRC. I pass it daily on my way to work. There is an F-4 mounted closer to Howell ave. that honors Lance Sijan A MOH winner from Milwaukee. That one could use some TLC.

[bdk]

The B-25 was repaired and remounted a couple of years ago IIRC. I pass it daily on my way to work.

Thanks, that's good news. Often the bad news travels much faster than the good news!

[L-188]

I forgot to add that the Graf Zeppelin model that hung from the ceiling of the Mitchell gallery of flight is now on display at the EAA airventure museum in Oshkosh, along with the Hindenburg display. That went to a good home. I wish I knew where the model collection went as well as some of the other exhibits. As anyone who's been there can attest, there was a lot small interesting displays in that small space.