CHAMPAIGN AVIATION MUSEUM

Upcoming Events:
Annual Remembrance Day Ceremony 
Saturday, Oct. 9 at 11:00am
To honor WWII Army Air Corps and Army Air Force Veterans.   Click HERE for more info.

Lecture: Privateers of the U.S. Navy
Thursday, Oct. 21 at 11:00am

Presenter Dan Walter will discuss the first Privateers, the ships and crews who fought in the Revolutionary, 1812, and Civil War, and will fast-forward to the naval aviators who flew some of the heaviest bombers of WWII, the PB4Y-2 Privateers, throughout the Pacific Theater.  His presentation will contain personal stories and photos relayed to him by one of those pilots, his father Lt. (jg) Joe Walter, who was awarded the DFC and three Air Medals.  In addition, 42-year Navy Veteran, Edwin Corwin, will be on hand to share his experiences flying in PB4Y-2's and later the P-3 Orion during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

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Lecture: The WASP-Women Airforce Service Pilots of WWII

Saturday, Oct. 30 at 12pm

Presenter Bill Albers will share the incredible history of the Women Pilots who served during WWII.  During the War, the Army Air Force (AAF) faced a serious shortage of pilots. Men pilots were needed to fly combat overseas, but there was still flying to be done within the U.S. In the autumn of 1942, the AAF turned to women pilots for help. After months of learning to fly “the Army way,” 1,074 women pilots graduated from the rigorous training program, the same training the AAF gave to its male cadets, and they became the first women in history to fly American Military aircraft.  

Immediately following the lecture, please join us for our opening reception of the WASP Stories Kiosks exhibit!

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