champaign aviation museum

The museum has a lot of artifacts from WWII from local residents who served in the war which made the exhibits more personable. The most interesting area is the hangar where a flyable B-25, C-47, and a spotter plane are on display. You can go inside the C-47 transport for now but I assume that it will be on the list of restoration. They have a B-17 which one of the restorers told me they have been working on for 10 years. A lot of the parts required to restore the aircraft have to be hand made in the shop. If you are in the area this is an interesting museum.

This is an excellent chance to see a B17 upclose. And you can also see the crew working/building planes. And it's not so big that you can't enjoy your visit. And if you hit it at the right time, you can experienc some of the "fly ins" and special events. And you'll experience the small town charm of the people. They are so very proud of museum and will take the time to share with you. While you're there, go to the Airport Cafe and enjoy a fine meal or a piece of homemade pie!

One of the stops on the Aviation Trail Brochure (www.aviationtrailinc.org.)Went in and saw many volunteers restoring a WWII B17. Great! They have a few other planes including a B25 Mitchell. There is a display about WASPS (Woman in the Air Force) also. Check it out.

The wife and I stopped at the Museum at the suggestion of a community local. WOW this was great. A Large hangar, office area. with some relic's we went into the hangar and WOW they guys are building a B-17! The guys were great and loved talking about what they are doing. I hope to one day come back and see the completed plane. Worth the stop.

My sister is a pilot and she absolutely LOVED the inclusiveness of this museum. When we first arrived, we saw a small lobby area that was dedicated to women in aviation. It was nice and we signed the visitor's log book to say we were there - then we walked into the hanger and that was when the real fun started! Everyone there was friendly, knowledgeable and very hospitable. My sister asked some pilot-related questions and was greeted with smiles and a tour of the facility. There was one plane open to touring for the public, but when my sister laid her eyes on a different plane, the tour guide quickly obliged with opening the bottom hatch and offering her a lift into the belly of the plane! We really got a lot out of this visit and were sad to leave as we still had a lot of stories to share and topics to talk about - however, the road was calling and we had an itinerary to keep. If we are ever in Urbana again, you can bet we will be stopping in to say hello!Please be kind and bring a few dollars to place in their donation box!