Kentucky Aviation Heritage Park
The Kentucky Aviation Heritage Park and Museum highlight regional pilots and their contributions to United States air and space travel.
The outside air park includes an F-4 Phantom, an F-111 Aardvark, an T-33A-5 Shooting Star, an SH-3H Sea King Helicopter in Marine 1 configuration, and a “Huey” helicopter. All of these aircraft on display connect in some way to aviators from the Kentucky region.
Inside the museum, there are two aircraft (A NASA T-38 Talon and Piper J-3 Cub) and numerous artifacts, that along with video, images, and interactive screens, tell inspiring stories of bravery, honor, determination, and self-sacrifice of the pilots that flew the aircraft on display.
15Jun25
OUTDOOR AIR PARK
Aircraft on display outdoors at the Kentucky Aviation Heritage Park, Bowling Green, KY.
The Kentucky Aviation Heritage Park added a new museum building that opened to the public on 23 September 2023.
Sikorsky SH-3H (S-61) Sea King in Marine 1 configuration.
Sikorsky SH-3H (S-61) Sea King in Marine 1 configuration.
This Sikorsky SH-3H (S-61) Sea King honors Colonel Arthur (Mac) Reynolds, Marine One pilot for four presidents (Reagan, Bush (1), Clinton, Bush (2) ) and Commander of HMX-1.
Sikorsky SH-3H (S-61) Sea King in Marine 1 configuration.
Presidential seal on the side of the Sikorsky SH-3H (S-61) Sea King in Marine 1 configuration.
Cockpit view of the Sikorsky SH-3H (S-61) Sea King.
USAF General Dynamics F-111F "Aardvark" strike bomber.
USAF General Dynamics F-111F "Aardvark" strike bomber.
This F-111F honors Colonel Arnie Franklin, the mission commander of the USAF participation in the Operation El Dorado Canyon raid on Libya on April 15, 1986.
USAF General Dynamics F-111F "Aardvark" strike bomber.
Cockpit details on the USAF General Dynamics F-111F "Aardvark" strike bomber.
USAF General Dynamics F-111F "Aardvark" strike bomber.
Speed brake partially deployed on the USAF General Dynamics F-111F "Aardvark" strike bomber.
Robust landing gear for the USAF General Dynamics F-111F "Aardvark" strike bomber.
This F-111 aircraft was one of the participants in the Libya El Dorado Canyon Raid. This is spray painted inside the bomb bay.
USAF McDonnell-Douglas F-4D Phantom II
This F-4D Phantom II fighter (#550) honors Brigadier General Dan Cherry. General Cherry is a command pilot with more than 4,000 flying hours. His military decorations and awards include the Silver Star with oak leaf cluster, Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, Distinguished Flying Cross with nine oak leaf clusters, Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Air Medal with 34 oak leaf clusters, and Air Force Commendation Medal.
This is the very F-4 Phantom fighter (#550) General Cherry had been flying in Vietnam on April 16, 1972, when he achieved an aerial victory over a MiG 21 in Vietnam.
Years after the Vietnam War, General Cherry would reunite with the Vietnam pilot he shot down, Lt. Nguyen Hong My, who survived the crash and the war.
USAF McDonnell-Douglas F-4D Phantom II
USAF McDonnell-Douglas F-4D Phantom II with the Red Star on the side indicating it's aerial victory.
Dirty end of the Phantom. The powerful General Electric J79 engines of the F-4 earned it the nickname "Flying Brick". "Proof a brick can fly if you put a big enough engine in it".
USAF McDonnell-Douglas F-4D Phantom II Note the sweep of the wings and tail fins to help balance the aerodynamics of the "Flying Brick".
Bell UH-1P Iroquois "Huey" helicopter.
This Bell UH-1P Iroquois "Huey" helicopter is a combat veteran of the famous "Green Hornets" of the 20th Special Operations Squadron of the United States Air Force.
This Bell UH-1P Iroquois "Huey" helicopter honors Colonel Raymond T. Nutter, a highly decorated U.S. Army helicopter pilot from the Vietnam War.
The Bell UH-1P Iroquois "Huey" helicopter has been repainted in the colors of the US Army 121st Assault Helicopter Company - "Soc Trang Tigers, Vikings".
Nose art of the 121st Assault Helicopter Company - "Soc Trang Tigers, Vikings" on the Bell UH-1P Iroquois "Huey" helicopter.
Cockpit view of the Bell UH-1P Iroquois "Huey" helicopter.
Cockpit view of the Bell UH-1P Iroquois "Huey" helicopter.
Interior view of the Bell UH-1P Iroquois "Huey" helicopter.
Lockheed T-33A-5 Shooting Star.
Lockheed T-33A-5 Shooting Star. This is the trainer version of the F-80. Note the elongated canopy for the second seat in back.
Lockheed T-33A-5 Shooting Star. These were nicknamed "T-Birds".
This Lockheed T-33A-5 Shooting Star honors General Russell E. Dougherty, a four-star USAF general who commanded the Strategic Air Command.
Lockheed T-33A-5 Shooting Star. General Russell E. Dougherty flew this type of aircraft regularly while stationed at the Pentagon.
Strategic Air Command logo prominently displayed on the side of the Lockheed T-33A-5 Shooting Star.
Behind the museum is this Republic F-105F-1-RE Thunderchief (sn 63-8343) fighter/bomber awaiting restoration.
Republic F-105F-1-RE Thunderchief fighter/bomber. Formerly at the Cavanaugh Flight Museum, Addison, Dallas - Fort Worth, Texas.
Republic F-105F Thunderchief fighter/bomber. Withdrawn from use in 1982 and preserved at the Southwest Aerospace Museum which closed in 1992. Moved to the Cavanaugh Flight Museum, Dallas-Addison by 1994.
This Republic F-105F Thunderchief fighter/bomber will honor General Joseph Ralston, who was born November 4, 1943, in Fairview, Ky. Ralston served as a fighter pilot with more than 2500 flying hours, including 147 combat missions over Laos and North Vietnam. Ralston went from the ROTC program to flying the THUD to serving as the fourth vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1996-2000) as well as Supreme Allied Commander for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Europe (2000-2003). He is the highest-ranking airman that Kentucky has ever produced.
This Republic F-105F Thunderchief fighter/bomber will also honor Lt Col Billy Sparks, who was born on December 7, 1934, in Hart County, KY. He flew over 145 combat sorties and logged 2,250 hours in a THUD. He and his EWO, Major Carlos Lombardo, were renowned for their proficiency and communication skills, flying 82 sorties together. During his 20 years of service, he received three Silver Stars, seven Distinguished Flying Crosses, and 15 Air Medals.
INDOOR MUSEUM
Boeing GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb hanging in the foyer as you enter the museum.
Display for Gen. Lloyd "Fig" Newton. He is a retired United States Air Force (USAF) four-star general who served as Commander, Air Education and Training Command (COMAETC) from 1997 to 2000. He was also the first African-American pilot in the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds
Korean War - US Navy - Flight Helmet with goggles.
Uniform of 1st Lt. Charles B. Moran. F-82 Twin Mustang night fighter pilot in the Korean War.
Display of Lt. Col. John C. Carmichael's flight suits.
Guided Bomb Units GBU-84 (top of the cradle) and a Mk 84 bomb fitted with GBU-31 JDAM kit (on the bottom of the cradle).
Northrup T-38A(N) Talon #901 This is a former NASA T-38 that was gifted to the Aviation Heritage Park.
Northrup T-38A(N) Talon #901 This plane was never flown by any of our military services – it went directly from the manufacturer to NASA.
Northrup T-38A(N) Talon #901 This is actually the second T-38 Talon to carry the number 901. The first T-38 that carried that number unfortunately was lost in a crash on February 28, 1966, while landing in a fog at Lambert Field in St. Louis, MO.
Northrup T-38A(N) Talon #901 This Talon was used by the NASA astronauts for necessary travel and as chase planes.
Northrup T-38A(N) Talon #901 NASA has maintained a fleet of 32 Talons, housed primarily at Ellington Field in Houston, Texas. NASA has been reducing the number of Talons in their fleet over the years. This Talon, Tail Number 901, is one of those declared surplus by NASA.
Northrup T-38A(N) Talon #901 The NASA Gemini program consisted of 10 Earth Orbiter missions from 1965 through 1966, involving 16 different astronauts and all of them have flown #901.
Northrup T-38A(N) Talon #901 During the NASA Apollo Program, the Prime Crew members on each of the 9 missions were a Commander, a Command Module Pilot and a Lunar Module Pilot. There were 24 different astronauts composing the Prime Crews for the 9 missions and all of them flew #901. There were 12 persons who walked on the moon during the 6 lunar landings and all of them flew #901.
Blue Angels Diamond painting in the museum's reading library.
AIM-7 Sparrow (TOP) AIM-9 Sidewinder (BOTTOM)
Distinguished Aviators Wall of Fame
Interior lighted display
Interior lighted display
Interior lighted display
Interior lighted Thunderbirds display
Piper J-3C Cub hanging from the museum ceiling.
Cubs are equipped with air-cooled, flat-4 piston engine driving a fixed-pitch propeller. The propellor on this J-3C was donated by Cub pilot Jerry Kirby. This prop was on the Cub in which Jerry’s dad, H. G. Kirby, soloed at the Bowling Green Airport on October 13, 1940.
This J-3C Cub made it to Bowling Green under its own power, having flown her last flight from a grass strip outside Indianapolis IN on November 13, 2016.
The J-3 Cub was introduced in 1937. Cubs sold for $1,300. Much like Henry Ford’s Model T idea, Cubs came in one standard color; Cub Yellow.
When carrying only the pilot, the Cub had a top speed of 85 mph, a cruise speed of 75 mph, a service ceiling of 12,000 ft , a stall speed of 38 mph, an endurance of three hours, and a range of 225 miles.
By 1947, when production ended, Piper had sold 19,073 J-3 Cubs, the majority of them L-4s and other military variants.
Model airplane runway on top of the lighted display.
Pilots Robin Olds and Lawrence J. Pickett lighted display.
Pilots Robin Olds and Lawrence J. Pickett lighted display.
B-52 Ejection Seat.
F-105 and B-52 Lighted display.
F-105 memorabilia in the lighted display.
B-52 memorabilia in the lighted display.
These F-4 Phantoms represent "Pardo's Push". Pardo's Push was an aviation maneuver carried out by then-Captain (Lt Col USAF Ret) John R. "Bob" Pardo (1934–2023), USAF in order to move his wingman's badly damaged F-4 Phantom II to friendly air space during the Vietnam War.
F-105 windscreen signed by the members of Pardo's Push - Lt. Col. Bill Pardo, 1st Lt. Steve Wayne, Capt. Earl Aman, and 1st Lt. Bob Houghton
F-105 Wild Weasel lighted display.
Radome signed by numerous F-105 Wild Weasel crew members.
Cold weather flight gear and NAMPOW pajamas on display.
POW Freedom Bell on display.
OV-10 Bronco model on display.
F-105 Thunderchief model on display.
F/A-18 Hornet, F-8 Crusader, B-52 with KC-135 refueler models on display.