The whole of Florida’s Space Coast has a historic connection with aviation that stretches back more than half-a-century. The region is, after all, home to the Kennedy Space Center, and it is one of a handful of places you can see a real space shuttle. The Atlantis is on display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex. Nearby, a less famous, but just as impressive display of aviation history is open to the public at the Titusville Warbird Museum. It’s worth an hour or two of a cruiser’s time to see.
Every year for the past 37 years Titusville has been hosting the annual TICO Warbirds Airshow. In 2016, it happens from Friday, March 11 to Sunday, March 13, and visitors will get the chance to thrill to the formation flying of both the Air Force and Navy demonstration teams, as well as private stunt flyers and performers. It’s an impressive display organized entirely by volunteers.
The all-volunteer Valiant Air Command is dedicated to preserving military aircraft and has created a museum whose collection takes up two hangers at the Space Coast Regional Airport. It contains 45 aircraft, and a few of them still fly regularly. It’s history that still lives and the scent of hydraulic fluid and aviation fluid brings it alive in a way that most museums can’t manage.
The Collection
Some of the Warbird Museum’s aircraft are regulars on the air show circuit. The museum’s flagship craft is the TICO Belle (Space Coast Regional Airport was once Titusville-Cocoa Airport or TICO) a Second World War Era C-47 that can actually be booked by skydiving groups. The plane itself has a long history, having flown soldiers from the 82nd Airborne to their drop zone on D-Day, and participating in operations like Market Garden among others. It is far from the only classic aircraft they still have flying; they have aircraft from World War 2 through to Vietnam in operating condition.
The flying collection includes a TBM Avenger torpedo bomber, another veteran from World War 2, and the same model as the infamous Flight-19 which disappeared over the Bermuda Triangle. The F-86 Sabre is a veteran of the Korean War, and the United States first swept wing jet aircraft. The A-4 Skyhawk is a Navy plane from the early days of Vietnam. It’s rare to see these aircraft at all today, let alone to see them in flight. At the Warbirds Museum, you can get close to real working aircraft that are a part of aviation history.
The Warbird Museum is an excellent attraction for any history buffs or aviation lovers. Once you’ve booked your cruise, book a hotel near Port Canaveral with transportation included. Call today for the best price 855-755-4637!
The non-flying collection may no longer take to the skies, but it is still pretty impressive anyway. It’s most famous resident is probably the F-14 Tomcat, of Top Gun fame. Another impressive airframe in their collection is the F-5 used in supersonic NASA experiments. Planes from other nations include a Luftwaffe Me-208, the F-86 Sabre’s opposite the Mig-17, and a Mig-21 in Czech Air Force livery. Aircraft from the First World War are also on display like a Fokker from the First World War, which somewhat inevitably is painted red in imitation of the Red Baron.
What makes the Warbird Museum so special is that all of the aircraft have a history behind them. The aforementioned TICO Belle did not only fly on D-Day. The names of her crew, the positions they served in, where they were from, and where the plane took off from are all on the record. There is a similar story behind each of the aircraft at the museum. For instance: the odd-looking F5 in the collection was part of a DARPA experiment in altering the shockwave of sonic booms by changing the shape of a plane’s fuselage. It makes for a history lesson that’s alive in a way that no documentary on a screen ever could be.
In addition to the aircraft, the museum also hosts a collection of uniforms, medals, flags and other interesting military memorabilia like typewriters and other period equipment. The organization behind the museum, the Valiant Air Command, has also hosted an airshow for the last 37 years. In 2016, it returns in all of its low flying, pyrotechnic glory.
Warbird Museum Location and Admission
The Warbird Museum is located on TICO Road in Titusville, a short right turn off of Columbia Parkway on the way from Titusville hotels to the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex, or Port Canaveral. Admission is a little steep at $20 per adult, with discounts for children, seniors, and veterans. However, it is a great experience for the money. Port Canaveral cruisers who book one of Go Port’s Titusville hotel and transportation packages have easy access to the museum, and Spring Break cruisers will be arriving at the perfect time to see the airshow either before, or after their cruise.
Titusville Fly Snooze Cruise Hotels – Best Western – Ramada Inn – Hampton Inn – Other Port Canaveral Hotels
Recommend
