Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum
Encyclopedia
The Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum, the largest aviation museum
in Illinois
, occupies part of the grounds of the decommissioned Chanute Air Force Base
in Rantoul, Illinois
. It and the base were named for Octave Chanute
, railroad engineer and aviation pioneer. The museum is dedicated to the life and works of Chanute, the former air base, the history of aviation in the state of Illinois, and hosts an annual air show
.
Highlights of the museum include a collection of over 40 aircraft including actual military fighters, bombers, rescue, recon, and cargo aircraft. Many of these were used for training purposes at Chanute, and most are on loan from the United States Air Force Museum. Other exhibits of note include a replica of the Wright 1903 Flyer, a large collection of Frasca Flight Simulators, and tributes to the veterans who have served in America's conflicts and wars.
The museum offers summer day camp programs, including a week-long aviation camp for teens and a science camp for elementary-aged children. In addition, the museum offers various educational and social events throughout the year.
The facility enjoys direct runway access to Rantoul National Aviation Center Airport - Frank Elliot Field, another successful use of the former base facilities. Fly-in visitors are welcomed. Ample vehicle and bus parking is also available to accommodate groups.
The museum is located in Grissom Hall, which functioned as the missile maintenance training facility during active Air Force operations. Until base closure in 1993, all Air Force Minuteman missile maintenance training was provided at Chanute. The building has largely been preserved and restored to its condition at the time of base closure; hence, four authentic Minuteman training silos remain on display at the museum.
The museum is administered under the direction of a private foundation.
Aviation museum
An aviation museum, air museum or aerospace museum is a museum exhibiting the history and artifacts of aviation. In addition to actual or replica aircraft, exhibits can include photographs, maps, models, dioramas, clothing and equipment used by aviators.Aviation museums vary in size from housing...
in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, occupies part of the grounds of the decommissioned Chanute Air Force Base
Chanute Air Force Base
Chanute Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located south of and adjacent to Rantoul, Illinois, about south of Chicago. Its primary mission throughout its existence was Air Force technical training....
in Rantoul, Illinois
Rantoul, Illinois
Rantoul is a village in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 13,674 at the 2010 census. The present mayor is Neal Williams, who was re-elected in 2009...
. It and the base were named for Octave Chanute
Octave Chanute
Octave Chanute was a French-born American railway engineer and aviation pioneer. He provided the Wright brothers with help and advice, and helped to publicize their flying experiments. At his death he was hailed as the father of aviation and the heavier-than-air flying machine...
, railroad engineer and aviation pioneer. The museum is dedicated to the life and works of Chanute, the former air base, the history of aviation in the state of Illinois, and hosts an annual air show
Air show
An air show is an event at which aviators display their flying skills and the capabilities of their aircraft to spectators in aerobatics. Air shows without aerobatic displays, having only aircraft displayed parked on the ground, are called "static air shows"....
.
Highlights of the museum include a collection of over 40 aircraft including actual military fighters, bombers, rescue, recon, and cargo aircraft. Many of these were used for training purposes at Chanute, and most are on loan from the United States Air Force Museum. Other exhibits of note include a replica of the Wright 1903 Flyer, a large collection of Frasca Flight Simulators, and tributes to the veterans who have served in America's conflicts and wars.
The museum offers summer day camp programs, including a week-long aviation camp for teens and a science camp for elementary-aged children. In addition, the museum offers various educational and social events throughout the year.
The facility enjoys direct runway access to Rantoul National Aviation Center Airport - Frank Elliot Field, another successful use of the former base facilities. Fly-in visitors are welcomed. Ample vehicle and bus parking is also available to accommodate groups.
History
Chanute Air Force Base operated in Rantoul from 1917-1993. After decommission, the cleanup and conversion of the 2125 acres (8.6 km²) grounds began. Economic redevelopment of the former base was a paramount concern to the surrounding community. As of 2008, portions of the site are still unoccupied, due in part to environmental concerns including asbestos contamination. Nevertheless, much has been repurposed into civilian concerns. The Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum was one of the earliest efforts, opening in 1994.The museum is located in Grissom Hall, which functioned as the missile maintenance training facility during active Air Force operations. Until base closure in 1993, all Air Force Minuteman missile maintenance training was provided at Chanute. The building has largely been preserved and restored to its condition at the time of base closure; hence, four authentic Minuteman training silos remain on display at the museum.
The museum is administered under the direction of a private foundation.
Aircraft & missile exhibits
- A-4A Skyhawk
- A-7D Corsair II
- AGM-28A Hound Dog
- American Aerolight Eagle Ultralight
- AT-6B TexanT-6 TexanThe North American Aviation T-6 Texan was a single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces, United States Navy, Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II and into the 1950s...
- B-52D Stratofortress Cockpit/Nose Section
- B-58A Hustler
- C-97G Stratofreighter
- C-130A Hercules
- C-133A Cargomaster
- CessnaCessnaThe Cessna Aircraft Company is an airplane manufacturing corporation headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, USA. Their main products are general aviation aircraft. Although they are the most well known for their small, piston-powered aircraft, they also produce business jets. The company is a subsidiary...
120 - Chanute 1896 Glider (Replica)
- Curtiss JN-4 Jenny (Replica)
- F-15AF-15 EagleThe McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is a twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter designed by McDonnell Douglas to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. It is considered among the most successful modern fighters with over 100 aerial combat victories with no losses in dogfights...
Eagle - F-84A Thunderjet
- F-84F Thunderstreak
- F-86A Sabre
- F-100C Super Sabre
- F-100D Super Sabre
- F-101B Voodoo
- F-104A Starfighter
- F-105B Thunderchief
- F-105F Thunderchief
- F-111A Aardvark
- Foose Tigercat
- HU-16B Albatross
- LGM-30A Minuteman I
- Mong MS1 SportMong MS1 Sport|-See also:...
biplane - O-2A Skymaster
- P-51H Mustang
- Piper Tri-Pacer 135
- RB-66 Destroyer
- RF-4C Phantom II
- Ryan Monoplane Spirit of St. LouisSpirit of St. LouisThe Spirit of St. Louis is the custom-built, single engine, single-seat monoplane that was flown solo by Charles Lindbergh on May 20–21, 1927, on the first non-stop flight from New York to Paris for which Lindbergh won the $25,000 Orteig Prize.Lindbergh took off in the Spirit from Roosevelt...
(Replica) - T-33A Shooting Star
- T-38 TalonT-38 TalonThe Northrop T-38 Talon is a twin-engine supersonic jet trainer. It was the world's first supersonic trainer and is also the most produced. The T-38 remains in service as of 2011 in air forces throughout the world....
- T-39A Sabreliner
- TB-25N Mitchell
- UH-1B Iroquois
- VC-47D Skytrain
- Wright 1903 Flyer (Replica)
- WV-2/EC-121K Warning Star
- XB-47 Stratojet
Other exhibits
- The 99th Pursuit Squadron at Chanute Field - The First Active Unit of the Tuskegee AirmenTuskegee AirmenThe Tuskegee Airmen is the popular name of a group of African American pilots who fought in World War II. Formally, they were the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group of the U.S. Army Air Corps....
- The Eighth Air Force Memorial
- Life at Chanute 1917-1993
- Minuteman ICBM Maintenance Training Silos
- Aerospace Ground Equipment (AGE)
- FrascaFrascaFrasca International, Inc., is a United States manufacturer of flight simulation training devices, with over 2200 training devices delivered in approximately 80 countries throughout the world. Now based in Urbana, Illinois, Frasca International was founded in Champaign, IL in 1958 by current...
Flight Simulators - We Are All Recruiters (WEAR)
- KoreaKoreaKorea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
: The Forgotten War - Military Aviation Hall of Fame of Illinois
- Aircraft Engines
- Hum of the Motor Replaces the Sound of the Reaper
- POW/MIA You Are Not Forgotten
- History of Chanute Air Force Base
- Rantoul Historical Society