Virginia Beach Military Aviation Museum receives $100M donation from founder

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – The Military Aviation Museum announced a $100 million donation on Saturday, which is believed to be among the largest charitable gifts from an individual in Virginia history.

The gift by founder Gerald Yagen contains some 70 vintage military aircraft that have been collected and displayed over the years. It also includes the land upon which the museum was built, the historic buildings that were relocated there from sites around the world and $30 million to establish the museum’s endowment.

This money is designed to keep the aircraft flying — a core part of the vision Yagen had for his collection.

The gift was revealed during the Museum’s annual Warbirds Over the Beach air show, which featured a Hurricane Relief Drive to assist families in North Carolina impacted by Hurricane Helene.

“In the beginning, I saw this as my personal challenge to preserve history and these
beautiful warbirds,” Jerry Yagen said. “I just didn’t want to see them disappear to time.
I never believed so many would volunteer so much to help Elaine and I do this. I realize
it is no longer an individual challenge.

Yagen encouraged members of the community to support the Museum to “help ensure
we ‘Keep Em Flying’ long into the future,” citing a slogan the U.S. Army Air Corps used
to recruit pilots during World War II. “I hope that all of our great-great grandchildren will
be able to visit this museum and enjoy the sights and sounds of warbirds in the sky.”

During the relief drive, which took place Oct. 5-6, members of the Hampton Roads community helped to fill a vintage World War II transport plane, a Douglas C-47 Skytrain, with essential supplies to communities in western North Carolina.

“We have seen impacts from the storm across the mid-Atlantic, and our upcoming air show is no exception,” Museum Director Keegan Chetwynd said. “Many of the folks that help out and support this annual event are from the areas hardest hit by Helene. Hearing those stories had the Museum staff and our volunteers wondering – what can we do to help?”

Following the air show, the C-47 flew donated supplies, such as toilet paper, bottled drinking water, non-perishable foods, cleaning supplies and first aid supplies, to western North Carolina, which is still dealing with impacts of Hurricane Helene. Video of the plane departing can be found below:

The aircraft in the Yagen collection span the first 50 years of aviation history. They include such historically significant examples such as a North American Aviation P-51 Mustang, the Goodyear FG-1D Corsair and a rare, restored WWII German Messerschmitt Bf 109. The collection’s transition to the museum’s ownership ensures these invaluable pieces of history will be preserved and accessible for future generations interested in exploring our rich military heritage, per a release.

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