Military Aircraft and Vehicle Museum to Open in Carson City

Cactus Air Force received approval from the Carson City Airport Authority to build a military aircraft and vehicle museum at the Carson City Airport.

Cactus Air Force’s “Wings and Wheels Museum” will be a nonprofit, public museum dedicated to celebrating aviation and military history through preserving, restoring, displaying and use of US military aircraft and vehicles from WWII to present.

The museum facility will be comprised of an enclosed 12,000 Square Foot exhibit/event space and museum store. Also, there will be several outside, covered static display areas as well as a large, outdoor tarmac area with static aircraft and vehicle displays. The facility will be constructed at the Carson City Airport with public access from College Parkway and provide runway access for aircraft. Building is scheduled to commence in Fall 2013.

Upon completion of construction, The Cactus Air Force Wings and Wheels Museum will be open to the public with regularly scheduled business hours. Currently, Cactus Air Force operations and displays are scattered amongst various hangars and buildings in Carson City, Dayton and Silver Springs and are not available to the general public except when they participate in events and air shows. The museum’s vision is to house all restored inventory in the Carson City location in efforts to protect US military heritage and engage and educate the public.

Cactus Air Force Wings and Wheels Museum is a privately owned nonprofit dedicated to carefully restoring military aircraft and vehicles to their original design and function. The museum’s mission is to keep military history alive, visible and accessible to give the public the ability to see aircraft and vehicles up close and witness them in action. Most aircraft and vehicles are available for Air Shows, motion picture and television roles and military demonstrations. The facility also boasts a fully accredited staff of pilots and mechanics with hundreds of hours clocked in real, historic military aircraft. Many of the pilots and mechanics are military veterans with live combat experience in the models of aircraft and vehicles of Cactus Air Force.

Cactus Air Force will be showcasing the museum design as well as displaying over a dozen historic military aircraft and vehicles as this year’s Carson City Airport Open House “Flight Plan for the Future” to be held on Saturday, June 15, 2013 from 8 am until 3 pm. Cactus Air Force aircraft will be performing flyby’s during the event; visitors will be allowed to view and touch these amazing machines as well as ride in one of their military vehicles.

“The Carson City Airport is fortunate to have dedicated organizations such as Cactus Air Force within our aviation community. The Wings and Wheels Museum will provide residents and visitors of all ages the opportunity to experience aviation and military history in an up close and personal manner. We believe that providing such opportunities to the youngsters in our community will not only promote interest in aviation and aerospace, but will encourage and nurture interest in the sciences as well. We welcome the public to see firsthand the efforts of Cactus Air Force and other local aviation and aerospace organizations, companies and manufacturers at this year’s Carson City Open House-“Flight Plan for the Future,” said Tim Rowe, Carson City Airport’s General Manager.

Doug Thorngren, Cactus Air Force Director of Public Relations and Operations, said, “We couldn’t be more pleased with the new location for our proposed museum at the Carson City Airport. Carson City is a community rich with residents fascinated by aviation. We look forward to starting construction of the museum and to sharing our plans and current military collection with the public at the Carson City Airport Open House on Saturday, June 15th.”

About Cactus Air Force:
Cactus Air Force Wings and Wheels Museum is a privately owned and operated, nonprofit, military aircraft and vehicle museum located in Carson City, Nevada. Their mission is to keep Military history alive, visible and accessible to give the general public the ability to see these amazing relics up close and personal. Cactus Air Force’s “Wings and Wheels Museum” will be a nonprofit, public museum dedicated to celebrating aviation and military history through preserving, restoring, displaying and use of US military aircraft and vehicles from WWII to present. Cactus Air Force is dedicated to preserving the material, technical information and the legends of our country’s rich military aviation heritage. For more information, please visit: www.CactusAirForce.com.

About The Carson City Airport
Carson City Airport is conveniently located 3 miles NE of downtown Carson City, 30 miles from downtown Reno, 13 miles from Virginia City, and only 20 miles from Lake Tahoe, making our airport a welcome destination for vacation and business travelers, and ‘just for pleasure’ aviators. The airport is currently the 5th overall busiest airport and the 3rd busiest General Aviation (GA) airport in Nevada. The ‘Capital City’ airport is a 24/7 Public Use Airport with Instrument Approach and Departure Procedures, all weather capability, and a 6,100 ft. long x 75 ft. wide runway.
Carson City Airport is used regularly by general aviation aircraft, corporate aircraft, and important flight operations including: fire fighting operations, air ambulance medical flights, and Law Enforcement among others. The airport also offers support for flight schools, air charter services, aircraft sales, aircraft fueling and aircraft maintenance services, as well as being an important hub for business, pleasure, and legislative sessions. For more information, please visit: www.FlyCarsonCity.com or call (775) 841-2255.