The
Origins of The Foundation
In 1989 a team of dedicated Marine volunteers, led by Brigadier General Jay Hubbard, established the museum and the foundation at MCAS El Toro, CA. When El Toro was closed in 1999 by BRAC, a group of former Marines from San Diego, led by Major Generals Bob Butcher and Frank Lang formed the “Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundation” and assumed the 501(c)(3) charter from the El Toro Foundation.
The Foundation Mission
The Foundation mission is to actively support the operation
of the Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar Command
Museum (Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum) located aboard
MCAS Miramar. We accomplish the mission by providing a
volunteer base to support day-to-day operations and by
providing financial support to augment austere DoD budgets.
The Museum We Support
The Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum (FLAM) has undergone
a rigorous certification process and is one of only four
certified Marine Corps Command Museums. The FLAM is the
only museum in the world dedicated to the primary purpose
of preserving the history of U.S. Marine Corps aviation
and boasts a collection of over forty vintage aircraft,
a library with extensive research materials, photos, video,
valuable memorabilia and artifacts.
Future
Plans
We have developed a two-phased
plan:
Phase One provided direct entry to the museum complex and
we celebrated completion on that phase on January 5, 2006.
We hosted 20,000 visitors last year, but can easily double
that exposure by permitting patrons entry to themuseum
without needing to pass through a sentry-guarded gate.
Phase Two will feature a 90,000 square foot exhibit hall
that will incorporate the museum library for research purposes.
Plans for this phase are being fine tuned, and we would be
pleased to tell you how you can help.
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