Pleasant surprises at the TICO Warbird Air Museum

A spur of the minute decision to visit the TICO Warbird Air Museum in Titusville, Florida, over the holidays turned up some surprises my wife Joan and I had not expected to see. 

I have been a member of the Valiant Air Command, which runs the museum, for many years, but had not visited its hangars for some time. We always tried to make the annual March air show, but the museum itself is always closed during the show.

They move many of their warbirds out of the hangars and onto the flight line during the TICO air show. People can then get up close and personal with each plane and talk to the knowledgeable docents who know all the statistics and history of the planes on display. You can have the same experience inside the hangars when you visit the museum.

The museum has an extensive collection of warbirds ranging from World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and from more recent history.

The collection of planes at this museum is largely made up of single engine piston and jet fixed wing aircraft. There are several twin-engine vintage warbirds such as the famed C-47 A “TICO Belle,” which has been restored to flying status by the skilled Valiant Air Command volunteers. This plane actually flew during the D-Day invasion of France.

The TICO Warbird Museum is fairly well known in the central Florida area, particularly by pilots and aviation aficionados. However, when compared to other warbird museums across the country, it may not be as well known. Sometimes I think it is overshadowed by Kennedy Space Center, which is close by.

Those visitors may be driving by, see the signs and say to themselves, “oh, I must stop at this museum on the way back home,” but by the time they leave the Space Center it is now too late or they forget about it. It’s their loss!

Now to the surprises.

The first big surprise was finding the Twin Mustang, the XP-82, on display in the main hangar. This is the only flying XP-82 in the world and there it was in all its glory. I had read all the stories in all the flying magazines for some years about its restoration and its return to flight status and there it was right in front of me.

One of their mechanics was working on it and when I asked if it was still flyable, he said “yes, it is and we are just doing some work on the aileron cables.”

The second big surprise was the visit to the newest hangar. This is the Vietnam Hangar and the adjoining Vietnam Memorial room. The hangar houses many of the combat jet and piston aircraft used during the Vietnam war, such as the F-4J Phantom and the A-6E Intruder to name a couple.

The Vietnam Memorial room strives to tell the story of that long and tragic war. Many of its veterans were never recognized for their service and this room attempts to make up for some of that. 

There is a lot of Vietnam era memorabilia on display. Pilots and others who took part in the conflict have donated their awards, medals, uniforms, pictures, and personal equipment. There are poignant messages from loved ones on display to family members killed in action.

In one display case is the sum of lives lost by the French, the United States, as well as North and South Vietnamese. It is hard to leave this room without a lump in your throat and in a reflective state of mind.

Although there were many smaller surprises to be found at the museum, there was one more big one for me. 

That was finding the Experimental Aircraft Association’s 1929 Ford Tri-Motor sitting front and center in the main hangar. Knowing that this was not a warbird, although the Germans flew the Junkers JU-52, a similar aircraft, in World War II, I was surprised to see it here in the Warbird hangar.

When I asked why it was here, the lady at the front desk explained that they will be offering flights in the Tri- Motor starting Jan. 9 and running through Jan. 12, 2020. Flights will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

Proceeds will benefit EAA and help attract many visitors to the Warbird Museum. I flew in this plane a few years ago, and it was fun to realize I was experiencing the sensations passengers felt when flying in this early passenger airliner. It was a great experience!

I highly recommend a visit to the TICO Warbird Museum. It should be a must see for any warbird enthusiast, pilot, or aviation enthusiast. Veterans from all branches of the armed services will be welcomed here. 

The museum is located at 6600 Tico Road, Titusville, Florida.

If you choose to fly, you can look up Space Coast Regional Airport (KTIX ) for all the relevant flight information.