Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum Photos

You can visit the Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum in Rio Grande, NJ just north of Cape May. For directions and hours see the NAS Wildwood's website here.

There is a good deal more to see at the Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum than their website shows. They have their own restored TBM Avenger torpedo Bomber and also a privately owned TBM Avenger that was used by Canada as a water bomber for forest fire control. The staff has done a very nice job refitting their restored TBM Avenger with a proper powered 50cal gun turret. There is a well restored Grumman F-14 Tomcat and a Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter that was used in an Aggressor squadron that flew in air combat war games for fighter pilot training. The Tomcat has been stripped of its engines and other systems and the cockpit has been sealed by the Navy. The Navy wanted to ensure that no usable F-14 components found their way to Iran. Two different Boeing Stearman PT-17 Kaydets are on display and they look like the are flown somewhat regularly. The Sikorsky HH-52 Seaguard Helicopter actually served on board the Polar Star Icebreaker. An L-19 Bird Dog is on hand and man it looks good! Two Bell UH-1 Hueys are on display, and an AH-1 Cobra gunship complete with its 20mm gatling gun. I think my favorite was the Soviet MiG-15 complete with Soviet markings. What a hot looking airframe!

There are several other exhibits on display at the Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum. One room is furnished with period 1940s furniture and a variety of restored Coca Cola machines and other items. I got a good laugh out of the V2 Rocket "Control Station" and its optional features. They've also got a decent gift shop and very cool blue denim hats.

One thing that sets the Naval Air Station Wildwood museum apart from other aviation museums is that you are allowed to touch the aircraft. You can actually put your palm on the wing of a MiG-15 from the Cold War or a Bell Huey Helicopter from Vietnam. How cool is that!?

The museum itself is in an old WWII aircraft hangar constructed entirely of wood. There is no heat or air conditioning so dress accordingly when you go. They have no food on site but some fast food joints and I think a diner were only a few minutes away. The staff were very friendly and went out of their way to answer questions and chat about the exhibits. The museum is close to Wildwood, Cape May, and other shore points so if you are down at the Jersey shore for a few days and have a rainy one, that is the place to go. The staff loves rainy days in the summer as that's when they get a spike in visitors. Pay them a visit. They are good folks and working hard to make their museum even more interesting than it is already.