A $100 million donation will preserve the history and secure the future of one of Virginia Beach’s most popular attractions.
The gift from businessman and philanthropist Gerald Yagen to the Military Aviation Museum came during the Warbirds Over the Beach air show hosted by the museum. It is believed to be one of the largest charitable gifts from an individual in Virginia history.
In addition to donating some 70 vintage military aircraft collected and displayed over the years, the gift includes the 130 acres upon which the museum was built and $30 million to establish the museum’s endowment.
Located on a private airfield in Pungo, the Military Aviation Museum restores, maintains and flies historic military aircraft and boasts an extensive collection of planes from both World Wars.
The aircraft, which was initially Yagen’s private collection, spans the first 50 years of aviation history, from just after the Wright Brothers made the first flight in 1903 to the Korean War period in the early 1950s.
“This is not just the gift of a collection but a gift of a community,” said Keegan Chetwynd, the museum’s director and CEO. “Because what Jerry did all these years, understanding that it would be a critical path item for the museum to emerge as a legacy gift to the public, was allow a community to grow up around these things and support the aircraft. He took the approach of letting volunteers come in and hiring professional staff to open the door for the kind of participation to keep it going.”
In a release issued by the museum, Gov. Glenn Youngkin thanked the Yagen family for its donation, noting it will “enhance the Commonwealth experience for Virginians and visitors.”
The museum opened in 2008 and attracts more than 85,000 visitors annually. It includes a restoration and maintenance facility and multiple original World War II-era buildings relocated from Europe.
Many of the military planes continue to fly for special events at the museum such as the weekend air show thanks to the dedication of volunteer pilots.
With that as the backdrop, it’s fitting that a World War II transport plane, a Douglas C-47 Skytrain from The Liberty Foundation, a nonprofit flying museum, landed at the museum late last week and filled up with 5,000 pounds of donated supplies – everything from generators to nonperishable food – for victims of Hurricane Helene.
The plane is scheduled to deliver the items to Western North Carolina Oct. 6.
The museum received an outpouring of support after announcing the collection drive late last week on behalf of those affected by the hurricane.
“These airplanes that once saved the world did their part to save someone else’s world again,” Chetwynd said.
“We actually had to forklift equipment out of people’s cars that they wanted to donate. What made the greatest generation great may be some fundamental aspect of what it means to be an American, which is that when your fellow American is in trouble, everybody finds a way to help.”
