National Warplane Museum shuts down

Air Classics, Dec 2001

Incompetent management, poor location, and a couple of really bad airshows have caused the National Warplane Museum to shut its doors - probably permanently. Readers of this magazine will recall that the NWM had its humble beginnings in scenic Geneseo, New York, and its annual "cornfield" airshows became a highlight for all Warbird enthusiasts.

Over the years, the museum grew and grew, acquiring more aircraft while the shows became bigger and better. A disagreement among some founding members caused the show to move to nearby Batavia which was a very good venue. However, a major search was instigated for a new home and considerable financial arrangements were made with local government and a splendid new museum was erected at Elmira. However, crowds never really materialized and the airshows became progressively worse. Also, the original group of organizers were muscled out by a new group who had no idea how to run an airshow or a museum. As of press time, the future of the museum's aircraft is not known but being put up for sale is a possibility. Stay tuned for details.