The only museum in the world primarily dedicated to U.S. Marine Corps aviation is making its way home to Irvine.
The city is in talks with the now-closed Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum in San Diego about relocating the museum to the Great Park. The park was the site of the Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, where the museum originally began in 1989. The museum moved to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar after the base’s closure in 1999.
With more than 40 vintage aircraft, the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum has the world’s largest collection of historical aircraft flown by U.S. Marine pilots.
The proposed location is Hangar 296, built during World War II, on the eastern edge of the Great Park, according to the Orange County Register. According to the museum website, the museum will open at the Great Park in August 2023.
Visit flyingleathernecks.org to learn more.
