New England Air Museum, Part 1

During my trip to the Windsor area of Connecticut back in August 2025, I visited several historical places including: Connecticut Trolley Museum, East Windsor Historical Society, Northwest Park, Vintage Radio & Communications Museum, Windsor Historical Society, and quick history stops in Windsor, CT. Another stop on that trip was New England Air Museum (NEAM) in Windsor Locks, CT. This museum was extensive enough to warrant a pair of posts. Part 1 will cover the Military Hangar, New England Women in Aviation Exhibit, Kosciuszko Squadron Battle of Britain Exhibit, and some artifacts in the Civil Aviation Hangar. Part 2 debuting tomorrow will cover the rest of the airplanes in the Civil Aviation Hangar, the Space & Observation Mezzanine, the B-29 Hangar with the Tuskegee Airmen Exhibit, the Outside Aircraft Display, and tips for your visit.

NEAM has been open for over sixty years, as the organization began in 1960 as Connecticut Aeronautical Historical Association (CAHA). By 1967, CAHA had collected many planes, purchased an air dome, and used World War II era buildings near the property. The venue was called Bradley Air Exhibit after nearby Bradley International Airport, in turn named for airman 2Lt. Eugene Morris Bradley, who died at age 24 during a training drill in 1941. The museum moved locations in 1981; the airport wanted to expand, and a rare Connecticut tornado had destroyed many buildings and planes in 1979. The name changed to New England Air Museum in 1984. Since then, continuous donations and restorations run by volunteers have grown the collection.

After purchasing tickets at the admission counter in the lobby, visitors are ushered into the first massive room by eager and informative volunteers. The Military Hangar features aircraft from throughout American military history, including a Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe designed by Sikorsky Aircraft, now a brand of Lockheed Martin, and used during the Vietnam War. The company had been founded by Igor Sikorsky, Sr., whose son Igor Sikorsky, Jr. co-founded the museum in honor of his beloved father. Adjacent to the CH-54 is a Douglas A-26 Invader designed by now defunct Douglas Aircraft Company and flown in World War II. This particular plane was named “Flying Yankees” and belonged to the 103 Technical Fighter Group, now known as the 103rd Airlift Wing, and stationed at Bradley Air National Guard Base next door. My favorite part about this plane was its emblem, which featured an awkwardly running Pilgrim. The most enjoyable activity in this section was sitting in the cockpit of the North American F-100 Super Sabre, a plane used by the Flying Yankees during the Vietnam War. The docent casually spoke of his time flying these planes, including near death experiences, and I learned that I could not be an Air Force pilot due to my weight (low), allergies (many), and vision (bad).

The hallway connecting the Military Hangar to the Civil Aviation Hangar included an exhibit on New England Women in Aviation: Breaking Barriers for Generations. The exhibit had particular focus on pioneers in aviation, with famous Amelia Earhart honored alongside less-remembered pilots like Cecil Teddy Kenyon, Adeline Gray, and Ruth Nichols. The Ninety-Nines International Organization of Women Pilots was established in 1929 and continues to be a club for women pilots. I will keep an eye out for one hundredth anniversary celebrations taking place in three years.

A small room in the second hangar featured another familiar name, Thaddeus Kosciuszko, whose National Memorial I visited a few weeks earlier while in Philadelphia, PA. He was so beloved by his fellow Poles that the 303 Squadron of fighter pilots during World War II was named in his honor. Poland was not an independent country at the time, and its people were treated egregiously by global powers. After defending Great Britain from Nazi invasions, the pilots were obligated to return to their Soviet-occupied country and were excluded from the 1946 Victory in Europe Day celebrations in London. The exhibit was mostly made of temporary, portable signage during my visit, and I hope the museum receives enough funding to make the space feel more permanent. The use of both English and Polish on signage was a nice touch, although it made the already wordy exhibit feel even more like a book.

The Civil Aviation Hangar was chock full of aircraft. The Lockheed Model 10A Electra was built in 1933 and given the serial number 1052, very close in production to the Model 10E Electra with serial number 1055 flown by Amelia Earhart when she went missing in 1937. The Burnelli CBY-3 Loadmaster was designed by Vincent Burnelli for Canadian Car and Foundry in 1945. While it may look like just another plain, it is “sole surviving example of a Burnelli aircraft” according to its informational sign. For cutest aircraft, I had to go with the Keith Rider / Marcoux-Bromberg R-3, which had two names as it was built by Keith Rider for an England to Australia race in 1934, then rebuilt by Harold Marcoux and Jack Bromberg for other airplane races in 1937 and 1938. Building airplanes in this era was an unregulated, DIY adventure. This plane currently has a Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp Junior engine and a Hamilton Standard Constant Speed propeller.

The biggest plane was the Sikorsky VS-44, the same manufacturer as the CH-54 in the Military Hangar. Only three of these planes were ever made for commercial use; the one in the museum is named Excambian. These were luxury planes with beds, a snack par, and a lounge. Another special feature was its method of takeoff and landing, which was done in the water. The aircraft is also a great example of sharing between museums, as it is on permanent loan from the National Naval Aviation Museum at Naval Air Station Pensacola, FL. Looks like another museum has been added to my list!