MIRAMAR, Calif. — We’ve all seen it when driving down Miramar Road. The vintage United States Marines planes and jets on display right off the side of the road. The Flying Leathernecks Museum is set to close its doors in San Diego after 20 years.
The 27,000 square foot museum and restoration hangar currently has 31 aircraft on display ranging from WWII-era planes all the way to current jets. In addition to the aircraft equipment and vehicles, the museum also has indoor exhibits that feature photographs, artifacts and artwork from the early days of aviation to the present.
Commanding Officer at MCAS Miramar, Colonel Charles Dockery sat down with News 8 and said the museum will close due to budgetary constraints. Colonel Dockery said, “We are making the decision to close the museum on March 28. This was a National Defense decision when you boil everything down.”
The colonel said MCAS Miramar pays over $400,000 a year to the salaries and operations of the museum. That money is being reallocated to higher priority missions, like firefighting and rescue. He added that since 2003, the station and foundation have explored many different ways to find viable long-term funding to remain open to no avail.
They are currently working with several aviation and military museums to find homes for the artifacts so people can continue to enjoy them.