National Warplane Museum

The National Warplane Museum occupies the grass runways of Geneseo Airport, where operational history and preservation work intersect in a very direct way. Founded in 1994 and later reunited with the original Geneseo-based 1941 Historical Aircraft Group, the museum focuses on restoring, flying, and interpreting military aircraft from the Second World War and Korean War eras. The setting allows visitors to see warbirds maintained as functioning machines rather than static display pieces, with airworthy examples such as a Douglas C-47 and other classic types frequently maintained to flight standard. Larger and more complex projects, including aircraft like a Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar and a Lockheed C-130 Hercules nicknamed “Saigon Lady,” illustrate the long-term engineering and funding challenges of heavy transport restoration. On the ground, the 1941 Motor Pool Restoration Shop works through period vehicles and equipment, emphasizing mechanical authenticity as much as appearance. The annual Geneseo Airshow, long advertised as the “Greatest Show On Turf,” turns the grass field into a living wartime-style aerodrome, highlighting not spectacle but the logistics, procedures, and teamwork required to operate vintage military aircraft safely in the present day.