Detail of photo 426758. The Stinson is brand new. Next is a 1941 Taylorcraft BL-65, NC36223. Incredibly the next three planes, Piper J-3 NC35367, Cessna 120 NC72610 and Aeronca NC81456, were all still current 75 years later in 2021 , the Cub as D-ECUP. We have no data on the Fairchild PT-19 in the second row, NC61693, but the next aircraft is NC54521, a Howard-built PT-23A variant, ex 42-49410. Photo by: J Marshall Geiler / The Pantagraph / McLean County Museum of History

Detail of photo 426758 showing a mix of war-surplus trainers and new aircraft. The 'Tiny Timm' did its job in the US Navy but was built of plywood and not to last. An aviastar.org reader reports he flew this example at Granite City, Illinois in 1948 and 1949 and that 'the rudder fell off due to dry rot' after an aerobatic training flight. The Ercoupe to the left appears to be NC93556 (c/n 879) and the Aeronca Champ to the right appears to be NC82364 (c/n 7AC-997). The other planes include a Cessna Bobcat and several Vultee Valiants. Photo by: J Marshall Geiler / The Pantagraph / McLean County Museum of History

'Caravan of planes stop over at Bloomington Municipal Airport.' The Bamboo Bomber may be assumed to be c/n 6282 which became N63620 and was 43-32344. We made two enlargements of the background centering on Stinson Voyager NC97369 and Timm Tutor NC69823. Photo by: J Marshall Geiler / The Pantagraph / McLean County Museum of History

An amphibian in the prairie. Brand new plane, delivered to Carnahan Flying Service of Bloomington two days earlier. Photo by: J Marshall Geiler / The Pantagraph / McLean County Museum of History

ca.1967: TOS USN and assigned to Attack Squadron 125 (VA-125), NAS Lemoore, CA. By 1976: VA-203, NAS Cecil Field, FL. It was later assigned to the Naval Air Technical Training Center at Millington, TN before being placed in the Naval Aviation Museum loan program. It was loaned to Prairie Aviation Museum at Bloomington, IL, in 1991 but was not transported there until July 2000.

11/76: TOS USMC. 4/77: Naval Air Rework Facility, NAS Pensacola, FL. 6/79: VMA-223, MCAS Cherry Point, NC. 5/81: VMA-331, Cherry Point. 5/82: VMA-33 at MCAS Iwakuni, Japan. 12/82: VMA-223, Cherry Point and made several deployments with them to Japan over the next 17 months. 4/87: VMA-124, NAS Memphis, TN. 2/94: MAG-42, NAS Memphis. Ca.1996: The Naval Aviation Museum took control of the plane when it retired. 11/2000: Loaned to the Prairie Aviation Museum in Bloomington, IL.

This Phantom was built originally as a F-4B at St. Louis and TOC by the Navy in 1962.It served at various times aboard USS Forrestal, USS Midway and USS Coral Sea before finally being retired in 1997. It is on long-term loan at the Prairie Aviation Museum from the NNAM in its VF-161 USS Midway markings.

Nicely-maintained B50 Twin Bonanza still operational in 2006.

This Tomcat was built by Grumman at Bethpage, NY and TOC by the Navy in Jan. 1981. In the coming years it flew with various squadrons aboard USS Eisenhower, USS Kennedy, USS Constellation and USS Theodore Roosevelt as well as participating in combat missions over the Persian Gulf. It is now on display at the Prairie Aviation Museum on permanent loan from NNAM.

Operated by the Prairie Aviation Museum. The #2 engine was in the process of being removed after suffering a failure a few days before

Late build Skyhawk exhibited at the aviation museum at Bloomington Airport.

A-7A Corsair II displayed in the markings of VA-125 attack squadron at the Prairie Aviation Museum.