Fagen Fighters WWII Museum
 | |
  Location within Minnesota | |
| Established | 2012 |
|---|---|
| Location | Granite Falls, Minnesota |
| Coordinates | 44°45′05″N 95°33′29″W / 44.7515°N 95.5580°W |
| Type | Military aviation museum |
| Founder |
|
| Website | fagenfighterswwiimuseum |
The Fagen Fighters WWII Museum is an aviation museum located in Granite Falls, Minnesota.
History
[edit]Museum founder Ron Fagen bought his first warbird, a P-51, in 1994.[2] Then, in 1998, he established Fagen Fighters Restoration. However, the museum itself was only founded in 2012.[1][3]
In May 2016, the museum unveiled a boxcar used in the deportation of Jews during the Holocaust it had acquired from Georgenthal, Germany.[4]
A tornado that struck the airport in July 2016 damaged a number of other buildings, but did not affect the museum.[5]
In 2017, the museum purchased a collection of spare parts that belonged to collector Jay Wisler.[1]
The museum opened a fourth hangar featuring U.S. Navy aircraft in December 2023.[6]
In 2025, the museum acquired an A-24 from the Lone Star Flight Museum.[7]
Facilities
[edit]The museum is made up of four display hangars, a restoration hangar, a reproduction Quonset hut, and a reproduction control tower.[8][6]
Collection
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- Curtiss P-40K Warhawk[9]
- Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldiver[10]
- Eastern FM-2 Wildcat[11]
- Fairchild PT-19A[12]
- Fairchild PT-26A[13]
- Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat[14]
- Lockheed P-38J Lightning[15]
- Mitsubishi A6M3 Zero[16][17]
- North American B-25J Mitchell[18]
- North American P-51D Mustang[19]
- North American P-51D Mustang[20]
- North American SNJ-4[21]
- Republic P-47D Thunderbolt[22]
- Ryan PT-22 Recruit[23]
- Stinson L-5B Sentinel[24]
- Vultee BT-13 Valiant[25]
- Waco CG-4A[26][27]
See also
[edit]- American Wings Air Museum
- Dakota Territory Air Museum
- Fargo Air Museum
- List of aviation museums
- Wings of the North Air Museum
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Aube, Ester (4 November 2020). "Fagen Fighters Parts Warehouse". AirCorps Aviation. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
- ^ Madison, Connor (June 2025). "Custodians of History". Sport Aviation. EAA. pp. 40–42.
- ^ Cherveny, Tom (22 September 2012). "Fagen Fighters World War II Museum ready for takeoff in Granite Falls, Minn". West Central Tribune. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
- ^ "Postcards: WWII Museum Boxcar". YouTube. 14 April 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
- ^ Lange, Carolyn (19 July 2016). "Powerful storm cuts power to entire Minnesota city". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
- ^ a b Gau, Deb (5 December 2023). "Fagen Fighters Museum to open new hangar on Pearl Harbor Day". Marshall Independent. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
- ^ Aguiari, Moreno (13 February 2025). "Fagen Fighters WWII Museum Acquires Airworthy SBD Dauntless". Vintage Aviation News. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
- ^ "The Door's Wide Open at Fagen Fighters WWII Museum". Schweiss. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
- ^ "P-40K Warhawk "Aleutian Tiger"". Fagen Fighters WWII Museum. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
- ^ "Fagen Fighters' Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldiver – Restoration Update – April, 2021". Warbirds News. 30 June 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
- ^ "Grumman FM-2 Wildcat". Fagen Fighters WWII Museum. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
- ^ "Fairchild PT-19A Cornell". Fagen Fighters WWII Museum. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
- ^ "Fairchild PT-26A Cornell". Fagen Fighters WWII Museum. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
- ^ Grode, Kit (10 November 2021). "Fagen Fighters debuts new WWII fighter plane acquisition at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2021, earns Gold Lindy award". West Central Tribune. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
- ^ "P-38J Lightning "Scat III"". Fagen Fighters WWII Museum. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
- ^ "Mitsubishi A6M3 Zero". Fagen Fighters WWII Museum. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
- ^ "Fagen Fighters WWII Museum Adds Mitsubishi A6M3 Zero". Warbirds News. 6 June 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
- ^ "B-25J Mitchell "Paper Doll"". Fagen Fighters WWII Museum. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
- ^ "North American P-51D Mustang Sweet Revenge". Fagen Fighters WWII Museum. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
- ^ "North American P-51D Mustang Twilight Tear". Fagen Fighters WWII Museum. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
- ^ "North American SNJ-4 "Bundle Buggy"". Fagen Fighters WWII Museum. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
- ^ "P-47D Thunderbolt "Chief Ski-U-Mah"". Fagen Fighters WWII Museum. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
- ^ "Ryan Aircraft PT-22 Recruit". Fagen Fighters WWII Museum. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
- ^ "Stinson L-5B Sentinel". Fagen Fighters WWII Museum. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
- ^ "Vultee BT-13 "Valiant"". Fagen Fighters WWII Museum. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
- ^ "Learning Tools". Fagen Fighters World War II Museum. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
- ^ Ferraro, Nick (5 June 2012). "WWII-era glider, restored in Eagan, gets new home". Pioneer Press. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
External links
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fagen Fighters WWII Museum.