octave chanute aerospace museum

I went to this museum with a couple of Gentlemen friends who share an interest in aviation. Having gone Ina weekday, we were able to view all the exhibits in an I rushed fashion and spend time reading any of the informational placards available, without having to look over the shoulders of kids. I was surprised to learn of the connection of the base to the Tuskeegee airmen.

My husband served in the Air National Guards so we went and we really enjoyed it. Very very interesting, very nice displays.

I was stationed at Chanute back in the 70's and this museum brought back a lot of memories. Lots of planes to look at and other memorabilia from the old AFB. The old base itself is getting very run down which was very sad to see but this museum made the stop worth while.

Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum in downstate Rantoul, Illinois, north of Champaign-Urbana and 130 miles south of Chicago, is the largest aviation museum in Illinois. Named for a aviation pioneer, it opened in 1917 as one of 32 Air Service training camps established after the United States' entry into World War I. An important technical training center in World War II, it was closed in 1993 for economic reasons. Today, the 2,125 acres is being redeveloped for civilian uses, including hotels, restaurants, retirement communities and a fitness center. The Chanute Aerospace Museum was the first new attraction, opening in 1994. It showcases over 40 aircraft and 14 exhibits. It also has a very extensive gift shop that is sure to captivate historians and souvenir hunters and aviation buffs. The museum also offers summer day camp programs, including a week-long aviation camp for teens and a science camp for elementary-aged children. Among the aircraft on display are the F-86A Sabre, P-51H Mustang, F-104A Starfighter, TB-25N Mitchell, RF-4C Phantom II, XB-47 Stratojet and T33-A Shooting Star. The exhibits include the Eighth Air Force Memorial, History of Chanute Air Force Base, Korea: The Forgotten War and The 99th Pursuit Squadron: From Rantoul to Ramitelli and Beyond, the story of the first active unit of the famed Tuskegee Airmen. Chanute was one of the first training centers for the "all negro" squadrons of World War II. Over 250 black enlisted men were trained at Chanute in aircraft ground trades.

Visited this as a break from our drive to Chicago. The selection of aircraft is as you would expect from a former technical training base quite extensive. The Non- Aviation related displays were an unexpected surprise and very informative. My major criticism is that they do not have enough room to properly display the Aircraft.

If you are into planes, especially military planes, This is a great place to spend an hour or so. Lots of different planes to see, some are beautifully restored. A really nice P-51 Mustang. Some really HUGE ones are outside. The people working and volunteering here are very knowledgeable and super nice, willing to talk about the planes as much as you are interested to. My husband was like a little kid in a toy store.

I you want a wonderful experience in going back in time, this is the place! Beginning with a great walk through the history of flight, you'll move through a well organized museum. It is chock full of artifacts, attractions and aircraft that are educational, informative and nostalgic. You will want a good pair of walking shoes and plenty of time to enjoy and take in the displays and video presentations. It is a well laid out assortment of artifacts from civil war to present, including uniforms of the day, equipment used and historical facts. Numerous photographs adorn the walls, showing military activities at the old Chanute AFB, and there's a section on local history with many historical items. In addition to the numerous displays and re-creations, there is a large assortment of aircraft inside and outside, a missile training silo, and cockpit simulators. Top off your tour with a visit to the excellent gift shop for a variety of books, model planes, and other gifts. A great museum for the whole family. Chairs to rest are located throughout, as well as two restrooms conveniently place. There is an admission charge of $10, with discounts for military, seniors and children. Lots of work went into making this a first class museum and many hours of volunteer labor keep it going. I give it an A+++ rating.

liked it all The area was clean and rehab is going on all around the area. some of the older homes are looking great

My husband and I were here once before and didn't have allot of time to thoroughly check out this museum so we came back for a second trip and spent well over two hours to see all the things we'd missed the first time. His dad was stationed at Chanute AFB in the WWII era so we were most interested in the museum and grounds. It's an excellent military museum and I also really enjoyed the room on the local county and the city of Rantoul. There were great displays of clothing thru the ages that I found very interesting. And the display of kitchen and farm implements was very complete and interesting. It's a must see for anyone that loves airplanes and most kids would love the displays of the planes. The staff are very knowledgeable and will bend over backwards to make sure you get all the information you're interested in. It's $10 each for adults ($8 for veterans and over 62) but well worth the cost. It's run by volunteers and they are a very dedicated bunch.

There are so many rooms to this museum with lots of historical items. There were actually 2 buses of people who arrived right before us and we barely saw them - everyone had their own space. There are a lot of static displays (planes) and, yes, some need some TLC but it all takes money. I have no doubt the staff/volunteers are doing the best they can. Didn't distract us from enjoying them all. Took us about 2.5 - 3 hours to go through. Not just planes - history of plane making, local history, military history, hot air ballooning, and barnstorming/wingwalking. Something for everyone.

This is large museum with plenty of space. There are history exhibits with memorabilia from the many years of the base's operations. The aircraft are overwhelmingly military, with only a handful of purely civilian aircraft on site. The majority of the static displays are in a large hangar with an emphasis on US Air Force jets of the Cold War era. There are also three missile silos and a silo trainer (glad to know they practiced on NON nuclear things first!). The really large planes are mostly outside. There is a gift shop with a large selection of books, many used. The Rantoul Historical Society gets a hallway where they exhibit local artifacts of all kinds (wedding and prom dresses, furniture, typewriters). There is a small vending area, but no other visible food service. The staff did encourage us to step out for lunch and return. I would think younger children (unless they are airplane crazy) might get a bit bored here-- there are few interactive exhibits and a LOT of signs to read. A solid museum. The two newest exhibits are the best: The Hope of Flight and the 99th Pursuit Squadron (about all the supporting crew for the Tuskegee Airmen).

The museum is small and older, but nevertheless interesting and worth visiting, especially since its only $5 for students. The museum has a number of exhibits from life on the air force base to the history of the area to a hanger full of airplanes. There are additional outdoor exhibits, so a visit is recommended in the warmer months.

This is not the Air and Space Museum in Washington DC but it is nevertheless very informative. Among the many displays, the ones that caught my attention were the ones dedicated to the early history of flight, from Leonardo Da Vinci's designs to the Montgolfier hot air balloons to the first flight in 1903 by the Wright Brothers; the history of Chanute Air Force Base, where more than two million were trained; and the aircraft displayed outside, among them a C-47 Skytrain (military version of the DC-3), a C-133 Cargomaster, and a wonderful EC-121 Warning Star (a military version of the Lockheed Super Constellation, more affectionally known as "Connie").Sadly, some of the aircraft displayed outside have flat tires, and some of the items displayed inside are deteriorating due to water leaks. It is obvious that the museum doesn't generate enough revenue to cover the most basic maintenance expenses. Maybe they need to come up with an aggressive marketing plan, starting with some good signs on the road (there were only a few visitors when I visited this museum).

This small but very interesting museum is packed with aviation history as well as military aircraft. It's located in the closed Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, Illinois. The museum documents the 76 year history of the base and its important contribution to the technical training of the Air Force. The base trained more than 2 million men and women before it closed in 1993. The museum contains many static displays of civilian and military aircraft as well as ground support equipment, training equipment and a biographical display of Octave Chanute, an aviation pioneer. And, yes, some of the planes are in need of funds for restoration. Also, on a personal note, my brother was one of the new recruits that went through training there in the early 1980s.

We really enjoyed our visit to this museum. Quite a variety of mostly military aircraft, and an impressive display on the history of flight. I understand the comment in another review about the "junkyard" appearance (at least as it refers to the planes outside) but the hangar displays are more impressive. I do wish there were more opportunities to see inside some of these aircraft, though. Still, each plane has a very informative plaque describing not only its features and capabilities, but production and combat history. There is also a mockup missile silo. Chanute AFB was a very busy place back in the day as other branches of the military as well as non-military agencies sent personnel there for firefighting school. I have run into people all over the U.S. who did time at Chanute and that makes the base history displays interesting to me as well. Now for the asterisk: we did this as field trip for our homeschool co-op, and were therefore partially guided. We had a couple of people from the museum introduce us to the layout and give us a bit of an oral history that made the day more complete. I cannot speak with authority about what the experience would be like for someone who walked in off the street. Still worth a visit for history and/or airplane buffs.