The Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum is an aviation museum located at the Cape May Airport in Lower Township , in Cape May County, New Jersey , United States.
41-501: The Cape May Airport , which hosts the museum, was originally constructed by the U.S. Navy from 1941 to 1942. Commissioned in April 1943 as Naval Air Station Rio Grande, the field was so named due to its proximity to the community of Rio Grande, New Jersey . Due to problems with mail, telegram, and telephone service, caused in part by confusion with Rio Grande City, Texas , the Navy opted to rename
82-555: A dba for the aviation activities of Ralph Cox, starting in March 1946. Cox received a dentist degree prior to World War II but became a Navy aviator during the war, after which he worked at American Overseas Airlines . Then based in Ronkonkoma, Long Island , OAT received its letter of registration (what such airlines had at the time in lieu of a certificate) from the CAB in 1947, at which time it had
123-542: A supplemental air carrier that operated in Cape May from 1950 through 1964 and at one point employed over 500 people. In 1977, a dozen derelict USOA aircraft were still present at the airport being cut up for scrap. USOA operated both charter and some limited scheduled flights, including across the Pacific Ocean to Okinawa . The County of Cape May owns the land. As of 2024 Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) operates
164-558: A USOA DC-4 on lease to another operator supporting construction of the Distant Early Warning Line (a Cold War radar net designed to detect Soviet bombers) in Canada 's far north ran out of fuel and landed on frozen Hudson Bay . USOA collected the insurance, bought the salvage rights and rescued the aircraft. It dumped hay and sawdust around the aircraft to delay the ice melting beneath it and fastened pontoons underneath to float
205-569: A better record of profitability and deeper presence in the Puerto Rico market) won a certificate to fly from New York to Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. Unfortunately for USOA, Trans Caribbean's certification turned out to be the only time the CAB ever elevated a supplemental to that status. In 1960, employment exceeded 500. As shown in the below table, peak revenue was 11.8 million dollars in 1959, equivalent to over $ 125 million in 2024 terms. In 1955,
246-478: A dentist turned aviator, based at Cape May County Airport in Wildwood, New Jersey , where it had a substantial operation. It was one of the larger and more capable of the supplemental airlines , also known as irregular air carriers, during a period where such airlines were not simply charter carriers but could also provide a limited amount of scheduled service. USOA's operations included scheduled flights that spanned
287-410: A grand conspiracy. Heller finally won a 1974 injunction preventing further litigation by Cox or any related party. The judge said in part, about Cox and his Heller-related legal actions: I find, without reservation or equivocation, that Cox instituted each and every one of them in bad faith. He has added an unusual talent for lying to his contempt for the judicial process. His imagination in exploiting
328-522: A participant; for instance, the wife's divorce attorney attached a DC-4. Relative to other supplementals, USOA was big, and had many capabilities (e.g. long-range aircraft that regularly flew across oceans; the airline also had its own airframe and engine maintenance facilities, not only in New Jersey but in Oakland ), but it did not produce regular profits. USOA's financial record of the 1950s, even ignoring
369-468: A road, and came to rest in an abandoned landfill approximately 950 feet from the departure end of the runway. The aircraft was destroyed by breakup and post-crash fire". Note that, as the report is redacted/censored, the pilot involved is not named, and is only referred to as "MP" = "Mishap Pilot". United States Overseas Airlines United States Overseas Airlines (USOA) was a supplemental air carrier founded and controlled by Dr. Ralph Cox Jr,
410-511: A single DC-4 . Aviation pioneer Charles F. Blair Jr helped Cox with collecting the war surplus aircraft from mostly-empty Bradley Field in Spring 1946, its conversion to civilian configuration and first commercial flight from New York City to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia on behalf of Aramco (including transporting Egyptian leader Mahmoud El Nokrashy Pasha to Cairo, Egypt ) in November 1946. USOA
451-424: A single passenger fatality, which set it apart from other supplementals, which, in general, had an accident rate far higher than the scheduled carriers. Note the qualification "passenger" in front of fatality. See Accidents below. The second issue was that 39% of USOA's revenue in 1961 was from scheduled service. Such scheduled service was legally limited to 10 flights (each way) per week between any city pair. As
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#1732891837943492-417: Is 5,252 by 150 feet (1,601 x 46 m) and 10/28 is 5,000 by 150 feet (1,523 x 46 m). For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2022, the airport had 40,075 aircraft operations, an average of 110 per day: 99% general aviation and 1% military . At that time there were 40 aircraft based at this airport: 38 single- engine , and 2 multi-engine. FlightLevel Aviation is the current fixed-base operator (FBO) on
533-611: Is four nautical miles (7 km ) northwest of the central business district of Wildwood . It is in Lower Township; the airport is located near the Rio Grande census-designated place , which is mostly in Middle Township and partly in Lower Township. The airport has an Erma address but is not in the CDP. In some documents it is called Wildwood Airport . This airport
574-596: Is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a general aviation facility. Hangar #1 contains the Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum , whose collection focuses on World War II , named after the former Naval Air Station Wildwood . The airport started in 1941 as NAS Rio Grande , named for its location near Rio Grande, New Jersey . Due to confusion with Rio Grande , Texas ,
615-483: The 1978 Airline Deregulation Act , the CAB awarded supplemental airlines World Airways and Capitol Air scheduled authority on the New York City/Washington DC to Los Angeles/San Francisco markets. Ralph Cox dba United States Overseas Airlines applied in the same proceeding, which the CAB denied on the basis that USOA made no attempt to show it was fit: no operating plan, no finance plan, nothing. However,
656-486: The Military Air Transport Service and the Navy's domestic Quicktrans system. From the early 1950s until it started to collapse in the early 1960s, USOA was always one of the largest irregular/supplemental air carriers by revenue (see table below). In 1957, USOA was viewed as a perfectly acceptable choice but came second in the CAB case in which Trans Caribbean Airways (a smaller supplemental, but one with
697-652: The Pacific . However, in the early 1960s USOA fell into significant financial distress leading to its 1964 shuttering by the Civil Aeronautics Board , the defunct federal agency that, at the time, controlled almost all commercial air transportation in the United States. Cox pursued USOA-related litigation for at least 14 years after the collapse of the carrier, almost as much time as the airline existed. The airline originally did business as Ocean Air Tradeways (OAT),
738-657: The Vietnam War and the post-Cold War period. The museum suffered damage from Hurricane Sandy in 2012. A Humvee that the United States Coast Guard used in Afghanistan was placed on loan to the museum in 2014. In 2022, an R-2800 WWII aircraft engine recovered from the ocean was donated to the museum. Later that same year, the museum had a new roof installed. The museum temporarily closed in October 2023 to complete
779-510: The (MP) idle thrust. The MP concentrated on flying a Simulated Flame Out Approach (SFO) into Cape May County Airport, NJ. The SFO was flown with touchdown at 200 knots IAS, 500 feet from the approach end of runway 01. The total length of the runway is 4,998 feet and the MP was unable to stop the aircraft and initiated a successful ejection prior to the aircraft leaving the paved surface of the runway. The aircraft continued straight ahead, proceeded across
820-527: The 134th FS, 158th FW, Vermont Air National Guard, USAF was written off when it crash landed and skidded off the runway at the Cape May County Airport. The pilot ejected and landed in a drainage ditch According to the following extract (albeit redacted/censored) from the official USAF inquiry into the incident: "On 27 August 1993, (MP) was scheduled as flight lead of a two-ship cross country flight from Burlington IAP, VT to Langley AFB, VA. The flight
861-533: The 1961 Imperial Airlines Flight 201/8 crash that killed 74 soldiers, the accident report of which was damning of that supplemental carrier's competency, causing the military to inspect its airline contractors. Military charters accounted for 59% of 1961 USOA business (see table), so that was a substantial blow. USOA quickly corrected the issues and passed another inspection later in the year, but yearly contracts had already been awarded, and then USOA failed again in 1963. Ironically, in its entire history USOA never had
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#1732891837943902-482: The Board encouraged Cox (and several other supplemental veterans) to show they had the wherewithall to operate an airline. To which Cox, et al, said, among other things, that Capitol and World should be denied because they were CIA fronts. The Board said it looked at everything that had been submitted, even material previously excluded by the administrative law judge as irrelevant, and found "no substantial evidence to support
943-560: The United States, as well as other civilian airports that formerly served as air stations. The museum's hangar is currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places . The museum's aircraft collection focuses on World War II , when the U.S. Navy conducted training operations at the site, but also includes more recent vintage military aircraft from the Cold War , the Korean War ,
984-596: The aircraft once the ice did melt. USOA successfully towed the aircraft across 30 miles (48 km) of open water to Churchill, Manitoba , hauled it out, took the wings off and shipped it by rail. This gambit got wide play, featuring twice in Life magazine. Including the cost of repairing the aircraft, however, USOA lost money. The mid-1950s also saw Dr Cox's marital issues intersect with USOA. In 1953, he abducted his child from his estranged wife in New York City . The child
1025-483: The airfield as Naval Air Station Wildwood in June 1943. In the mid-1990s, Dr. Joseph Salvatore purchased Hangar #1, which was then dilapidated. The museum is located in the airport's Hangar #1, which is typical of the design of many U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps aircraft hangars of the 1940s, many of which are still in use today at both active Naval Air Stations, Marine Corps Air Stations and Coast Guard Air Stations across
1066-623: The airport under a lease. This lease does not automatically renew itself. Representatives of the County attended a DRBA meeting and stated that they felt the DRBA board did not give them good treatment, so Cape May County Board of County Commissioners head Leonard Desiderio stated that he was looking for a different agency to manage the airport. Cape May County Airport covers an area of 996 acres (403 ha ) at an elevation of 21 feet (6 m) above mean sea level . It has two runways with asphalt surfaces: 1/19
1107-428: The courts as a means of harassing, intimidating and impeding Heller in the collection of its money is truly spectacular. Despite the injunction, Cox funded further litigation (albeit without his overt participant as a plaintiff), which a California appeals court rejected in 1978. In 1977, there were a dozen derelict USOA aircraft at Cape May County Airport being cut up for scrap. In January 1979, following passage of
1148-521: The end of USOA to at least 1978 in well over a dozen major actions. His focus was asset-based lender Walter E. Heller and Company . Heller lent USOA $ 1.7 million in 1962, secured by USOA and related entities (all owned by Cox and his family) including a personal guarantee from Cox. USOA defaulted on the loan almost immediately, but Heller held off on foreclosing until 1965. Thereafter Cox was relentless in legal actions designed to frustrate Heller from recovery and sued Heller for hundreds of millions, alleging
1189-702: The field serving general aviation traffic. FBO services include full and self-serve 100LL Avgas, and full-service Jet A fuel. On-field services include Flight Deck Diner and Kindle Car Rental. Locations off-field include Cape May National Golf Course (2 miles), Lobster House Restaurant (3 miles) and the Wetlands Institute (10 miles). Frequencies: Unicom: 122.7000 MHz ATIS: 118.2750 MHz Atlantic City Approach: 124.6000 On December 12, 1976, an Atlantic City Airlines De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter operating as Allegheny Commuter Flight 977 crashed short of
1230-410: The five board members wrong a strong dissent about certificating USOA at all, based in part on poor finances. Other supplementals, such as AAXICO Airlines , produced regular profits, so USOA's issues were not a reflection of an industry-wide issue. The situation became critical when in March 1962 USOA failed an inspection that eliminated its ability to carry military charters. This was in the wake of
1271-439: The full board ruled December 7 to revoke its certificate. The CAB noted that, just before it was shut down, USOA was achieving only a quarter of its civilian revenue projections and only one half of its military revenue projections. The CAB said USOA was "irredeemably financially unfit", its situation one of "almost complete financial collapse", its future in charter operations "verges on the hopeless." Dr Ralph Cox Jr. litigated
Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum - Misplaced Pages Continue
1312-543: The large 1959 loss, was, on average, below breakeven. The January 1960 collapse of Transocean Air Lines , at one time the undisputed leader among the supplementals, did not help USOA, though it did pick up Transocean's western Pacific service that hopped from Honolulu to Wake Island to Guam to Okinawa , a low-cost alternative for American military and dependents in those parts. In 1962 the CAB noted with concern USOA's serious financial issues when certificating it on an interim basis as required by new legislation, and two of
1353-401: The name was changed to NAS Wildwood in 1943. Following the end of World War II, Naval Air Station Wildwood was deemed excess to U.S. Navy requirements. It was subsequently deeded to the local government for transition to a civilian airport which is still in operation today as Cape May County Airport. The airport was the headquarters and homebase for United States Overseas Airlines (USOA),
1394-525: The runway. Of the two crew members, one died and one sustained serious injuries. Of the passengers, two died and six sustained serious injuries. One seriously injured passenger died one month after the accident, but was counted as a survivor by the National Transportation Safety Board report, because it defined fatalities as individuals who died within seven days of the accident. On August 27, 1993, F-16A 82-0990 (call sign MAPLE 91) of
1435-517: The second phase of roof repairs. The museum's collection includes: The museum holds an annual AirFest airshow. Cape May Airport Cape May Airport or Cape May County Airport ( IATA : WWD , ICAO : KWWD , FAA LID : WWD ) is a public use airport in Lower Township , Cape May County, New Jersey , United States. Owned by the Delaware River and Bay Authority , the airport
1476-704: The table above shows, that business became almost the entire of USOA's revenue in 1962 and 1963, the airline being unable to generate a significant civilian charter business. USOA tried pushing the envelope on this business to the point it was issued a cease-and-desist order by the CAB. Yet by the terms of the same 1962 legislation referenced above, supplementals (including USOA) were to lose access to that business in July 1964. The CAB did, in fact, give USOA some flexibility on this score after repeated entreaties and in recognition of its financial distress, allowing it to fly five flights per week on certain routes in 1963, while noting that
1517-420: The window for this business was closing. By 1964, USOA had resorted to raiding funds nominally held in trust for taxes and was failing to meet payroll or refund tickets as required. On 24 September 1964, the CAB suspended USOA's certificate for 30 days effective midnight on 25 September. An examiner recommended making it permanent after a hearing in mid-October. The airline was kept grounded while Cox appealed, and
1558-477: Was accomplished from FL 410 to FL 310. Upon levelling out at FL 310 and advancing the throttle the Mishap Pilot (MP) experienced a compressor stall. The MP turned west toward land and accomplished a Unified Fuel Control (UFC) airstart which was successful and gave him idle thrust at 20,000 ft. When the MP again moved the throttle, a second stall occurred passing 17,000 ft. Another UFC air start was accomplished giving
1599-458: Was found living in USOA's hangar at Cape May. Further, due to refusing to pay alimony , a judge awarded his wife control of the airline, which lasted six weeks until Cox could appeal. Over the next few years, Cox crossed state lines with the child twice more, moving her to Pennsylvania, and later to Mississippi, trying to find a judge to award him custody. USOA featured not only in press coverage but as
1640-644: Was incorporated in Delaware on 28 January 1949, but it was only in December 1950 that the letter of registration was transferred from OAT to USOA, making it an airline. By 1953, USOA had five DC-4 aircraft. USOA or its predecessor, OAT, participated in the Berlin Airlift , provided air transport in support of the Korean War , flew refugees from the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 , what was then Belgian Congo , for
1681-451: Was to-include air-to-air refuelling followed by Dissimilar Air Combat Tactics (DACT) with F-15 Eagles and landing at the unit's Alert Detachment Base. The flight departed Burlington IAP, VT at 08:58 local EDT with the call sign of Maple 91. Refuelling with a KC-135 Tanker and DACT with F-15's in MOA (Military Operating Area) W-105 was as scheduled. During the recovery to Langley AFB, VA, a descent