From Then to Now
In 1950, aviation entrepreneur Sidney Shannon Jr. founded Shannon Airport. A businessman with a deep passion for flight, he carried forward an aviation legacy inspired by his father, Sid Shannon Sr., co-founder of Eastern Airlines alongside World War I ace Eddie Rickenbacker.
Shannon Airport became a landmark of general aviation, hosting regular events, airshows, and fly-ins that drew visitors from the local community and far beyond.
In the mid-1970s, Shannon Jr. founded the Shannon Air Museum, home to an extraordinary collection of rare aircraft from the Golden Age of flight.
Following Sidney Shannon Jr.’s passing, the Shannon aircraft collection was relocated to the Virginia Aviation Museum in Richmond, Virginia.
The airport was ultimately preserved through the efforts of aviation enthusiast Billie Toombs and her partner, Robert Stanley. Billie had worked alongside Sidney Shannon Jr. since her teenage years, and without their decision to purchase the property, the land would likely have been lost to commercial development.
In 2014, local entrepreneurs Luke and Kim Curtas purchased the airport with a vision for its future. In subsequent years, Luke began discussions within the aviation community about reuniting select aircraft from the Shannon collection with their historical home.
With the support of the Shannon Air Wing—our dedicated volunteer aircraft maintenance team—the full collection was successfully returned. The Shannon Air Museum celebrated this milestone with a grand reopening in 2017.
Since then, the Museum has continued to evolve, with a growing emphasis on interactive experiences and engaging the next generation of aviators and innovators.