The Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum, which is scheduled to open at the Great Park in 2026, has announced an $8 million donation from the Ronald M. Simon Family Foundation.
The gift will go toward exhibit expansion, artifact preservation and educational initiatives, said Brigadier General Michael Aguilar (Ret.), the museum’s president and CEO. “This transformative gift will significantly enhance our mission and impact,” Aguilar said.
“The Ronald M. Simon Family Foundation’s extraordinary generosity is a testament to their unwavering commitment to honoring the legacy of the Marine Corps,” said Lt. Gen. Terry Robling (Ret.), chairman of the museum’s Board of Directors. “We are deeply grateful for their support and look forward to the impactful developments this donation will enable.”
With the foundation gift, the museum’s capital campaign has now raised $34 million toward its $56 million goal, Aguilar said.
The state-of-the-art 100,000 square foot museum is being built in the Cultural Terrace area of the Great Park, adjacent to the existing Sports Complex. It will feature more than 40 aircraft as well as related artifacts and displays — including an ejection seat, radar, night vision and air traffic control exhibits. There will also be a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education facility.
Meanwhile, aircraft for the new museum are being housed and refurbished in Hangar 296 at the Great Park.
The museum first opened at the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station in 1989. When the base closed in 1999, the museum’s aircraft and artifacts were moved to the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station in San Diego. In 2022, the Irvine City Council voted 4-1 (Councilmember Tammy Kim was the only NO vote) to bring the aviation museum back to the former military base at the Great Park. Much of the museum’s aircraft, artifacts and machinery are now at the Great Park.
“The Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum has had a long road here,” said Vice Mayor Larry Agran, “but this is becoming a reality – aircraft are here already. I am confident it is going to be a wonderful element in our Great Park, and it will help in so many ways to connect younger people, and older people as well, with our City’s rich military history.”
