Military Aviation Museum Successfully Runs Engines on Its Messerschmitt Me 262 Replica

After more than a decade on the ground, the Military Aviation Museum’s Messerschmitt Me 262 replica is edging closer to flight. On March 18th, chief pilot Mike Spalding conducted successful engine runs, taxi tests, and gear swings at Suffolk Executive Airport, marking a major step in the aircraft’s return to flight.

Moreno Aguiari
Moreno Aguiari
Photo via Military Aviation Museum
AirCorps Aircraft Depot

Back in February, the Military Aviation Museum announced that its Messerschmitt Me 262 replica was on track to return to flight, with hopes of making an appearance at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2025 this July. Yesterday, March 18th, at Suffolk Executive Airport in Virginia, the museum’s chief pilot, Mike Spalding, conducted a series of engine runs, taxi tests, and landing gear swings—key steps in the aircraft’s return-to-flight process.

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The project began in the early 1990s when aviation enthusiast Steve Snyder and his company, Classic Fighter Industries, commissioned the construction of five Me 262 reproductions. Photo via Military Aviation Museum

“It has been over a decade since it last flew,” said museum director Keegan Chetwynd. “So we are exercising great caution in bringing the airplane back to the air. Our mechanics, Ike and Allison Burchinal, are doing an outstanding job with it.”

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Photo via Military Aviation Museum

To give aviation enthusiasts a closer look at this rare jet, the museum plans to host a public access day at Suffolk Executive Airport. More details will be announced soon via the museum’s website and social media channels. For those interested in the origins of these remarkable Me 262 replicas, Richard Mallory Allnutt, the museum’s Curator of Digital Media, has provided an in-depth look—read our previous article [HERE].

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Photo via Military Aviation Museum

With the goal of making its public flying debut at AirVenture 2025 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, the team is working diligently to ensure the aircraft is ready in time. While challenges remain, optimism is high. Stay tuned for further updates on the museum’s blog, social media, and Vintage Aviation News as this historic warbird prepares for its long-awaited return to the skies! For more information about the museum, visit www.militaryaviationmuseum.org.

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Military Aviation Museum founder Jerry Yagen (L) and museum director Keegan Chetwynd (R). Photo via Military Aviation Museum
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Born in Milan, Italy, Moreno moved to the U.S. in 1999 to pursue a career as a commercial pilot. His aviation passion began early, inspired by his uncle, an F-104 Starfighter Crew Chief, and his father, a military traffic controller. Childhood adventures included camping outside military bases and watching planes at Aeroporto Linate. In 1999, he relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, to obtain his commercial pilot license, a move that became permanent. With 24 years in the U.S., he now flies full-time for a Part 91 business aviation company in Atlanta. He is actively involved with the Commemorative Air Force, the D-Day Squadron, and other aviation organizations. He enjoys life with his supportive wife and three wonderful children.
3 Comments
  • Amazing how modern the 262 still looks compared to today’s aircrafts

    Another comment- if this publication could come up with a list of organizations that still offer the public to fly in vintage planes with type of planes…most helpful for these organizations and people who want to support by paying to fly

  • Steve Snyder was the founder and owner of Para-Flite, Inc. which, among his other companies, designed and built ram-air parachute canopies of which I owned many for skydiving and enjoyed his inventiveness. After his death the company eventually became part of Airborne Systems. Amazing to me that his Classic Fighter Industries originally commissioned this aircraft.

  • I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO THE EAA EVENT AND SEETHE 262 ACTUALLY FLY. MY FATHER WAS IN WW2 AS AN ARTILERY UNIT PERSON. AS A KID GROWING UP HE TOLD ME THAT HE WAS UP IN A TOWER OR SOME ELEVATED POSITION SHOOTING ELEVATIONS FOR THE GUN. TO HIS SURPRISE A 262 FLEW BY HIM AT A HIGH SPEED AND TURNED AROUND AND MADE ANOTHER PASS. MY DAD SAID THE 262 NEVER SHOT AT HIM BUT SLOWED DOWN, CAME IN CLOSE AND WAVED AND SMILED AT MY DAD. THEN WHEN I WAS IN THE ARMY AND BEING STATIIONED IN MUNICHI WENT THE GERMAN MUSEUM AND SAW A ME262 ON DISPLAY. I HOPE THEY CAN MAKE IT TO EAA EVENT . I REALLY WANT TO SEE IT FLY IN PERSON.

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