Palm Springs Air Museum Welcomes ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Blue Angels Super Hornet

The Palm Springs Air Museum is now home to a one-of-a-kind piece of aviation and Hollywood history.

The museum has added a Blue Angels F/A-18 Super Hornet featured in the blockbuster film Top Gun: Maverick to its permanent collection. According to museum officials, it is the first Blue Angels Super Hornet ever placed on permanent public display outside of a military installation and the only Super Hornet currently on display in a museum anywhere in the United States.

Museum officials say the aircraft is the ninth Super Hornet ever built and has an impressive history beyond the silver screen. Before appearing in Top Gun: Maverick as Maverick's aircraft, it was used in several experimental programs alongside the F-35 fighter jet.

The aircraft was eventually retired after suffering significant damage from a bird strike. Officials said repairing it would have required replacing an entire side of the aircraft, making restoration too costly. Instead, the Navy offered it to the Palm Springs Air Museum.

The aircraft will be dedicated to museum founder Bob Pond during the museum's 30th anniversary celebration on November 7. Pond, a former U.S. Navy pilot, founded the museum and helped build one of the nation's premier collections of flying World War II aircraft.

Visitors will have the opportunity to view the Super Hornet up close through special evening events featuring aerospace experts, former military pilots, and exclusive cockpit access, offering a rare look inside one of the Navy's most advanced fighter jets.