VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) - The Military Aviation Museum announced a $100 million donation on Saturday, which is believed to be among the largest charitable gifts from an individual in Virginia history. The gift by founder Gerald Yagen contains some 70 vintage military aircraft that have been collected and displayed over the years. It also includes the land upon which the museum was built, the historic buildings that were relocated there from sites around the world and $30 million to establish the museum's endowment. This money is designed to keep the aircraft flying -- a core part of the vision Yagen had for his collection. The gift was revealed during the Museum's annual Warbirds Over the Beach air show. “In the beginning, I saw this as my personal challenge to preserve history and thesebeautiful warbirds,” Jerry Yagen said. “I just didn’t want to see them disappear to time.I never believed so many would volunteer so much to help Elaine and I do this. I realizeit is no longer an individual challenge. Yagen encouraged members of the community to support the Museum to “help ensurewe ‘Keep Em Flying’ long into the future,” citing a slogan the U.S. Army Air Corps usedto recruit pilots during World War II. “I hope that all of our great-great grandchildren willbe able to visit this museum and enjoy the sights and sounds of warbirds in the sky.” The aircraft in the Yagen collection span the first 50 years of aviation history. They include such historically significant examples such as a North American Aviation P-51 Mustang, the Goodyear FG-1D Corsair and a rare, restored WWII German Messerschmitt Bf 109. The collection’s transition to the museum’s ownership ensures these invaluable pieces of history will be preserved and accessible for future generations interested in exploring our rich military heritage, per a release.