Warbird Information Exchange

Just joined a little bit ago and you could say I am an avid enthusiast

Family history in aviation goes back over 60 years, I am a pilot, a builder of experimental aircraft and a fanatic of aircraft in general.

I am also Executive Director of an Aviation Museum with a collection of 38 aircraft civil and military.

Another forum I am on had someone start a thread with the same question so I thought I would throw it out here.

As an enthusiast...what do you want to see in a museum?

Tom H

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Alberta Aviation Museum
Edmonton Aviation Heritage Society

Welcome to the WIX Tom.
The thing I like to see most in a Museum is open hanger doors cause their birds are going flying.

Flying Mosquitoes, of course!

The museum is of little interest to me unless the planes fly.

A static restoration really should be called something other than a restoration.

One off / sole survivor types excepted.

Tom,
Welcome to WIX.

I like to see the aircraft fly, but parked in a museum is still better than seeing an aircraft on a stick/pole.
Wings over the Rockies has an F-14 that is on loan.
That is better than seeing it "put down".


We also have a b1.
.
You know that will never fly again.

I would have to say that museums are great for the traveling displays.
We had a display at Wings over the Rockies, about Gary Powers, and a bit about the U2 that was shot down.

Regards,

Space! Most museum planes are so close you can't get descent pictures.

If you travel across the country to see a museum, and can't get good pics, then your experience is less than it should be.

Also the history of the airframe interest me, even if it didn't go overseas.

Lighting, NASM Dulles is very good. The lighting is down low, along with the barrier so both do not get in your shots. They have some overhead lighting on risers but you can usually block out with part of the plane.

Support, allow tripods.

Access, have one day a week (maybe Friday or Saturday) where you can arrange one hour before normal opening to gain access with advance notice. I showed up to NMNA one hour early, because I forgot about the time change, and had the place to myself. Nobody bothered me, it wasn't until the normal opening time that I realized my error.

Overcrowding, avoid.

Overhead access, again NASM Dulles is nice with the elevated positions.

Aircraft info, keep it away from the plane, don't place it right in front of the forward landing gear. And avoid all other stuff around the plane, orange cones, etc. Same should apply to airshows. Stop putting flags out of the cockpit windows at the shows, nothing looks worse other than all the support staff camped out under the wing. Setup an EZ up tent.

Website, list all the planes with S/N. How hard is that people (Planes of Fame and others).

If I think of more I'll chime in again.
Bill

That is the truth! I could not agree more!
It makes it hard to take a great picture.
But you have to take the good with the bad. (and shade from the summer sun, is still shade.)
That and the aircraft wouldn't be there if "they" were not there.

Still, That is 99% of the reason I try to arrive early to take photos.
I have many photos I have to toss because of crowds under the wing.


Hypocrite alert
**if my kids were with me, like the photo, I would be under the aircraft too.
No way I would move my kids into the sun just so some photographer could get his shot.

Live the good life!
Bluedharma

no non flying AC

Really I'd bet you'd have to have armed guards 24/7...

Or is that a B-1?



As far as museums go, I get frustrated when I go to some museums - because they seem to be geared to 2nd graders - I understand the need to make in interesting at that level, but if I'm motivated to go see someplace where people have historical artifacts and interesting information, I'd like to be able to learn more than the basics. On the other hand, I don't find a display with just the "stats" very helpful either - and sometimes those aren't correct!
As far as flyable aircraft - I'm just happy that they still exist in the museum. Not everything has to be flyable, and better static than scrapped.
Ditto on the lighting and spacing comments above.

Ryan

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Aerial Photographer with Red Wing Aerial Photography currently based at KRBD and tailwheel CFI.
Websites: Texas Tailwheel Flight Training, DoolittleRaid.com and Lbirds.com.

The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD. - Prov. 21:31 - Train, Practice, Trust.

Woops. Typing too fast.


b1-A


b2

duh

Stats should be in a Pamphlet that you get when entering.

No big boards with a lot of basic info, to block your pics.

A Pamphlet is a gift that keeps on giving.

I like signage that tells what you are looking at or the significance of the item. I have been to a few art and history museums that rent headsets and tell the importance of the artifacts. This greatly improves the quality as most of the time the docents or volunteers cant or don't know the answer to most questions.
The average "joe" has to be told why this airplane is interesting, historic or significant, otherwise it all becomes a blur.

The NMUSAF is in the process of adding a nice size display regarding Linebacker II in the MOdern Flight Gallery with the B-52. If memory serves me correct, we lost about 15 B-52's during that 11 day period. The display should be finished by tomorrow when I will once again volunteer in that gallery.

To this old vet, that is the type of tribute the our National Museum of the US Air Force should be displaying.

I menition this, not to start another argument, but this is what museum should be as well as static birds.

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Jerry
S/Sgt. - USAF Radio Operator '52-'56
C-119 "Flying Boxcar" - Korea & Japan

Volunteer: National Museum of the US Air Force (2007-2016)
LTM 381st Bomb Group Memorial Association

Something on the display card/plaque about the individual history of the aircraft is always interesting to me. Is this a rebuild, combat vet, or barn discovery?

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"Anyway, the throat feels a bit rough...the legs have gone...but I'm still able to chant, so let's get going."

Joe Strummer, 1999