Warbird Information Exchange

Tom,

Good to hear that you have a plan, though the reason for it is one of several sad stories in the Canadian aviation scene in recent times.

I second Dave's comment on the difference between static and flying collections. One of the key reasons that I spend so much time (too much according to my wife) at VWC is that the planes fly and I get the opportunity to work on them to help keep them flying. I can tell you that there is a group of us that take a great deal of pride in seeing the Lysander flying because we put a lot of effort into getting in a state that it can do that, and keeping it in that state (should be back in the air again this week). That you're working to set up shop where you can continue to retore and fly historic aircraft is great, that I think is what will keep folks coming back.

Terry

I will add to my above that both flying and non-flying museums are fine be me. I visit both, and will return to both. They are different and both have their place. A combined place, like Planes of Fame is perfect.

Novel aircraft are also a big draw for me. A one of a kind or rare aircraft that I have never seen will make me drive farther. Even obscure types. The Arado 234 and others at Smithsonian UH, the Marlin at Pensacola, the X-32/X-35 at Patuxeunt river etc, a B-36 anywhere, a Vulcan in the states.... I tend to spend much more time with a rare aircraft- everyone seems to have certain aircraft and I spend little time with them.

Terry, it's not that we hate you, we all appreciate volunteers and recognize what you do!- we enthusiasts just don't need the help sometimes and don't want to be followed around. The worst I had was at the boneyard at Planes of Fame Chino, and I really wanted to see the round-the world B-50 and soak it in. I was checking her out and a docent saw me and acted like a used car salesman and quickly hustled over from 100 yards away and started pumping me "Do you know what this is?" I said yes this is the one that flew around the world.." He kept spouting off info, some correct, some not. He followed me around and was giving me a non-stop narration until I sulked off to a hanger. He did the same thing in the hanger. I was polite but he never took the hint I did not need the help. He was just a talker.

Tom, good luck with next phase!

-Dave

We just returned from a trip to DC including all of the downtown Smithsonian museums (no time for Dulles this trip). Seems as though there must be an age-old struggle of quantity vs quality at play at many museums, the Smithsonian included.

On one hand, the new display of the Star Spangled Banner is quite nice. A path leads you into a darkened room. Along the path are adequately spaced story segments about the flag. Once you reach the room, the flag is on display in a dramatic glass enclosure that looks like it might house NASA mission control. On the way out, the exit path also has some very nice tidbits and factoids, including one large touch-screen interactive display for those so inclined. The display is impressive and precisely appropriate. I assume it was expensive and it sure takes up a lot of real estate for one item ... but it is quality.

The flip side was the gem/mineral display. I'm not "in" to this and am knowledgeable only on a HS level ... much like a person who is outside of aviation being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of airplanes at NMUSAF. So many gems and minerals are on display with an equal number of fact cards and explanations that it's likely I only "saw" 10% of the room. The throngs of children crammed into the space (not the museum's fault) all attempting to snap away images on their iPhones didn't help either. Bottom line, a case of 200 aircraft models is nice, but unless it tells a story or has some other draw, I'm likely to pick out one or two to focus on and the rest is a blur. And cramming too many items into a space simply to display them doesn't seem to be a wise choice for any museum.

Another observation of the downtown museums was simply that they are filthy and exhibit various stages of disrepair. A passing shower had water dripping through the roof of Air & Space; workmen in lifts were strategically spreading plastic on parts of airplanes & capsules. The rooms felt far from climate/humidity managed. I wanted to fool with some of the "how it flies" hands-on displays and nearly all were broken, as were some of the "press this button to see a video" kiosks. Foresight into the type of flooring and ducting and such with an eye towards "how are we going to keep it clean & maintained" is a thought, as is "once we have a hands-on device, how often will it be checked and who will fix it?"

Two final observations:
1. Make sure everything has a clearly locatable fact card. The transportation hall had a huge locomotive I wanted to read about, but there were so many competing items and cards I never could find the card describing the biggest item there. Fact cards that break out major headings would be nice; I usually find myself skipping to the end to learn the specific history of an object and it's source whereas other aspects may interest other people.

2. I understand that the gift shop chooses to have some less expensive items that cater to a school kid or casual visitor, but please devote a percentage to classy, high-quality items a true fan would appreciate and I don't mean a marble paperweight. For example, I considered adding an Apollo 11 patch to my collection but the embroidery was awful, the items just looked sadly cheap. Same with t-shirts: overly gaudy, flashy, (and sometimes inaccurate, such as an Air Corps theme with a Navy plane) screen prints, and thin cheap fabric turn me away from a purchase. The Collings Foundation & Tennessee Museum of Aviation seem to be leading the pack in t-shirt quality. I understand that I might be in the minority but that's how I feel.

So, how do you design a museum and please everyone? You can't, but I do think approaching the project from the various visitor perspectives (child, passerby, elderly, expert, etc) will cause one to consider more options, just as one poster mentioned having benches for resting. Ideally, try to have a little something for everyone without over-doing any one aspect. Maybe have a sign up list for "fan day" where a limited number of guests can come out an hour early for better access and a top docent?? Just an idea.

Apparently NASM is working on a refresher too: http://www.space.com/25361-smithsonian- ... ation.html

Ken

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"Take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves."