Warbird Information Exchange

Again, I'm coming from a car museum background, so this could be different for airplane museums.

First of all, if you rely on drive-by traffic, you should make yourself easy to find. The Tn Museum of Aviation that I just visited recently didn't even have the exit number on its highway billboard. If we didn't run into someone at a local fast food joint and strike up a conversation about the museum (don't we all) , we wouldn't have known how to find it. The signs were not good in the city limits. I would have found it regardless, but someone just passing through might have given up.

The major part of an annual budget can come from hosting major events, which includes coming up with something unique each year to keep the "regulars" coming back. Guest speakers, rides, unit reunions, etc.

After hours events are another good way to raise capital, and get the local community's involvement.

If the museum has an auditorium, they should host seminars/ training classes from corporates (helps if related to the museum in some way).

The biggest thing I've seen lacking in some of our more "local" museums are a really GOOD website. I'm an E-Comm guy, so I'm a bit picky here:

As an "enthusiast" and not the general public guy that wanders in, I'd really feel more inclined to support a museum with my membership and participation if I knew more about the history of the aircraft on display, their restorations, etc. Server space is cheap, post lots of details and photos. A good website won't give people so much information that they won't want to come visit (I promise).

Your gift shops should be online. If you're paying someone to stand around and wait for visitors, you can pay them to take pictures of the gift shop items and put them on your gift shop link. Christmas is coming, make it easy for us to shop and guess what...$$

If you have flying aircraft or visiting flying aircraft to your museum, post a schedule and if they sell rides, put that info on the site as well. Work out a reasonable split with the museum.

That's just a few random thoughts off the top of my head.

B

Banndit

All your points are very valid and accurate, we try to address them all.

In the last year we have run an event of one kinfd or another every month...ain't easy, but it works.

Aviaton Museums share most of the problems with other Transportation museums...with one additional...the size of the exhibits, darn things is big.

The only guys I feel sorry for are the train gang and ship museums.

It is an on going battle and you definitely don't get involved in it for the money. I volunteered with our facility for 12 years before I became the ED...and its the passion not the money. I could make more alot easier, but if volunteers and passionate staff don't do it, it will fall to the wayside.

Hello again Jerry

The Airforce museum is awesome, haven't been in years but saw the presentation at the Smithsonian Mutual Concerns conference lst spring.

I will PM you soon as I get a couple things caught up, appreciate the offer.

Check out our website www.albertaaviationmuseum.com

Thanks Tom H

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Alberta Aviation Museum
Edmonton Aviation Heritage Society

How to make a small fortune in the air museum business...



Start with a large one!

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"They can teach MONKEYS to fly better than that"

http://www.heritageflight.org
http://www.bravo369.org

Our squad and the CAF are doing quite well, but is also a well run organization, as pointed out early.

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Do-17z fact and history site, setting it straight.
There is something deeply wrong with a society more offended by breasts than by entrails.

AAAHHHH! Zombie Thread is Back From The Dead!!!

In this economy, it's a very pertinent question. I wonder how many will survive the next four years...anyhoo, glad to hear the folks in Houston are doing well. I'd be shocked if it were otherwise considering the size of the market.

TXCOMT

What Mike said. Seriously, there are a bunch of great posts on this thread. This kind of thread is one of the reasons I am still here. Nobody is fussing about who owns a seventy year old photo. I am making plans to kick our museum at Creve Coeur Airport up to the next level. This idea is going to be risky and from a statistical point of view, I will most likely fail and the museum will return to a "true" non-profit like it is now. I would define that type of 501 (c) 3 as "directors writing checks".

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Albert Stix Jr.
"Work is the curse of the drinking class"

Funny I vaguely remember the guy who started this thread long ago ... lol I think he finally figured out internet forums

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Zero Surprise!!...

An interesting subject, as the Association I belong to is considering opening a 'formal' museum. At the moment we are a non-profit, FLYING museum.

We have been in existence for 25+ years, and for the first time, we are debt free. Wanting to move forward has always been the goal of the membership and building new hangar space and a museum seems to be the way to go. We have a large vintage museum in the area (2 hours away) and are looking to it and others nearby, to determine the feasibility of structuring something similar in regards to operation, yet different in the way of our focus.

We are looking at these museums to determine just exactly those questions of sustainability. Building the facility is an obstacle but achieveable, sustainability is the question. Having full-time or part-time employees, the volunteer mechanism, the support of the aviation community, the local community, etc these are all questions we are asking now.

There is a key difference between the large, successful museums vs. those with a single benefactor and those that struggle. If you look at the Planes of Fame or Pima in Tucson, or the CAF Midland, what they have in common are vigorous fund-raising operations. They have full-time fund raisers who can make professional presentations to large donors. They hold many different campaigns, such as building campaigns. Just one example - they sell bricks with the donor's name for $100 or more apiece. Both POF and Pima add a new buiding every few years, so are able to go back to some of their big donors for naming rights for the building or big donations. They rent their space for evening events (a big revenue draw at POF and Pima, don't know about CAF).

They use matching funds wherever possible. Many employers will match employee donations. Pima does not have an airshow, but the others do. Another source has been expoited in recent years - getting donors to leave a portion of their estate to the museum upon the donor's death. Some of these have been large enough to pay for an entire plane or building - the CAF has really benefited from this. The POF has received many donated airplanes that were in excess of their needs, such as several Twin Beech's, which were later sold or traded. It is all of these operations together, plus others, in addition to gate receipts and membership fees, that are necessary to thrive. And they do thrive.

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Rob C

Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels; it is a way to avoid debate by claiming that the matter is already settled. “

– Michael Crichton

I have a few quick items to share, but there are MANY others here on the board that know way more than I, as they have been in the trenches, through the good and the bad....That being said here are a few general nuggets that I know....
1. Funding for air museums is generally very tough to acquire. Some museums are blessed to have large benefactors, some not.....
2. Full time fund raisers and event directors, (even if volunteers) they are a must......
3. Generally speaking, funding for new hangars can be found through various foundations....The person you have for item #2 above should be very proficient at filling out requests and making presentations for the "hoped for" new addition. State monies, matching funding programs, or items like donor bricks are a good revenue source when available/applicable.
4. In relation to #3, while funding for new building additions can be sourced, these same entities will generally NOT provide funding for aircraft acquisition, restoration, or operations. I have been personally told, they (funding providers) do not want the liability tag...period.
5. On the CAF front, many units are transforming their hangar facilities into meeting halls, wedding venues, Big Band Dance Halls, or fashion show venues!..... In addition, good px sales, both instore and online help too......
6. One of the big tickets to help acquire funding..... you better have the "Educational" tag somewhere in your description of what you do, or what you are wanting to do.
7. If you have flying aircraft, do you have an aircraft that qualifies for the "Rides for Hire" program, although the current FAA moratorium has put a bit of a damper on that endeavor.

Although I am rambling (my apologies), this is but the tip of the iceberg... as I mentioned earlier, there are many others here on the board, that are much more knowledgeable, and I will kindly (and gladly) defer to their esteemed knowledge and council......
alan brooks

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Just call me Al.

Al-

Excellent points.... I notice you are in Burleson... We, at the Eagle Flying Museum, tried getting going at Spinks, didn't work out... we're now at Mineral Wells with an excellent facility and big needs for someone with perspective like you.... any chance we might talk you into checking us out?

gunny
http://eagleflyingmuseum.org

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Scott 'Gunny' Perdue
http://www.eagleflyingmuseum.org

Some places sell museum memberships that include an *orientation flight*....

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Those who possess real knowledge are rare.

Those who can set that knowledge into motion in the physical world are rarer still.

The few who possess real knowledge and can set it into motion of their own hands are the rarest of all.

All, My limited experience with 3 different Military Museums backs up what most have already said about the different types and locations. A case in point; a certain Military Museum in south-central Louisiana had a good but short run. It was the most hands-on, kid-friendly Military Museum I've seen, but it ran thru the locals with an interest and then faced closure. A Certain "Colonel" heard how much the Bookstore in Pensacola made in a year so with dollar signs in his eyes, he offerred to take over and move the Museum's holdings both government owned and otherwise. Well, he scatterred the tanks, trucks, jeeps helicopters etc to a number of storage points and the plan fell thru. It took the Gov't a while to find everything. Even if he had pulled it off, his intended location was along I-10 at a spot later to be under Katrina's wrath so this story would have ended badly no matter what. In fact, when the Army recovered the loach, they moved it to Lakefront Airport in New Orleans a couple weeks before Katrina hit... scrap...
I still miss that Museum.

WesG