FHCAM closure

[Mike]

Interesting, and worrying, statement from FHCAM

“ The COVID-19 crisis has had a devastating effect on many cultural organizations, especially those that rely on public gatherings and special events to achieve their mission. Given so much uncertainty, we have made the very difficult decision to suspend all operations of Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum for now.

Our mission has always been to celebrate humanity’s spirit during the world conflicts of the 20th century by returning the rare aircraft, vehicles and artifacts within the museum to working condition enabling the public to experience them firsthand. The current global situation is making it difficult for us to serve our mission and we will spend the months ahead reassessing if, how, and when to reopen.

Thank you to our members, donors, community and corporate partners and our employees and volunteers who have made Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum so special.

For more information, please visit flyingheritage.org.”

Taken from https://www.facebook.com/13883518665/po ... 53666/?d=n

[Michel Lemieux]

Sad! But it is uncertain times.

Had not seen this video on the 262: https://www.facebook.com/flyingheritage/videos/2312086125580004/

[k5083]

The notice that I received by email had some additional words, including "In the coming weeks we’ll follow up with information about ticket, membership and donation refunds." This, plus the "if" and "how" language in the notice makes me think that this is likely a permanent move, as many commenters on their Facebook page also do.

Combined with their announcement from last year of drastically scaling back their flying activities, this makes me think that COVID merely hastened, or even was just a pretext for, the winding down of FHC as we know it.

I always assumed that Allen left the collection with a large enough endowment that it could function on some level indefinitely even with no revenue from admissions, membership and events.

August

[TAdan]

I always assumed that Allen left the collection with a large enough endowment that it could function on some level indefinitely even with no revenue from admissions, membership and events.

August

That was the impression I had as well. When he passed I seem to remember them making the point that the museum and collection would carry on.

I sure hope this isn't the end, but it doesn't seem too promising.

[Pat Carry]

This is a bummer. I wonder if any of the aircraft will soon be on the market?

[phil65]

Sad, glad I got to go there last October....

Phil

[Noha307]

This is apparently bigger than FHCAM. According to the Seattle Times, Vulcan, the museum's parent, is closing its entire Arts + Entertainment division. This includes other institutions from Allen's portfolio.

[Mark Allen M]

the "Louvre" of Warbird Museums' (IMO).

Sad to hear. Shame that P Allen isn't still alive. I'd like to think he would have 'found a way' ...

Until the doors are shown to be locked for good, there may still be hope from a wishful thinker..

[old iron]

the "Louvre" of Warbird Museums' (IMO).

I think this an exaggeration. The Louvre is BEST of the Best (literally: the world's most visited museum). There are any number of far better warbird collections on display (Udvar-Hazy, NMUSAF, NMNA, Imperial War, Musee de l-Aire, and others). These displays are better even if we restrict the period to WWII only, but broaden the span to WWI-to-present, the comparison is even more out-of-whack.

I might argue that Planes of Fame has a better warbird collection on display.

I have heard that there is some infighting among the P. Allen family about the estate. I worry that this changing support may extend to the Petrel expeditions to deep ocean wrecks - we may have to wait many years for close-up pictures of Agaki.

[Mark Allen M]

None of your Museums listed fly their aircraft other than POF, I’ll stick with my analogy, IMO

[eze240]

This is pretty much what I expected to happen...
When someone very wealthy like this passes...no matter how carefully they planned...there seems to always be family, ex wives,etc....even crooked employees...all looking to bleed the estate for the maximum cash...often enough, the only reason their "museums" stayed open was because they were alive, once gone the museum, endowment, etc. has no defense against the greedy and immoral who want every dime they can get...

[Mark Sampson]

wild speculation returns to WIX. who'd a thunk?
better to wait and see how things shake out... obviously covid-19 has upended many organizations.

[Jesse C.]

Lots of organizations have had to suspend and close their doors during this time of quarantine.
And I am sure FHM is not different.

I will wait until more solid info, that comes from them, is available. Until then, I hope this is just a temporary thing.

So please, easy with the rumors and speculation.

[JohnB]

the "Louvre" of Warbird Museums' (IMO).

I think this an exaggeration. The Louvre is BEST of the Best (literally: the world's most visited museum).

I don't know...I've been to the Louvre and didn't see a Mustang. Heck, not even a T-6.

[tulsaboy]

I would suspect that for a number of non-profits, not only aviation museums, the recent situation will have lasting impacts. I'm on the board of our local museum, and have been able to see the financials for the last 90 days compared to that same period over the last 5 years or so. Lots of non-profits host huge fundraisers in the spring and early summer that provide the bulk of their annual operational funding. Those haven't happened, and as most are large gatherings, can't happen in the forseeable future. Additionally, even those opening gently (like ours) have operational restrictions that include the number of admissions during a set period of time that also negatively affects operational funding. Even for a static museum like ours, a number of fixed costs (like maintaining a minimal staff, paying for the building's utilities, etc.) don't stop even though we aren't able to generate typical revenue. Spring break is our museum's single biggest admissions period, coupled with spring break camps that also generate revenue and cause follow-up visits from families interested in what's going on at our facility. Those didn't happen this year. Lots and lots of non-profits operate on razor thin margins, with little to no reserve. We have been lucky to receive solid support locally that will allow us to come out on the other side of this crisis bruised but not broken. I suspect that many other non-profits, including aviation museums, will not be so lucky. We have already heard through the grapevine of a few that are making closure decisions in the near future. It will be interesting to see how this impacts the small segment of the economy that we all love dearly. Unquestionably there will be some transition, and some aircraft will likely find new homes. That's not always a bad thing, but will undoubtedly upset us all in different ways. I am hopeful for Paul Allen's projects, as they were some of the most interesting warbird restorations out there. Hopefully if his organizations choose to slow down, stop, or go a different direction, someone else will pick up the torch.
kevin