Page 3 - Aerotech News and Review, April 29, 2022

World class museum to be Aerospace Valley magnet
by Larry Grooms
special to Aerotech News
As tens of thousands of visitors drive toward the west gate boundary of Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., the weekend of Oct. 15-16 for the Aerospace Valley Air Show, their view to the south side of Rosamond Boulevard will encompass the construc- tion zone for Southern California’s newest year- round visitor attraction, the Air Force Flight Test Museum and STEM Education Center.
In a presentation to the Antelope Valley Cham- bers of Commerce luncheon on April 13, leaders of the non-profit Flight Test Historical Foundation briefed the business community on the museum project’s status and development activities.
Art Thompson, co-owner of Lancaster-based Sage Cheshire Aerospace and chairman of the FTHF Board of Directors, reported that although completing the museum foundations last year opened the way to raise walls, the pandemic dis- rupted the supply chain for building materials and created spikes in the price of steel reinforcements.
Never-the-less, Thompson and Lisa Sheldon Brown, museum foundation Director of Education and Community Outreach, reported initiatives to turn 2022 Air Show traffic into the first wave of an ongoing aerospace technology pilgrimage, and to restore a must-see West Coast Air Show Classic that launched in 1957.
Noting that the existing on-base museum’s col- lection has outgrown available space, and the mu- seum is now largely inaccessible to civilian visitors due to base security concerns and health issues, Thompson pointed out that the new museum site just outside the base perimeter is an ideal location for welcoming both foreign and domestic visitors.
More than a museum, the new campus will be a center for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineer- ing and Math) studies and technical career educa- tion, an archive and library for records and offices of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, and the home of Bob Hoover Library.
Recovering from pandemic setbacks, the mu- seum foundation has increased its private sector financial campaign for major sponsorships, while retaining and enhancing existing outreach for com- munity membership and donor support.
Families, charitable foundations, and companies can sponsor aircraft and/or exhibits as well as hav- ing opportunity to sponsor a classroom or building at the new museum.
Sponsorship opportunities range from an entire historic aircraft or a structure, to brick pathways and donor walls. The FTHF’s marketing materials and website are geared to recognize donors and sponsors at all levels.
“We have Friends of the Museum levels that include gifts with donations, inclusion on our Do- nor Wall, and invitations to special events,” said Brown.
There is also a Paver Program: For a donation of $100, the donor’s name, or that of someone else to honor or remember, will be engraved on a brick pathway lining the already existing Century Circle of famed military aircraft.
This display area overlooks the new Flight Test Museum location just outside the West Gate of Edwards AFB.
Brown said, “The Sponsor-an-Airplane program is an opportunity to support the preservation of the iconic aircraft in our collection and support the construction of the new museum. The director add- ed, “Companies, organizations, and individuals are recognized in various ways for their contributions. Each sponsored airplane will include a plaque on display in the museum, recognition on our website, and acknowledgment as partners in our education and preservation endeavors.”
Each sponsorship is also attached to a construc- tion milestone (ie. concrete, insulation, etc.) to show exactly what each contribution is helping support during construction.
April 29, 2022
For more information or to contribute, email lbrown@flighttestmuseum.org
ANNUAL FRIEND
Museum Friends who wish to make a yearly do- nation as an Annual Friend receive an FFTM card, a certificate, Foundation patch, a 15 percent dis- count in the gift shop, newsletter, and invitations to Friends’ events and activities. Contribution levels are: Regular — $50, Student — $25; and Corporate —$500 (Same as Regular and Student plus two tickets to a gala event of the donor’s choice.
LIFE PATRON
All Life Patrons receive an FFTM card, Founda- tion patch, 15 percent discount at gift shop, news- letter, invitation to FTHF events, plus membership for life certificate, the book “Flight Testing at Ed- wards,” and a fine art lithograph “Golden Age of Flight Test” signed by aviation artist Mike Machat.
Senior Patron (Age 60 and older) — $500
Bronze Patron — $1,000. (Same as Senior Patron plus a name plate on Patrons’ Wall in Mu- seum.
Silver Patron — $5,000 Same as Bronze plus a plaque near the entrance of museum.
Gold Patron — $15,000 (Same as Silver plus the sponsorship of an exhibit with a second plaque of recognition at the exhibit and a third for home or office.
Platinum Patron — $25,000 (Same as Silver plus the sponsorship of an airplane with a second plaque of recognition at the site of the airplane and a third for the home or office.
Diamond Patron — $50,000 (Same as Silver plus the sponsorship of an area of the museum with a second plaque of recognition in that area and a third for home or office.
BECOME A FRIEND
At the most recent count there are 86 aircraft at various locations on Edwards or elsewhere in the Aerospace Valley, each needing to be taken under the wing and adopted by a Flight Test Historical Foundation Museum sponsor.
In no particular order, the birds are:
1. Beech UC-45J Expeditor, BuNo 67161 2. Bell P-59A Airacomet, s/n 44-22633
3. Bell X-1 (Mock up)
4. Bensen X-25B Gyrocopter, s/n 68-10771 5. Boeing C-135A Stratolifter, s/n 60-0377 6. Boeing C-135C Stratolifter, s/n 61-2669, “Speckled Trout”
7. Boeing NB-52B Stratofortress, s/n 52-0008 8. Boeing “Phantom Eye” Test Vehicle, s/n 001
9. Boeing XB-47 Stratojet, s/n 46-0066
10. Boeing X-48C “Blended Wing”
11. Boeing YC-15, s/n 72-1875
12. Cessna NA-37B Dragonfly, s/n 73-1090 13. Convair F-106B Delta Dart, s/n 59-0158 14. Convair TF-102A Delta Dagger, s/n 54-1353
Air Force photograph by Chad Bellay
Some of the historic aircraft in the Flight Test Museum collection.
15. Convair YB-58A Hustler, s/n 55-665
16. DeHavilland C-7B Caribou, s/n 63-9765 17. Douglas A3D-1 Skywarrior, BuNo 135434 18. Douglas C-53D Skytrooper, s/n 41-20093 19. Douglas F-10B Skyknight, BuNo 125850 20. Douglas PGM-17 THOR
21. Douglas TB-26B Invader, s/n 44-34165
22. Fairchild T-46A Eaglet, s/n 84-0492
23. General Dynamics F-111A Aardvark, s/n 63-9766
24. General Dynamics F-16B Fighting Falcon, s/n 75-0751
25. General Dynamics F-16B Fighting Falcon, s/n 80-0634
26. General Dynamics F-16XL, s/n 75-0747 27. General Dynamics F-16XL, s/n 75–0749 28. General Dynamics NF-111A Aardvark, s/n 63-9778
29. Gloster TT.20 Meteor, s/n WD592
30. Grumman X-29, s/n 82-0049
31. Gulfstream G2/G3 Shuttle Training Aircraft, (N944NA)
32. Lockheed A-12 (Oxcart), s/n 60-6924
33. Lockheed C-130E Hercules, s/n 61-2358 34. Lockheed C-140A JetStar, s/n 59-5962
35. Lockheed D-21B, s/n 525
36. Lockheed EF-80A Shooting Star, s/n 44-85123
37. Lockheed F-104A Starfighter, s/n 56-801 38. Lockheed NC-141A Starlifter, s/n 61-2779 39. Lockheed NF-104A Starfighter, s/n 56-756 (56-760)
40. Lockheed NF-104A Starfighter, s/n 56-790 41. Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird, s/n 61-7955 42. Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird, s/n 61-7973 (On Loan),
43. Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star, s/n 52-9846
In a presentation to the Antelope Valley Chambers of Commerce luncheon on April 13, leaders of the non- profit Flight Test Historical Foundation briefed the business community on the museum project’s status and development activities.
Photograph by Larry Grooms
Aerotech News and Review
44. Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star, s/n 58-0669 45. Lockheed U-2D, s/n 56-6721
46. Lockheed YF-117A Nighthawk, s/n 79-10783
47. Lockheed YF-22 Lightning II, s/n 87-0700 48. Lockheed YF-94A Starfire, s/n 48-356
49. Lo-FLYTE
50. Martin B-57B Canberra, s/n 52-1576
51. Martin Marietta MMC-845, s/n 01454
52. McDonnell F-4C Phantom II, s/n 64-0741 53. McDonnell Douglas F-15B Eagle, s/n 73-0114
54. McDonnell Douglas YF-15A Eagle, s/n 71-0287
55. McDonnell Douglas YF-4E Phantom II, s/n 65-0713
56. McDonnell Douglas/Boeing X-36
57. McDonnell F-101B V oodoo, s/n 58-288 58. McDonnell NF-4C Phantom II, s/n 63-7407 59. McDonnell RF-4C Phantom II, s/n 64-1004 60. North American CT-39A Sabreliner, s/n 60-3505
61. North American F-100A Super Sabre, s/n 52-5760
62. North American F-86F Sabre, s/n 52-5241 63. North American T-28B Trojan, BuNo 137702
64. North American X-15 (Mock up)
65. North American YF-100A Super Sabre, s/n 52-5755
66. Northrop T-38A Talon, s/n 61-0849
67. Northrop F-89D Scorpion, s/n 52-1959
68. Northrop T-38A Talon, s/n 61-0810
69. Northrop X-21, s/n 55-408
70. Northrop X-21, s/n 55-410
71. Northrop X-4 Bantam, s/n 46-676
72. Northrop YA-9A, s/n 71-1367
73. Piasecki H-21B Work Horse, s/n 52-8623 74. Piper PA-48 Enforcer, s/n 48-8301002
75. Republic F-105D Thunderchief, s/n 61-146 76. Republic F-84F Thunderstreak, s/n 51-9350 77. Republic YA-10B Thunderbolt II, s/n 73-1664
78. Rockwell B-1B Lancer, s/n 84-0049
79. Rutan Vari-eze, s/n N309V
80. Ryan AQM-34J Firebee
81. Scale Composites ATTT (Model 133)
82. Scale Composites (Model 226), “Raptor D-2”
83. Sikorsky CH-34G Seabat, s/n 53-4477
84. Sikorsky H-3C, s/n 62-12581
85. Vought YA-7D Corsair II, s/n 67-14583 86. Vought YA-7F Strikefighter, s/n 71-0344
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