Page 7 - December 2019

The World's Best Airline Museums The Mid-Western city played a key role in the early
Miquel Ros, CNN days of TWA, before it moved its main hubs
elsewhere, to Saint Louis and New York.
Despite being little more than a century old, aviation has
inspired some pretty impressive museums. The TWA museum is a rather modest affair. It's
located on one side of an office building right on the
From the Wright Brothers to supersonic travel, there are edge of Kansas City Downtown Airport (not to be
no shortage of opportunities for aviation enthusiasts to confused with Kansas City International (MCI), the
immerse themselves in the epic wonder of flight and its city's main airport).
fascinating history.
Posters, uniforms and all sort of memorabilia pile up
Yet only a relatively small part of these museums and in the few rooms occupied by the museum. The star
exhibits are devoted to the one segment of the broader of the collection: a beautifully restored Lockheed
aviation world that has had, perhaps, the most influence Electra aircraft that can be visited on the adjacent
on everyday people's lives: airlines. hangar.

Although it would take decades for air travel to become TWA Museum, 10 Richards Rd No. 110, Kansas City,
the mass market item it is today, the origins of MO 64116, United States; +1 816 234 1011
commercial aviation can be traced back to very early
years of powered flight.

It didn't take long for airlines to appear after Orville and
Wilbur Wright kick-started the aviation era at Kitty
Hawk, North Carolina, in 1903. Amazingly, some of those
early pioneers of commercial flight are still with us and
going strong.

With airlines such as KLM and Avianca celebrating their
centenary this year, interest is greater than ever in
preserving airline heritage. Enthusiasts and volunteers
around the world have contributed to creating some
fantastic museums for the public to enjoy. Here are 10
of the best.

1. TWA Museum, Kansas City, Missouri

2. Airline History Museum, Kansas City,

Missouri
The inauguration of the TWA hotel at New York's JFK
airport made quite a splash (and not just because of the A visit to the TWA museum can easily be combined
infinity pool with unimpeded runway views). with a trip to the Airline History Museum, which is
What many don't know, though, is that this iconic located just 300 meters away, in a hangar on the far
side of Kansas City Downtown airport. Despite their
American airline, which ceased operations in 2001, has
physical proximity, though, the two museums are
its own dedicated museum a few thousand miles west,
in Kansas City, Missouri. not connected.