USAF museum update

Air Classics, Mar 2003

The expansion and re-creation of the Air Force's national museum is gathering momentum and is on course to intersect with the 2003 Centennial of Flight celebration

The US Air Force Museum is traveling an ambitious path in 2003, progressing on the construction of a new 200,000-square-foot third hangar, taking steps to revamp the museum's gallery layout, and preparing for an intense menu of major special events.

It all adds up to a landmark year for the institution, according to museum officials.

"The year 2003 will constitute an important and memorable one in the history of the museum," said Charles D. Metcalf, museum director. "The combination of our expansion, fundamental gallery changes and large-scale, one-of-a-kind events serves as a powerful signal of the museum's ongoing commitment to tell the Air Force story and its people's astounding record of vision, honor and innovation."

Already designated the Eugene W. Kettering Gallery in honor of the first head of the Air Force Museum Foundation's Board of Trustees, the third hangar will open in Spring 2003. The building will house the Cold War Gallery, intimately portraying the military, technological and geopolitical developments of the era and emphasizing the Air Force's crucial role in Soviet containment and the eventual triumph of democracy at the end of the Cold War.

The new building is the centerpiece of the museum's expansion vision, with additional phases to include a hall of missiles, a space gallery and an education center. Driving this effort is a myriad of historical, technological and demographic trends.

"This expansion is absolutely necessary for us to continue to perform our mission of telling the Air Force story and putting it in proper context," said Metcalf. "We need the space to tell the Cold War story more comprehensively, to examine the Air Force's increasing role in space and to better accommodate our growing educational outreach program."

Anticipating the additional exhibit space the new hangar will afford, museum officials developed a master plan to re-align the flow of aircraft and exhibits into a more historically chronological sequence. The effort serves to rectify a situation that arose as the museum experienced a dramatic increase in its aircraft collection in recent years but not in its exhibit space.

The gallery reconfiguration is a massive project, requiring a number of museum aircraft - including the gigantic B-36 - to be moved to other areas in conformity with the master plan. Already, crews have advanced rapidly, tearing down exhibit walls, moving artifacts and towing numerous aircraft out of long-held display locations to make the plan a reality.

"Considering its intense nature, the aircraft movements we're performing have temporarily affected visitor access to certain areas," said Metcalf. "What we want the public to understand is that this is nothing less than the re-making of the US Air Force Museum. The end result will be a substantially expanded, improved museum with greater historical cohesion, breadth and depth."

Accentuating its 2003 celebration, the museum will stage a variety of major events and programs throughout the year to commemorate the Centennial of Flight. Many are museum initiatives, although two are initiatives of Dayton-based Inventing Flight, the organization spearheading the area's 2003 celebration.

The Inventing Flight-led outdoor events include the RE/MAX Balloon Celebration 4-6 July and the World's Largest Airship (Blimp) Meet 11-13 July. The balloon event will include flying, public balloon glows, competitions and a gas balloon race with a landing target of the Wright brothers' marker located near Kill Devil Hill, North Carolina.

Museum-initiated events run the gamut, including the Dawn Patrol Rendezvous World War One Fly-In 12-14 September; a couple of major radio-controlled outdoor flying events; the American Kitefliers Association Grand National Kite Festival 30 September-4 October; a number of aviation art exhibits throughout the year and much more.

"The museum will be a focal point for the Centennial of Flight Celebration in 2003 as we embark on a year of unparalleled aviation events," said Teresa Lacy, the museum's chief of special events. "We have spent the last two years planning with community partners for a year-long celebration that will showcase a series of unforgettable events to provide something for everyone."