National Museum of Commercial Aviation

Sidewalk sale this Saturday, November 19, 2011

2011-11-17T19:52:00.002-05:00

Come one, come all, our first Pre-Holiday sidewalk sale. Saturday, November 19 from 9am til 5pm. All items are marked down, airline seats, galley carts, children's toys, all sorts of airline memorabilia will be on sale.

Good old days...Chicago Ohare

2011-11-05T22:29:00.002-04:00

North Central Airlines gates in Ohare. Photographer and year unknown.

Trip to the Pacific Northwest

2011-09-25T12:10:00.002-04:00

A couple of pictures from our recent trip to the Pacific Northwest. These pictures from the Museum of Flight in Seattle WA.

North Central Airlines DC3

2011-06-14T23:10:00.001-04:00

Great old shot of a North Central DC3. Duluth, Minnesota. Photographer unknown.

Vintage Convair Advertising

2011-05-20T04:56:00.005-04:00

Check out our gallery of Vintage Convair Advertisements from the 50's and 60's on our Facebook page. These will take you back to the golden age of airline travel!

NMCA Gala - May 14, 2011

2011-05-16T17:45:00.003-04:00

Our Annual Gala on Saturday evening was an opportunity for the Museum's supporters, advisors, partners and enthusiasts to come together and celebrate the achievements and milestones of the past few months. We are moving at a fast pace now, and will soon begin preparing next year's gala. A special thanks goes to Grant Wainscott for his central and vital role not only in planning this event, but in the Museum's overall success. Board members, advisors and volunteers worked together to ensure this event was fun and entertaining.

If you are not already helping to support this effort, please use the links found on this page, the Museum's website, and our Facebook page to join in the fun!

You can see an assortment of photos at this link: Gala Photo Album on Facebook

N113FE (B727-100) Moves to the Museum's Future Site

2011-05-08T00:05:00.004-04:00

Today was a very special occasion for the Museum. The 2nd aircraft donated to us by Federal Express was carefully moved off the airport property through winding streets to our new location about 1/2 mile away.

We could not have done it without the remarkable help of the Clayton County Police, Georgia Power Crews, FedEx Mechanics, our own volunteers, and last but not least CAVU Aerospace. These guys did a great job and thanks to Ron Crysler our Project Manager for finding them. I am sure we will be using them again.

Buy Gala Tickets and Raffle Tickets here.

2011-02-13T11:44:00.002-05:00

Come one, come all to our Annual Gala Event this May 14th 2011. It will prove to be one of the best nights you can spend this year and at the same time support a great cause. Individual tickets are $75 per person. Please click the link above to buy your tickets online. Thanks and look forward to seeing you there!

Check out the new online gift shop!!! Click on these words to take you to the site.

2011-01-20T19:37:00.003-05:00

Check out the hundreds of items you can now purchase on our new online gift shop!
More items are being added every day. Shop soon and shop often. Once again, thanks for your support.

Eastern Airlines Shut Down 20 years ago today

2011-01-19T18:17:00.003-05:00

It was 20 years ago today that Eastern Airlines, which at one time had been the largest airline in the free world, shut its doors under the leadership of the Frank Lorenzo. It was the end of a long and very impressive history for this great airline. It was in operation from 1938 to 1991 before it's untimely demise.

Photo by Airbus

Happy New Year!!!

2011-01-15T13:04:00.002-05:00

Delta MD88 going in position for takeoff at Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson Intl Airport.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!

2010-12-23T00:25:00.004-05:00

All of us at the National Museum of Commercial Aviation want to wish everyone a safe and happy Holiday season and a great New Year.
Below is a snow covered picture of the Grand Canyon.

Photo by Chuck Maire

Vision Airlines Boeing 767

2010-12-08T12:16:00.005-05:00

This Boeing 767 operated by Vision Airlines on takeoff roll runway 26L Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International Airport. Photo by Chuck Maire

Iberia A340 near New York City

2010-12-04T00:16:00.004-05:00

Photo by Chuck Maire

I took this on my flight back from Amsterdam to Atlanta. This is an Iberia A340 that was on its way to Dulles International.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

2010-11-25T15:14:00.004-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and a very happy holiday season. Be safe in your travels. From all of us at the National Museum of Commercial Aviation.
Photo by Chuck Maire

Aviation giant Donald Nyrop dies

2010-11-18T16:20:00.002-05:00

[ reprinted from the Minneapolis Star Tribune ]

In building Northwest Airlines into an industry leader, he ran a tight operation focused on safety and the bottom line.
By NEAL ST. ANTHONY, Star Tribune

Donald Nyrop, who led Northwest Airlines for a quarter century and built it from a safety-challenged regional airline into a globe-spanning carrier focused on safety and frugality, died Tuesday at age 98.

Northwest was known for profitability after Nyrop became chief executive in 1954, even as other carriers faltered as the industry moved from a highly regulated, government-protected era into the early years of deregulation toward the end of his watch.

"Our father's commitment to Northwest Airlines, its employees and customers was unparalleled," daughter Nancy Nyrop Scherer said. "He was always extremely proud of the contributions the Northwest Airlines team made to the state of Minnesota."
The family said arrangements are pending.

Nyrop was known publicly as a tightfisted executive who ran one of the best-run carriers in the country, while employing thousands of Minnesotans. But while warring at times with Northwest's unions, he was proud that despite several pilot and mechanic strikes, unionized workers never took a pay cut on his watch.

The former government lawyer scrimped on what he considered frills, operating from a bare-bones, near-windowless headquarters at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

But he didn't scrimp on safety.

"He was an industry giant and he turned around Northwest Airlines," said Brent Baskfield, a retired NWA executive. "I got there at the tail end of his leadership. One thing he did to save money was standardization. Every airplane had Pratt & Whitney engines, and the exteriors of the airplanes were not painted to save weight -- just polished aluminum -- other than the NWA markings. And the interiors were all standard. His safety record was phenomenal. He was very tough but he also was a gentleman."

Today in HIstory: Lockheed L1011 Maiden Flight 1970

2010-11-15T22:22:00.004-05:00

The Lockheed TriStar was the second widebody airliner to be launched, and although it was dogged with early financial and development problems, particularly with the engine, it went on to gain an excellent reputation in service for its reliability, economy of operation and low noise emissions.

The L-1011 TriStar was the last Lockheed airliner to be developed and was launched in March 1968 in response to an American Airlines requirement (that also resulted in the DC-10) for a large capacity medium range airliner. Lockheed initially studied a twin engined layout, but it was decided that three engines would be necessary to ensure it could takeoff at max weights from existing runways.

Work on the L-1011 prototype began early in 1969, resulting in a November 16 1970 first flight. The engine choice of Rolls-Royce's advanced three shaft design RB211 however dogged the TriStar's early career. Rolls-Royce went bankrupt in February 1970 largely due to higher than estimated RB211 development costs, severely harming both Lockheed and the TriStar sales program. The problems were able to be resolved after the British government nationalised Rolls-Royce, guaranteeing the supply of production engines. Despite the initial problems the RB211 proved to be extremely reliable and efficient in service and grew into a family of variants.

The first L-1011 model that entered service with Eastern and TWA in April 1972 was the initial domestic L-1011-1 (which was built in greater numbers than any other TriStar variant). Subsequent models to be developed were the -100 with more fuel and higher weights, the -200 with higher thrust engines, and the long range shorter fuselage -500.

Production ceased in 1983, when 250 had been built. The prototype was sold to be broken up for spares in 1986.

Today in History: Airbus A300 Maiden Flight 1972

2010-10-27T22:06:00.002-04:00

On October 28, 1972 the A300 made its maiden flight. The first production model, the A300B2, entered service in 1974 followed by the A300B4 one year later. Initially the success of the consortium was poor, but by 1979 there were 81 aircraft in service. It was the launch of the A320 in 1987 that established Airbus as a major player in the aircraft market — the aircraft had over 400 orders before it first flew, compared to 15 for the A300 in 1972.

The A300 was the first airliner to use just-in-time manufacturing techniques. Complete aircraft sections were manufactured by consortium partners all over Europe. These were airlifted to the final assembly line at Toulouse-Blagnac by a fleet of Boeing 377-derived Aero Spacelines Super Guppy aircraft. Originally devised as a way to share the work among Airbus' partners without the expense of two assembly lines, it turned out to be a more efficient way of building airplanes (more flexible and reduced costs) as opposed to building the whole airplane at one site.

The A300 cemented European cooperation in aviation. Its first flight was commemorated on a French three franc stamp.

The A300 provided Airbus the experience of manufacturing and selling airliners competitively. The basic fuselage of the A300 was later stretched (A330 and A340), shortened (A310), or modified into derivatives (A300-600ST Beluga Super Transporter).The largest freight operator of the A300 is FedEx Express, which, as of June 2010, had 71 A300/310 aircraft. UPS Airlines also operates freighter versions of the A300. The final version was the A300-600R and is rated for 180-minute ETOPS. The A300 has enjoyed renewed interest in the secondhand market for conversion to freighters. The freighter versions – either new-build A300-600s or converted ex-passenger A300-600s, A300B2s and B4s – account for most of the world freighter fleet after the Boeing 747 freighter.

In March 2006 Airbus announced the closure of the A300/A310 line[2] making them the first Airbus aircraft to be discontinued. The final production A300 made its initial flight on 18 April 2007[3] and was delivered on 12 July 2007. It was an A300F freighter for FedEx. Airbus has announced a support package to keep A300s flying commercially until at least 2025.

Today in History: Airbus A340 Maiden Flight 1991

2010-10-25T10:47:00.003-04:00

The prototype A340 (a series 200), made its maiden flight on 10/25/1991. The A340-300 entered service in 1993 with launch customers Lufthansa and Air France, followed shortly thereafter by the -200 and A330. With the introduction of higher gross weight Boeing 777s such as the 777-200ER and specifically 777-300ER, sales of the A340 began to decline. Over the last few years the 777 has outsold the A340 by a wide margin. Although the larger GE90 engines on the 777-300ER burn considerably more fuel than the Trent 500s, using only two of them compared to four Trents has meant a typical operating cost advantage of around 8-9%.

In January 2006, Airbus announced plans to develop the A340E (Enhanced). Airbus promoted that the A340E would be more fuel-efficient than earlier A340s and close the 8-9% disparity with the Boeing 777 by using Trent 1500 engines.

Airbus has predicted that it will probably produce 127 A340 units through 2016, after which production will cease.

In mid-2008, with jet fuel prices double those of the year before, the A340's fuel consumption led airlines to curtail very long flights of greater than 15 hours. Thai Airways International cancelled its 17-hour, nonstop Bangkok-New York/JFK route on 1 July 2008. All four of its A340-500 fleet are for sale. While short flights stress aircraft more than long flights, and result in more frequent fuel-thirsty take-offs and landings, ultra-long flights require an airline to fill an aircraft's fuel tanks to the maximum; this means that, en route, the plane is burning a lot of fuel just to carry fuel, a "flying tanker with a few people on board," Air France-KLM SA's chief executive Pierre-Henri Gourgeon told the Wall Street Journal.

US Airways Special Color Schemes

2010-10-23T14:17:00.005-04:00

Among airlines in the United States, both US Airways and America West led the way for utilizing special paint schemes on their aircraft. Now that those airlines have merged, the trend continues and new identities appear each year. The airline that exists today is the result of numerous mergers and acquisitions which include Allegheny, America West, Lake Central, Mohawk, Piedmont
and PSA. Most of the merged carriers now have one or more aircraft carrying their colors. The exceptions are Lake Central and Mohawk which technically merged into Allegheny before it became US Air.

The complete list of non-traditional liveries includes 11 schemes:

- Allegheny (red and blue)
- America West (white, orange, turquoise, and waving gray lines)
- Pacific Southwest (red and orange with a black smile)
- Piedmont (red and blue)

- Philadelphia Eagles
- Arizona Cardinals
- Carolina Panthers
- Pittsburgh Steelers

- State of Nevada
- State of Arizona

- Star Alliance

It would be wonderful to see Lake Central and Mohawk join this colorful lineup. Congratulations to US Airways for keeping airline history alive.

The Potomac River Approach into KDCA

2010-10-21T12:10:00.003-04:00

If the wind is blowing from the south, pilots get an opportunity to fly the Potomac River Approach into KDCA. This requires them to intersect the Potomac at the point where the American Legion Bridge (the Beltway) crosses the river, linking Maryland and Virginia. From that point, they closely follow the twists & turns of the river making sure never to veer into tightly secured airspace. About 5 seconds before touching down, pilots are required to make a sharp right turn to line up with the runway. It takes good piloting, and makes for some fascinating plane-watching on the ground.

Today in History: DC-4 Maiden Flight 1938

2010-10-20T01:34:00.002-04:00

The designation DC-4 was first used by Douglas Aircraft Company when developing a large, four-engined type to complement its very successful DC-3, already in widespread operation. It was intended to fulfil United Airlines' requirement for a long-range passenger airliner. Retrospectively this aircraft became known as the DC-4E (E for experimental). It emerged as a 42-passenger airliner with a fuselage of unusually wide cross-section for its day and a triple fin tail unit, similar to that later used by Lockheed on its Constellation. The triple fin and double deck were abandoned on subsequent models, and the more common single fin was utilised.

The DC-4 had a notable innovation in that its tricycle landing gear allowed it to incorporate a fuselage of constant cross-section for most of its length. This lent itself to easy stretching into the later DC-6 and DC-7. A total of 1,163 C-54/R5Ds were built for the United States military services between 1942 and January 1946.

DC-4-1009 Postwar passenger model. This civil model could carry up to 86 passengers.
DC-4-1037 Postwar freight model.

Jet Clipper Johnny visits KATL

2010-10-18T16:31:00.006-04:00

For the last week, John Travolta's immaculate 707-138B has been parked on the Atlantic Aviation ramp at KATL. Unconfirmed reports are that his 707 is here to have the interior refurbished for an upcoming, high-profile trip to Australia.

This aircraft first entered service with Qantas in 1964. For several years, Mr. Travolta's flight plans were easily trackable and spotters around the world knew in advance when this beautiful aircraft was due to arrive. In the last couple of years, however, the flight plans have been blocked from public view so it's always a pleasant surprise to see this gleaming beauty parked nearby.

John Travolta is perhaps the "enthusiast's enthusiast" when it comes to commercial aviation. How many of us would have a beautifully restored 707 and a house designed to resemble an airport terminal if we could? In the coming years, as The National Museum of Commercial Aviation develops and grows, we hope John will have more reasons to return to Atlanta!

Remembering Ozark Airlines

2010-10-17T21:53:00.002-04:00

It’s been almost 25 years since Ozark Airlines flew its last passenger, but the Swallows that graced their tails are still instantly recognizable by millions today.

Along with such other notable regional carriers as Allegheny, North Central, Southern, Mohawk and Hughes Air West, Ozark was positioned squarely in the middle of this important regional network. Based in St. Louis, Ozark was able to expand its route system in all four directions, eventually stretching from San Diego to Boston, and from Minneapolis to Miami.

Ozark started service with the iconic DC-3 and progressed to the Martin 4-0-4. The company was also a key operator of the innovative FH-227. By the time the Ozark was acquired by TWA in 1986, the fleet consisted of DC-9s and MD-80s. Some of those MD-80s remain in service today with TWA’s successor, American Airlines.

Though the Swallows are gone, many of the routes, aircraft and employees of Ozark Airlines remain in the business today. Ozark – gone but not forgotten!

Continental and United merge followed by...Southwest Airlines to buy Air Tran

2010-09-29T00:03:00.014-04:00

Coming on the heels of the recently approved merger of United and Continental and after years of trying to get a foothold in the Atlanta market, Southwest Airlines announces it plans to buy Air Tran Airways. This will give Southwest at least 18 gates in the busiest airport in the world and home of Delta Airlines which until the Continental and United merger was the largest air carrier in the world. Its not over yet from what experts are saying. American Airlines may feel the pressure to grow by picking up portions of U.S.Airways. Alaska Airlines may end up as part of Delta..where will it all end?
The merger between Continental and United will make it the largest airline in the world. The new large hubs will be Newark, Chicago, Houston, and San Francisco.

Delta Retires DC9-30 Aircraft from scheduled service.

2010-09-12T13:26:00.004-04:00

For the second time Delta Airlines retired its fleet of DC9-30 series aircraft from scheduled service. It first retired the DC9-30s in the 1980's and as a result of the merger with Northwest Airlines once again became an operator of the airplanes. Most of these DC9's were originally operated by North Central, Hughes Airwest, and Southern Airways. Then were operated by Republic Airlines before their merger with Northwest Orient. Republic had acquired a few planes from Alitalia and also one plane of note was made up of two incident airplanes. The wings were from the Air Canada flight that made an emergency landing in Cincinnati with a fire on board. The fuselage was destroyed. The wings were attached to the fuselage of an Ozark Airlines DC9-30 that was badly damaged in a landing accident at Sioux Falls, SD. A plow was still on the runway during the landing. The plow driver was killed and wing severely damaged. They mated the Air Canada wings and the Ozark fuselage to make a whole new DC9-30. Last reported to be in storage in Arizona at the Evergreen facility. The DC9 is a great airplane with a great track record for safety and reliability.

Museum of Technology in Sinsheim, Germany

2010-08-18T14:44:00.006-04:00

NOT SO GALA GALA!!! A Great Success!

2010-07-07T11:14:00.005-04:00

A good time was had by all. A special thank you goes out to Nicole Mitchell from the Weather Channel. Her presentation was very interesting and had everyones attention. The food was great and the entertainment was excellent. Thanks also to all the volunteers and staff for working so hard to make this Gala a success.

The Weather Channel's Nicole Mitchell to be guest speaker at Gala Event

2010-05-27T20:54:00.002-04:00

Nicole Mitchell Meteorologist from the Weather Channel will be our guest speaker at our Not so Gala/Gala. She will be making a presentation about the causes of turbulence and also her experiences Hurricane Hunting. Please come and join us for the evening. Tickets are on sale on our website.

NOT SO GALA GALA tickets for Father's Day

2010-05-11T22:42:00.002-04:00

Are you looking for the perfect Father's Day for your aviation enthusiast? Go online to our website nationalaviationmuseum.com and buy a ticket for a night out at our Not so Gala/Gala event on June 26th. What better way to spend an evening then with fellow museum supporters for food, fun, drinks and dancing. Dad will love you for it.

What's wrong with this picture???

2010-04-24T19:37:00.003-04:00

Captain J.C. Kalous retired Spirit Airlines. This picture taken a month or so before his retirement. The seat was in the shop getting repaired. J.C. was forced to retire at age 60 before the rule change allowed pilots to fly until their 65th birthday. The caption to this picture is, " They can take his seat away, but he will always be Captain Kalous to us." The plane is an Airbus A319.
J.C. is a big supporter of the museum and has donated many artifacts.
Thanks J.C.

In Memory of Erik Valenzuela

2010-04-17T19:35:00.002-04:00

It is our sad duty to report the untimely death of Erik Valenzuela of Victorville, California. Erik was a huge help in moving the Martin cockpit into our museum. He was on his way to work at the scrapyard in Victorville when his car was involved in a collision with a cement truck. He was a single father and leaves 3 small children that are currently being taken care of by his father. Erik was a very hard worker and a good father to his children. He worked for Doug Scroggins in Victorville at ARC, Inc. He was also the person that dismantled the Martin in Wyoming. Our prayers go out for him and his family.

NOT SO GALA GALA!!!

2010-04-01T12:58:00.002-04:00

2ND ANNUAL NOT-SO-GALA GALA
SATURDAY, JUNE 26, 2010
7PM - 10PM
NATIONAL ARCHIVES, MORROW, GEORGIA

Join us for a night of incredible food, good friends, aviation art and exhibits, and lots of fun as the National Museum of Commercial Aviation holds its second annual Gala fundraising dinner. The evening features a gourmet buffet dinner, silent auction with more than 60 trips and aviation-related items, and live music. A real treat this year is the site of the dinner – thanks to Board of Advisors member James McSweeney, we will hold the Gala in the Main Gallery of the National Archives, in Morrow. Guests will get a special sneak peek at a new travelling exhibit that examines the growth of the busiest airport in the world through the eyes of three of its historic personalities – Asa Candler, William B. Hartsfield, and Maynard Jackson. ALL THIS FOR JUST $65! Corporate sponsorships are also available.
Click on our main website on the right side of the screen and purchase tickets online. See you there!

Link Trainer 1947 vintage

2010-03-16T19:39:00.002-04:00

Link Trainer currently on display in the lobby of the Delta Airlines training center in Minneapolis.

Aircraft Boneyard in Victorville, CA

2010-03-04T18:35:00.001-05:00

Below are just some of the aircraft in the scrapyard at Victorville. Some are destine to be scrapped while others await a new home.

Name that plane...

2010-02-26T17:27:00.002-05:00

Can you name the plane in the picture below?

Northwest DC10 over the Pacific

2010-02-08T18:26:00.003-05:00

These photos were taken by a Hawaiian Airlines pilot of a Northwest Airlines DC10 a few years ago. This picture is dedicated to Northwest Airlines. On January 31st the last Northwest Airlines call sign was used in the Air Traffic Control system. From now on all flights are Delta Airlines. Northwest was the oldest airline name in continuous use in the U.S. Goodbye Northwest Airlines.

BREAKING NEWS!!! Air Show alert.

2010-01-20T23:18:00.002-05:00

Due to a recently planned construction project at the airport where we are holding the air show, Tara Field, we are postponing our air show until September 17,18,and 19. This is an unavoidable development and we are hoping everyone will be able to attend the show in September. Please come back and visit the website and blogsite to keep up to date on the upcoming show.

Happy New Year!!!

2010-01-01T14:09:00.002-05:00

Let the New Year ROCK!

Happy Holidays everyone!!!

2009-12-25T17:37:00.003-05:00

As this year comes to a close, all of us at the National Museum of Commercial Aviation want to wish everyone a safe and happy Holiday season and a very prosperous New Year. The coming year is looking to be a very promising and exciting time for us. We look forward to seeing everyone at the museum next year. Thanks, Chairman Maire, the staff, and all the volunteers who make our museum successful.

Atlanta Wings and Wheels Airshow planning

2009-11-18T22:28:00.006-05:00

As Grant Wainscott is attending the Dubai Airshow, we have been putting our finalizing details on our plans for our first fund raising airshow. As of now our plans are to have the show the end of April and beginning of May.

Please standby for details as they become firmed up.

Eastern Martin 404 cockpit arrives.

2009-10-25T11:03:00.013-04:00

As you can see the cockpit just fit thru our loading dock door.

Thanks to Bob Maione, Eric Valenzuela, the truck driver, Grant Wainscott, and Chuck Maire for working so hard to get this in the door and ready for display.

We also want to thank Bill Bradshaw of Prop-Liners of America and Doug Scroggins for helping us find the cockpit and then donating it to us. Thanks also to United Rentals for the discounted rental of the forklift.

Finally it is in the building. Now comes the task of cleaning it up and getting it in the display area.

Our new place is open and awaiting your arrival...

2009-10-15T21:59:00.021-04:00

Our new front door..come on in.

Our Gate Gourmet Truck out in front of the museum for the opening..

The view from our parking lot.

Our children's play area...

Our Southern Airways one of a kind Martin 404 cockpit procedural trainer..

Our "Serves You Right Exhibit"...

Our research library...

Our aircraft model exhibit..

Our main ticket counter..

Travel through airline history...

Our Republic and Western airlines slat wall displays..

Our art gallery

Some of our volunteers, staff, and board members on opening night.

The cockpit of a former Eastern Airlines Martin 404, and Ray Charles' personal airplane is coming to the museum this month.

2009-10-08T16:08:00.005-04:00

Below are pictures of our newest addition to the museum. This former Eastern Airlines 404 was delivered to Eastern in 1952. It also flew as Ray Charles' personal plane during the 1960's. It was then turned into a freight plane and was in service with Frontier Airways in Wyoming. It has been sitting in Sheridan since 1978. We are only taking the cockpit section as moving the entire airplane was cost prohibitive. This will make a fine exhibit next to our one and only Martin 404 Cockpit procedure trainer from Southern Airways. We hope to be able to publish some pictures as the plane is being dismantled. The weather has not been the best in Sheridan this week and they have had several inches of snow. If all goes well we should see the cockpit delivered on or about the 22nd of October.

Finally some pictures of our new facility from the Grand Re-opening

2009-10-07T15:40:00.008-04:00

Below are some pictures of our new interim facility. There are many more displays and more space to wander through. Please stop by and see what we have done.

A beautiful model of a Boeing Stratocruiser in Pan Am colors and TWA 707

Our all new Gift Shop..come and get your Holiday Shopping done early.

Below are images of our "Serves You Right" exhibit.

First TUG arrives at the museum.

2009-09-25T18:34:00.004-04:00

Our second piece of ground equipment and the first TUG baggage cart mover was donated by the TUG Corporation, right here in the Atlanta area. It was built in 1974 and was in sevice with Epps Aviation before going to Peoples Express Airlines. We are very happy with this new addition to our display area. As you can see in the pictures it has been fully restored to mint condition.

We are open again!!!!

2009-09-21T14:02:00.002-04:00

Our Grand re-opening was a success and we had a good turnout. Pictures will follow. Please stay tuned.

Come one and all to the Re-Grand Opening September 12th, 2009

2009-09-01T10:28:00.004-04:00

Everyone is welcome to come and join in the festivities of our re-grand opening. We have been working at a fever pitch to get into our new space and open for business. With the help of our staff and many volunteers we are ready to open to the public. Please come by on Saturday September 12, from 10am to 4pm for a first hand look at our new facility. We think you will be pleasantly surprised at our new look.

Last landing for a Northwest Boeing 757, Mojave, CA

2009-08-15T17:30:00.008-04:00

Northwest 757, N515US coming into Mojave,CA. for it's last landing. It will be scrapped by ARC,Inc.

Photos courtesy of Doug Scroggins

Kenmore Air Service, Seattle, WA

2009-08-10T20:06:00.005-04:00

Below are some pictures of Kenmore Air Service operations. Kenmore has been in operation since 1947 and runs scheduled service to the San Juan Islands in the Puget Sound and also into British Columbia in Canada. They operate the DHC3 Otter and DHC2 Beaver aircraft. The DHC3 is pictured below.

Photos courtesy of Chase Maire

Airliners International Show in Orlando 2009

2009-07-28T20:22:00.005-04:00

We spent last week at the Airliner Show in Orlando. It was a great show and we were able to raise both funds and awareness for our project. We met quite a few new friends and look forward to seeing all of them at the museum in the future.

Photos of Airliner Show courtesy of Grant Wainscott, Airplane picture courtesy of George Hamlin

Delta Airlines 757 being scrapped..

2009-07-07T20:46:00.003-04:00

Airbus A300 being scrapped

2009-06-28T13:13:00.009-04:00

An Amercian Airlines Airbus A300-600 being scrapped by ARC Inc. photos by Doug Scroggins. Cockpit was saved for possible display in a museum.

2009 Gala event slideshow please click link below to view.

2009-06-10T18:37:00.003-04:00

We will be closed for at least 4 weeks as we move into our new location.

2009-05-23T10:23:00.003-04:00

MOVING TIME!!!
Attention fans of the museum...As we continue to expand or operation and move into a larger and more effecient space, we will be closed for at least 4 weeks. There are over 30,000 valuable items that need to be relocated. The new space is shaping up and is almost ready for the move. This week will find us painting and building shelving for the storage area. Our carpeting will start to arrive early in June. We still need volunteers to help us in the move. If you can spare some hours in the next few weeks please contact us. Thanks, we look forward to the new space and all it has to offer. We think you will be pleased with the outcome.

You missed a good party if you were not at the Gala!

2009-05-19T10:08:00.003-04:00

The Gala was a big success. We had about 150 guests in attendance. A special thank you goes out to Congressman David Scott, one of our board members, for being there and making a presentation. His positive words will go a long way to ensure our success as THE National Museum of Commercial Aviation. We will have more about the Gala as the pictures come in. Please check back frequently for updates.

WE ARE MOVING! Bigger and better days ahead. Come grow with us.

2009-04-25T22:41:00.004-04:00

It has been a very good year since our Grand Opening. We have collected many thousands of artifacts and the number grows every day. We were given the opportunity to move to another location within the same center we are currently in, and could not turn down the offer for more space. The display area will nearly double and it will allow for more special functions to occur at the museum. The extra space will also allow for an art gallery area and a special childrens area with an aviation theme. This space should be our home until our permanent facility is constructed at our final location. We will start our move after the Gala event May 16th. Anyone wishing to volunteer is welcome to contact us. We need all the hands we can get for the move. Thanks for your support.
Our future art gallery and the front lobby area of the museum.

Our future office area and library and research area.

Our hard working volunteer Eddie Williams and Chuck Maire work at tearing down the many walls to clear the area for the main lobby area.

Board of Advisor member Richard Smith, and Chairman Chuck Maire, discuss the plans for the new space.

As you can tell a lot of work remains in preperation for moving in.

GALA EVENT!!!!!MAY 16TH, GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!!!

2009-04-09T11:12:00.003-04:00

A message from the Chairman...

PLAN TO ATTEND THE FIRST ANNUAL NOT SO GALA-GALA EVENT

Put away the tux and plan a casual fun evening next door to our interim facility on Frontage Road in Forest Park, Georgia. Good food, live music, silent auctions, and special guest speakers are planned. The band is "Flyer" a local group that includes some Delta pilots from the Atlanta area. Our Emcee will be Paul Crawley from local television station 11Alive News. The main event runs from 7pm to 10pm. Please log onto our main website for complete information and to purchase tickets, nationalaviationmuseum.com, or you can send a check to the museum directly. Corporate sponsorships are also welcome. Please call for details. We hope to see all of you there.
Thanks for your support,
Chuck Maire
Chairman
National Museum of Commercial Aviation

New acquisitions this past week..

2009-03-23T14:06:00.004-04:00

Thanks to the fine people at Timco in Macon, Georgia we were able to acquire a complete rear galley from an America West 737 and a forward lavatory from the same airplane. These will enable us to put together a fine display in our new facility once it is completed.
Below are some pictures as we transported the items from Macon to Forest Park. A special thanks to our volunteers not pictured, Eddie Williams and Chase Maire and also Sam Alston who came through once again with his trailer.

Pictures of museum as of last week...has changed again as we grow.

2009-03-14T11:22:00.009-04:00

Our display of airlines of the Southeast United States.

Northwest,Republic, North Central display, TWA, American display and Boeing 337 Stratocruiser tire.

Serve you right exhibit..

Some cool airliner shots from Flickr website

2009-02-28T01:11:00.006-05:00

American Airlines in retro paint

First Delta MD88 scrapped in Victorville, California

2009-02-22T11:53:00.012-05:00

Delta's first three MD88's have been scrapped in Victorville, California. These are the pictures of ship number 1 scrapped by Doug Scroggins and ARC Inc. We are planning to have this cockpit on display at our museum in the future. The cockpit is being moved to Mojave Airport for storage in these shots.

Northwest 747-200 in Guam being scrapped

2009-02-04T21:24:00.005-05:00

Doug Scroggins, center, of ARC and crew scrapping the 747 in Guam that was involved in landing incident.

On display at our museum is the hub cap off this 747 with the Northwest logo on it.

Delta Airlines MD88 scrapped in Victorville

2009-02-01T17:06:00.003-05:00

Second MD88 delivered to Delta, tail section will be used for storage unit. The number 1 plane will be scrapped next. We hope to have the cockpit for our museum.

Former North Central/Republic/Northwest Airlines DC9-50 in new Delta livery

2009-01-29T18:14:00.003-05:00

Photos by Chuck Maire
ATL Gate D13 Jan.28,2009

US Airways Airbus 320 recovered from the icy Hudson River

2009-01-21T15:49:00.008-05:00

Unknown Photographer, pictures off the internet.

Retired Eastern Airlines Pilot donation...

2009-01-13T22:07:00.004-05:00

Hasson Calloway, EAL captain,painted this in 1978. It is signed by both Dick Merrill & Jack Lambie, the pilots of this flight, the first commercial transoceanic two-way crossing. Includes a letter signed by Capt. Lambie on the back, giving the artist particulars on the color and design of the plane. Oil on canvas. Donated today by Captain Calloway himself. We are very proud to be the recipients of such a great piece of artwork and history.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2009-01-05T18:38:00.002-05:00

photo courtesy of Google.

Happy Holidays from all of us at the museum...

2008-12-24T19:11:00.004-05:00

Scroggins Aviation has donated the tail section and N-number area of this former Scenic Airlines Cessna 402. It was totaled in an off field emergency landing in which all passengers and crew walked away. Scenic operated out of Las Vegas doing Grand Canyon air tours.

Day 6 and 7 or the Great Adventure back to Atlanta..

2008-12-16T12:09:00.002-05:00

After driving from San Antonio, we were lucky enough to see the 1940's Airline Terminal Museum at Houston Hobby airport. It is going to be a great museum, much like our own, it is geared mainly toward the airlines and aircraft that made up that airport's history. We look forward to a great relationship with them and wish them the best of luck in their progress. The location in the terminal is beautiful. Below are some shots inside and out. They only have a small portion open right now. Worth the time to stop by if you are in the area. We left Hobby at 1430hrs local and drove all the way to Greenville, Alabama that day. After a short rest at a roadside hotel, we were on the way to Atlanta. We were back at the museum by 1330hrs local and started to unload our treasures. Thanks to our former intern Eric and his friend Josh we were able to get it all off the truck and into our warehouse. The trip took 7 days and 2800 miles of driving. It was well worth the effort when you see what we were able to get. I will update the blog with a full rundown of what we did and what we have including pictures as soon as we are able to get them all sorted out. Thanks for keeping up with the move. Our Southern Martin 404 sim is now in it's new home safe and sound. Those folks that want to help restore it please let us know. We also need funds to got toward the restoration. Any amount is helpful, no matter how small, we do appreciate your help.

View from the ramp side...

One of the great photos the museum has hanging in the halls...

You don't want to ask how we got it out of the truck...

Back home at last...now the restoration begins..

Day 5, Driving and more driving....

2008-12-14T10:10:00.000-05:00

The drive from El Paso to San Antonio was a long one for us. We had many hours of looking at sage brush. We are leaving this morning to visit the 1940's Air Terminal Museum. Then it is off to home. Should be home by Monday afternoon.

The long road ahead...

Many of the little border towns look like this one.

Day 4..Tucson, Pima Air Museum and more...

2008-12-13T11:02:00.001-05:00

This was a very busy day. We left Phoenix early for Tucson. Made a visit to the international airport and made some new friends at the Hamilton Aviation maintenance facility, and the Pima County Community College maintenance school. We were donated a great Braniff jetway sign by Pete Stogsdill, director at the school. We also met with one of our board members, Jim Bateman, and had lunch and dinner with him to discuss what he can help us with in the Tucson area. Thanks for your help Jim. We left at sundown and drove on to El Paso, Texas and we are planning on driving all the way to Houston on Saturday. More to come...keep checking back.
Thanks

The Braniff sign that Pete donated to us.

Great display of Pan Am memorabilia at Pima..

Horizontal section is like the piece we obtained in Victorville.

Oldest Lockheed Connies in existence flown by TWA and L649...

Viscount Airliner

One of the aircraft I actually worked on when I was an Air Force mechanic. Boy am I getting old when the planes from my past are in this museum.

Former flying boat for airline in Hawaii

As the sun set we started our drive to El Paso, Texas

Day 3 Victorville, Palm Springs

2008-12-12T01:40:00.000-05:00

We started very early at Victorville with Doug Scroggins of Scrggins Aviation. We were like a couple of kids at a candy shop in Dougs yard. Doug donated so many items for our museum for display that we filled up our truck to the brim. You will have to wait to see them on display in the museum. There are too many to list here.
We have stopped in Phoenix for the night and will head for Tucson in the morning and the Pima Air Museum. We are also meeting with one of our board members Captain Bateman. Please check in again as we continue east.
Thanks

Just a sample of the probably one hundred airliners stored at Victorville, California either for scrapping or mothballed.

Chuck and Grant standing in front of a Delta Boeing 757 cockpit which we would like to acquire.

What a L1011 looks like after it has been scrapped.

Landing gear truck off an L-1011 of Delta Airlines

Palm Springs Air Museum, one of the nicest museums you will find. If you are ever in Palm Springs it would be worth the visit.

Palm Springs Air Museum

One of three hangars at the Palm Springs Air Museum

Day 2 of our trip across the country..

2008-12-11T00:23:00.001-05:00

We had a fairly early start this morning and we were on the road for Mojave, California. As we hit 405 north we happen to see a sign for Van Nuys. I remember seeing a Caravelle there in a documentary video called 16R. We stopped in at the airport to check it out. We found the Caravelle and took some pictures and plan to research the owners and see what the plans are for the plane. We continued to Mojave and met with Doug Scroggins of Scroggins Aviation. Doug gave us some really great pieces to display. Some of the items were; Convair 880 engine cowling with Delta logo, Scenic Airlines vertical fin from a wrecked Cessna 402, Continental Airlines ticket counter sign, Flying Tigers poster, DC6 wingtip, tire and wheel of Boeing 337 Stratocruiser, Boeing 720 emergency exit from former Northwest Orient airplane, Boeing 737 nose gear door from former Aloha Airlines plane, Engine spinner from JT3 engine off the same Boeing 720, TWA cabin bulkhead with logo. These are just some of the items we were donated today. When we are able to get a better Internet connection we will download more photos.
Stay tuned for more.

Caravelle located at Van Nuys Airport. Would make a great addition to our collection someday.

Cabin divider for TWA DC9....

Tire and wheel from Boeing 337 Stratocruiser...Alan Radecki and Doug Scroggins load it up...

Convair 240 cockpit saved by Doug Scroggins in Mojave, California. Once a Mohawk Airlines airplane.

Grant Wainscott and Doug Scroggins examine the Convair 240 cockpit.

First Day of the cross country adventure with Southern Airways Sim

2008-12-10T10:58:00.000-05:00

What a day we had the first day out. We started at the museum at 7am. Heading for the airport and checking in for our Airtran flight to LAX. Had the truck rented and on the road before 1pm pst. First stop was Chino Airport and two museums. First was Yanks Museum, which was a surprise to us that it was there. Very nice collection of warbirds and civilian airplanes. Then onto the Planes of Fame Museum. What a great collection of military aircraft and other equipment. We met with the Founder and Director Ed Maloney. What a great meeting it was, and we look forward to a great relationship with their museum. We left Chino for a three hour ride through LA traffic, (I will not complain about the Atlanta driving anymore), over to Camarillo Airport to meet Jeff Whitesell and to load up the Martin Procedure Trainer. Jeff was waiting for us at the gate and in 15 minutes we were loaded up and on the way to dinner with Jeff. We hit the hotel before 11pm and are now preparing for our trip to Mojave and meeting Doug Scroggins for more donations. All in all it has been a very productive first day out. More on our trip after today.

Our ride for the next week on on way back to Atlanta..

Grant taking the drivers seat.

Chuck getting settled in for trip.

Lockheed Electra at Yanks Museum

Yanks Aviation Museum at Chino...

Truck all loaded and ready to go..

Jeff Whitesell loading sim in our rental truck...
Control Console for Martin procedure trainer...

Southern Airways Martin 404 sim

2008-12-01T19:34:00.000-05:00

Some exciting news, we have been donated the only Martin 404 fixed based simulator in the world. This procedural trainer was owned by Southern Airways in Atlanta. Many pilots that trained on this machine are still living in the Atlanta area. So on December 9, 2008 we will be travelling to California to pick up the sim and bring it back to it's original home. Our plan is to make it operational and allow people to try their hand at flying the Martin 404. We are asking for those interested in helping out in any way to call the museum. Even if you can only spare a few dollars to the effort we would greatly appreciate it. I plan on giving updates along our road trip back to Atlanta as we are stopping at several museums and bone yards along the way to see if we can acquire any other artifacts for the museum. Please stay tuned for our excellent adventure.

It is official, Delta acquires Northwest October 29, 2008

2008-11-05T18:19:00.002-05:00

747-400 landing

Delta 777 in flight

Delta 767-400

The first three photos courtesy of Pat Evans Northwest Airlines Captain.

As of October 29, 2008 Delta Airlines has acquired Northwest Airlines, Inc. to become the largest airline in the world. It will be operating as seperate operations for about 14 to 18 months as operations are put together. Watch for the planes to be painted quickly and service changes for the better on both carriers. The aircraft operated by the two carriers are: 747-400, 747-200, 777, 767-400, 767-300, 757-200, 757-300, 737, MD80, MD90, Airbus A330-200, Airbus A330-300, Airbus A320, Airbus A319, and finally the DC9-30, DC9-40, DC9-50.

Northwest Airbus A330(photo by Pat Evans)Northwest 757 awaiting departure(photo by Chuck Maire)

Delta Jet Base Atlanta(photo by Chuck Maire)

Delta regional RJ900(photo by Chuck Maire)

Delta 737 Laguardia NY(photo by Chuck Maire)

Northwest A330 tail after sunset...fitting picture as NWA fades from existence. Photo by NWA flight attendant

Updates October 08

2008-10-17T15:20:00.002-04:00

Many exiting things are happening for the museum. Our " First Saturday" program is going well. We are having a bowling tournament tonight which is going to raise money for us. We are acquiring several new items for our collections, i.e. galleys, galley carts, seats, and lavatories from old airliners. We are establishing some great partnerships for the future and should have more info on that in the coming months. Our website is being revamped and it is looking better all the time. The interim museum is filling up fast and at last count there are over 9000 items in the display area. We are also planning our first Gala event for next March, keep watching for the details as they become available. Please send any pictures you have, that you have taken, so we can post them here. Thanks for tuning in and hope to see you at the museum soon.
All the best,
Chuck Maire
Chairman
National Museum of Commercial Aviation

First of the "First Saturday" functions

2008-09-10T17:47:00.012-04:00

We had our first "First Saturday" event this past weekend. It was a great success with over 80 folks showing up during the day and enjoying the hot dogs and hamburgers being cooked by our volunteer Landon Smith. The highlight of the event was the turning over of the keys to our catering truck donated by Gate Gourmet. What a great piece to add to our collection. Below are some of the pictures of the event. Thanks to all the volunteers and board members for their time and many thanks to Gate Gourmet. Most of all we want to thank those folks that came out to enjoy this really fun day.

North Central Convair 580

2008-09-02T14:45:00.001-04:00

We were sent this photo of the Convair 580, photographer unknown. Great picture of a wonderful airplane.

FED EX DC10 on approach MSP August 30th 12R

2008-09-02T14:41:00.001-04:00

Oshkosh 2008 trip for museum...PC12

2008-07-30T18:31:00.008-04:00

Thanks to our board member Jeff Heal, we were able to hitch a ride to Oshkosh for the big airshow where we tried to spread the word of what we are doing in Atlanta.
Below are pictures of the Pilatus PC12 that we were lucky enough to ride in. Thanks to Jeff and his boss for letting us tag along. We had a very nice and productive trip.

Oshkosh 2008 trip for museum...Piedmont DC-3

2008-07-30T18:16:00.008-04:00

Monmouth Airlines DC-3 circa 1970's

2008-07-24T22:49:00.002-04:00

Another one of Monmouth Airlines operated by Ed Brown, DC3 with Wright engines. Picture taken on the ramp of Monmouth County Airport, now called Allaire Airport in Wall, NJ.

Continental Airlines DC-10 1980

2008-07-24T22:46:00.000-04:00

Cockpit photos...can you identify them?

2008-07-18T23:58:00.014-04:00

Monmouth Airlines DC-3 circa 1970's

2008-07-18T23:45:00.002-04:00

Monmouth Airlines DC-3 piloted by Author and Captain Dan Blore...Washington National Airport sometime in the early 70's. Photo from Airliners.net.

Antonov 225 Largest airplane in the world?

2008-07-10T21:32:00.006-04:00

Sad video of Boeing 720 being chopped up by scrapper in Phoenix.

2008-06-24T21:55:00.001-04:00

Museum receives it's first large equipment donation.

2008-06-24T21:35:00.003-04:00

This is the first non aircraft donation we have received. We are thrilled to have this 1985 Ford 14-foot catering truck. Gate Gourmet International has been kind enough to donate this truck to us. We are very excited about this donation. As our name is meant to convey, we are the National Museum of Commercial Aviation. This means all aspects of how the commercial aviation world operates. We intend to have a full compliment of all the ground support equipment typically found at your local airport served by an airline.

SST on a stick....

2008-06-23T22:51:00.002-04:00

An Air France Concorde is on display at Charles De Gualle Airport outside Paris. The Concorde was once flown by Braniff Airways in the late 70's for a short period of time in a joint effort with Air France. This picture was taken from a hotel shuttle bus on a recent layover in Paris.

Delta Jet Base in Atlanta.

2008-06-23T22:38:00.004-04:00

EOS Airlines ceased operations last month and their 757's sit in front of Delta Jet Base in Atlanta. A World Airways MD11 tail sticks out of the hangar in the background.

Major donor visits us at the museum.

2008-05-26T14:06:00.009-04:00

This past month we had the pleasure of a visit by Jeanne Collin Wise. Jeanne's father was Captain Elmer Collin who's uniform is seen on the mannequin in the photos below. Elmer retired in 1980 after a long career starting with Wisconsin Central, which then became North Central, and then Republic Airlines. Captain Chuck Maire flew his retirement flight as a new First Officer on the DC9. Jeanne and her family have been kind enough to donate the large collection of memorabilia Elmer had collected over his career. Thank you to Jeanne and her family.

2008-05-20T20:51:00.003-04:00

I guess there were no takers on guessing the plane. It is a Hawker Sidley Argosy. I was at the airport in Lancaster, California where the picture was taken. The photo below is courtesy of Virtual Aircraft Museum website.

Can you guess the plane in this picture...?

2008-05-15T17:20:00.002-04:00

Can you figure out the plane that Chuck Maire is peering through the nose of? This was taken in California. Hint: The plane is a cargo plane.

Cessna Grand Caravan 208 passenger demonstrator, photos by Paul Cesiro of Las Vegas, Nevada

2008-05-11T21:36:00.010-04:00

Below are pictures taken a few years ago at the North Las Vegas airport. My friend Doug Scroggins asked me to help him look at a new Grand Caravan for a frieght operation he was trying to set up. The aircraft is a Cessna demonstrator kindly flown to Las Vegas for us to fly and see how it performed. It was a very nice machine to fly and performance was pretty good on that hot summer day in the desert. You will see these planes in a variety of uses, from hauling freight in Alaska, to island hopping in Hawaii. Most notably you will see them all across the country at small airports supporting and feeding FedEx operations.
Submitted by Chuck Maire, Chairman NMCA

Northwest A330 in Amsterdam, photos by Captain Rand Peck

2008-04-27T18:34:00.005-04:00

THE HOME DEPOT comes to the rescue..

2008-04-25T14:59:00.004-04:00

Thanks to The Home Depot located on Sandy Plains Road and Shallowford Road in Marietta, GA, Chairman, Chuck Maire and our first Charter Member, Eddie Williams, were able to build these great shelves for our storage facility. With our collectables reaching over 10,000 items, we need all the space we can get. All material was donated by The Home Depot Corporate office and the local store. A special thanks to Tim, he is the Assistant Manager at this store. He went above and beyond the call of duty helping to ensure we had all we needed to complete the project. He was right on the money too, there was nothing left over from the project. Thanks again to The Home Depot and to Eddie Williams, without these volunteers and contributors it would cost a great deal more to keep this museum running.
Eddie Williams takes time to admire his handywork after a hard days work.

Just Arrived at our Gift Shop - Old Atlanta Terminal, by Jim Whitlock. Signed and Numbered Limited Edition (250) Lithograph, $75.00

2008-04-22T10:49:00.004-04:00

Fuel costs and poor economy take it's toll with the loss of several airlines and the Chapter 11 of others.

2008-04-20T14:16:00.013-04:00

Below are some photos of airlines that have ceased operations or filed chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the past month or so. Frontier is now operating under Chapter 11 protection. Champion, a charter operator out of Minneapolis, will cease operations later this month. Aloha is only flying cargo after 61 years of great passenger service to the Hawaiian Islands and the mainland. ATA also ceased operations suddenly, the carrier was a big airline to Hawaii as well as a big military charter company. Skyways (Midwest Connection), ceased operations earlier this month. Skybus has ceased all operations after less than 1 year of operation. It was a very low cost carrier with fares as low as $10. Rising fuel costs and predatory pricing are given as some of the reasons for the failures. These photos are courtesy of Chuck Maire, Skybus website, Andy Garcia, Skyways website, and Aloha website.