Glenn L. Martin Maryland Aviation Museum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Glenn L. Martin Maryland Aviation Museum

The Strawberry Point Flightline at the museum, where all of its aircraft are displayed
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Established	1990
Location	Martin State Airport, Middle River, Maryland
Type	Aerospace museum
Founder	Gene DiGennaro, Stan Piet, and Bryan Williman

The Glenn L. Martin Maryland Aviation Museum is a cool place to visit. It's located at Martin State Airport in Middle River, Maryland. This museum teaches you all about the history of flying in Maryland. It focuses on the amazing planes and stories from the last 100 years. You'll learn a lot about the Glenn L. Martin Company and later, Lockheed Martin.

The museum has many real aircraft on display. Most of these planes are borrowed from the Navy and Army. But one special plane, a Martin 4-0-4, was given to the museum in 1999. Sometimes, the museum even has "open cockpit days." On these days, you might get to sit inside some of the planes!

You can also explore the history of the Martin Company. They have models, films, photos, and old documents. The museum is run by volunteers. These awesome people help visitors, manage the gift shop, and give tours. They also work with school groups and help restore old aircraft.

The Story of Glenn L. Martin and His Planes

A Martin 4-0-4 plane, painted to look like the very first one.

Glenn L. Martin was a pioneer in aviation. He flew his first glider way back in 1907. Then, in 1909, he flew a biplane that he designed himself! He started his own company, the Glenn L. Martin Company, in 1911.

In 1917, his company joined with another one called Wright-Martin. But Glenn Martin soon started a new company with his original name. This new company was based in Cleveland.

In 1928, the company moved to Baltimore. Martin bought a huge area of land, over 1,260 acres, in a place called Middle River. There, he built some of the most modern airplane factories of that time. Big facilities appeared, including an airport with hangars and a terminal. Several communities also grew up around these factories, and they are still there today.

Between 1911 and 1960, the Glenn L. Martin Company made over 80 different types of aircraft. They built more than 11,000 planes in total! This included many Boeing B-29 bombers. Fifty of these B-29s were "Atomic Bombers," like the famous Enola Gay and Bockscar.

In 1960, the company stopped designing airplanes. They changed their name to The Martin Corporation. After that, they started making missiles, like the Titan missile series. From 1965, as the Martin Marietta Corporation, they also made "lifting bodies." These were special aircraft designs that could fly by creating lift with their body shape.

The museum itself was founded in 1990. It opened its doors at Martin State Airport in 1993.

Planes You Can See at the Museum

A Bell UH-1M Huey helicopter at the museum.

A Republic RF-84F Thunderstreak jet at the museum.

The museum has an amazing collection of aircraft. Here are some of the cool planes you might see:

Some other aircraft and exhibits are kept in storage. This means they are not currently on display for visitors. These include:

• Grumman F-9F Cougar
• The back part and tail of a Martin P6M SeaMaster jet flying boat
• Two Martin AM Mauler aircraft that are being restored

See also

• List of aerospace museums