National Museum of Commercial Aviation facts for kids

The National Museum of Commercial Aviation (NMCA) was a special museum in the United States. It was the first museum to cover the entire airline industry. This means it looked at everything about airplanes and flying for business.

The museum was located in Forest Park, Georgia. This is a town just south of Atlanta and the busy Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. It was started in 2006 by Grant Wainscott. The museum was a non-profit group. This means it didn't aim to make money. It worked with local governments and many aviation partners. The museum closed down because it planned to move. Sadly, it never reopened and officially ended in 2016.

A Look Back: How the Museum Started

In 2003, some retired airline workers and community leaders had an idea. They wanted to create a lasting memory for the airlines. These airlines helped make Atlanta's airport one of the busiest in the world. From this idea, the National Museum of Commercial Aviation (NMCA) was born.

The NMCA was the first museum of its kind in the U.S. It aimed to be a top place for airline history and research. It wanted to attract visitors from all over the world. The museum was designed to be a big tourist spot. It would also help the local economy.

What the Museum Wanted to Show

The museum planned to explore all parts of the airline industry. It wouldn't just focus on one airline or airport. It would cover everything from the very start of flying to how airlines work today. This included how airmail began and how cargo is flown. It would also highlight every job in the industry. Most importantly, it wanted to save the stories and items of the people. These were the men and women who built the airline industry.

Opening the First Location

After years of planning, the museum chose south Atlanta as its home in 2007. Clayton County, Georgia gave them a grant to help with planning. Because many people were interested, the first temporary museum opened. This was in Forest Park, Georgia in March 2008.

This first location was called the Interim Headquarters & Research Air-Chive. It acted as a small museum and a place to show what was coming. It became very popular right away.

Growing and Moving to a Bigger Spot

More than 4,000 visitors came in the first 14 months. People wanted more programs, tours, and exhibits. This meant the museum needed a bigger space. So, they moved to a much larger building next door.

This bigger temporary museum became the main office. It was open to the public. It had different airline exhibits and an art gallery. There was also a children's activity center and a research library. Visitors could even try flight simulators. The museum also had a gift shop. They offered a children's book club and monthly talks. They also had traveling exhibits and changing art displays.

The museum planned a much larger main campus. The first part was a 16,000-square-foot hangar. This would hold twelve new exhibits. It would also have cockpits and ground equipment. The museum's growing collection, staff, and volunteers would be there. It was expected to open in 2013.

Future Plans: What the Museum Could Have Been

The museum was getting ready to build its main campus. This would be near the new international terminal at the world's busiest airport. It would be a huge campus, about 150,000 square feet. It would include buildings, real airplanes, and support vehicles. There would be interactive exhibits and classrooms. It would also have learning labs and memorial gardens.

The location was great because it was easy to see from Interstate 75. It also had easy access to the airport. Tens of thousands of airline workers were nearby. This made it a perfect spot for a "national" museum.

Main Buildings and Features

The main campus would have several buildings. They would be built in stages over many years. The main buildings would include an airport terminal. This terminal would be designed to look like different decades of aviation. It would have loading bridges and full-size commercial airliners outside.

Next to it, there would be hangars. There would also be a special Career Exploration & Learning Center. This center would have more aircraft and classrooms. It would also offer areas to explore different aviation jobs. There would be theaters, archives, and storage for collections. A themed cafeteria and a repair shop would also be part of the plan.

Interactive Learning and Exhibits

The museum planned many interactive and high-tech exhibits. These hands-on displays would help in several ways:

• They would save American culture and history. This would be done through old aircraft and exhibits. The museum would also be a national archive for commercial aviation.
• They would help young people connect with aviation careers. They would offer important, hands-on experiences.
• They would connect visitors to the past, present, and future of air travel. This would be through fun educational programs. Displays would show early dreamers and risk-takers. They would also show today's corporate world. Special attention would be given to the important contributions of women, African-Americans, and other groups. These groups helped make America's diverse aviation landscape.

Amazing Collections

Marc Y. Chenevert

The museum had a fast-growing collection of over 100,000 items. Some main parts of the collection included:

• 500 uniforms, some from as far back as the 1930s.
• Advertising items.
• Rare cockpits and training devices.
• 2,500 pieces of serving dishes used on flights.
• Old toys and models.
• Original artwork.

Some of the most special items were:

• The only known Martin 404 Cockpit Procedures Trainer (CPT). This was painted in Southern Airways colors.
• TUG Technologies' first TUG Tractor.
• The cockpit of an old Eastern Air Lines Martin 404. This plane was later owned by the famous musician Ray Charles.

The museum's aircraft collection included a Boeing 727. This plane used to fly for United Airlines and FedEx Express. It also had a Fokker F-27 Friendship. This plane flew for FedEx Express and Mountain Air Cargo.

Artist Marc Y. Chenevert's Donation

In 2013, an artist named Marc Y. Chenevert started looking for a place to donate his large collection of airliner art. People suggested he contact the National Museum of Commercial Aviation. He met Richard Grigg, the museum's Curator.

The museum was very interested in Marc's aviation collection. In August 2013, Grigg traveled to Chenevert's home. He accepted the donation of his airliner drawings. These were drawings not related to Braniff International Airways. The museum also received Chenevert's drawing desk and tools. He had used these since the early 1970s. Chenevert's Braniff International Airways Collection was donated to another group in Dallas, Texas.

Images for kids

• 

  Marc Y. Chenevert