National Museum of Commercial Aviation facts for kids
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| Established | 9 January 2006 |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | 7 December 2016 |
| Location | Forest Park, Georgia, south of Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport |
The National Museum of Commercial Aviation (NMCA) was a special museum in the United States. It was the first museum to cover everything about the airline industry. This museum was located in Forest Park, Georgia, which is south of Atlanta and the busy Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
The museum started in 2006. Its goal was to teach people about how airlines work and how they grew over time. It was a non-profit group, meaning it didn't aim to make money. The museum closed down, hoping to move to a new place, but it never opened again. The organization officially ended in 2016.
Contents
The Museum's History
How the Idea Started
In 2003, some retired airline workers and community leaders had an idea. They wanted to create a place to remember the commercial airlines. These airlines helped make Atlanta's airport one of the busiest in the world. From this idea, the National Museum of Commercial Aviation was born.
What the Museum Wanted to Be
The NMCA was planned to be a big museum about the airline industry. It aimed to be a center for learning about airline history and for research. The museum wanted to attract many visitors and help the local economy. It also aimed to be a fun and educational place for everyone.
The museum planned to show all parts of the airline industry. This included everything from how airlines first started to how they work today. It would cover air mail, air cargo, and highlight every job in the industry. The museum also wanted to save the stories and items from the people who built the airline world.
Opening the First Location
In 2007, the museum announced that south Atlanta would be its permanent home. Then, it received a grant from Clayton County, Georgia. This money helped with planning and research. The first temporary office and research center opened in Forest Park, Georgia in March 2008. This temporary spot was like a small museum and a place to share plans for the future.
Growing and Moving
Over 4,000 people visited the temporary museum in its first 14 months. Many people wanted public programs, group tours, and kids' activities. This meant the museum needed a much larger space. So, it moved to a bigger building next door.
This new temporary museum was open to the public. It had different airline exhibits, an art gallery, and a children's activity center. There was also a research library, flight simulators, and a gift shop. The museum offered a children's book club, monthly talks, and traveling exhibits.
Plans for a Permanent Home
The museum had big plans for a permanent campus. The first part was a hangar that was about 16,000 square feet. This hangar was meant to hold twelve new exhibits, cockpits, and ground support equipment. It would also store the museum's collection and house its staff. This first phase was expected to open in 2013.
What the Museum Planned to Have
A Big Campus for Aviation
The museum planned to build a huge campus of buildings and aircraft. It would be about 150,000 square feet. This campus would be near the entrance of the international airport. It would have interactive exhibits, classrooms, and memorial gardens.
The location was great because it was easy to see from Interstate 75. It also had good access to the airport and many airline employees nearby. The main buildings were going to look like an airport terminal from different time periods. It would even have loading bridges and full-size airplanes outside. Other hangars would hold more aircraft, classrooms, and theaters. There would also be a themed cafeteria and a workshop for restoring old planes.
The Museum's Collection
The museum had a growing collection of over 100,000 items. Many of these were:
- Over 500 airline uniforms, some from the 1930s.
- Old advertisements.
- Rare cockpits and training devices.
- 2,500 pieces of serving dishes used on flights.
- Vintage toys and models.
- Original artwork.
Some of the most special items included:
- The only known Martin 404 Cockpit Procedures Trainer (CPT) from Southern Airways.
- The very first TUG Tractor made by TUG Technologies.
- The cockpit of an old Eastern Air Lines Martin 404 plane, which was later owned by the famous musician Ray Charles.
The museum's aircraft collection included a Boeing 727 that used to belong to United Airlines and FedEx Express. It also had a Fokker F-27 Friendship that flew for FedEx Express and Mountain Air Cargo.
Artist Donations
In 2013, an artist named Marc Y. Chenevert, who drew airliners, looked for a place to donate his art. He was told to contact the National Museum of Commercial Aviation. The museum was very interested in his aviation art. In August 2013, the museum's curator traveled to accept a donation of his airliner drawings. The museum was also set to receive his drawing desk and tools he had used since the 1970s.
See also
