Piper Aviation Museum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Piper Aviation Museum

The museum in October 2009
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Established	1980s
Location	Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Type	Aviation museum
Founder	Calvin Arter Bob Edmonson Genny Edmonson William Piper, Jr.

The Piper Aviation Museum is a cool place where you can learn all about airplanes. It focuses on the history of the Piper Aircraft Corporation. This museum is located right at the William T. Piper Memorial Airport in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. It's a great spot to see many different types of Piper planes.

History of the Museum

How the Museum Started

The Piper Aviation Museum first began in the 1980s. It was part of the Lock Haven Heisey Museum at that time. For its first ten years, the museum's exhibits were actually kept in the back of a large tractor trailer!

Finding a Permanent Home

In late 1996, the museum found a much bigger home. It bought the old engineering building that used to belong to Piper Aircraft. This gave the museum a proper space to show off its amazing collection.

Special Plane Donations

The museum has received some very special planes over the years. In mid-2006, a plane called The City of Angels was donated. This particular plane was one of the first two light aircraft to ever fly all the way around the world! It was a PA-12 model.

Recent Museum Growth

The museum keeps growing and adding new things for visitors to see. In 2022, it opened even more exhibit space. More recently, in 2024, the museum added two new planes to its collection: a J3C and a PA-23. A very unique plane, the only PA-47 ever made, joined the museum in 2025.

What You Can See

Exciting Exhibits

When you visit the Piper Aviation Museum, you'll find many interesting exhibits. One display tells the story of Dick Clark, who was the head of styling for Piper planes. He helped make the planes look great!

Try a Flight Simulator

You can also experience what it's like to fly a plane! The museum has a flight simulator. It was made from a real PA-38 plane, so it feels very authentic. Outside the museum, there's a special historical marker. It tells more about the important history of this place.

Airplanes on Display

The museum has a fantastic collection of Piper aircraft. Here are some of the planes you can see: