As tens of thousands of visitors make their way to the western gate boundary of Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., the weekend of Oct. 15-16 for the Aerospace Valley Air Show, their side view south of Rosamond Boulevard will encompass the construction area for Southern California’s newest tourist attraction, the Air Force Flight Test Museum and the STEM Education Center.
During a presentation at the Antelope Valley Chambers of Commerce luncheon on April 13, leaders of the nonprofit Flight Test Historical Foundation updated the business community on the status of the museum project and the development activities.
Art Thompson, co-owner of Lancaster-based Sage Cheshire Aerospace and chairman of the FTHF board, reported that although the completion of the museum’s foundations last year paved the way for the walls to be raised , the pandemic has disrupted the building materials supply chain and created spikes in the price of steel rebar.
Nonetheless, Thompson and Lisa Sheldon Brown, the museum foundation’s director of education and community outreach, reported initiatives to turn air show traffic in 2022 into the first wave of an ongoing technology pilgrimage. aerospace industry and restoring an unmissable West Coast Air Show Classic launched in 1957.
Noting that the museum’s existing collection on base has outgrown available space and that the museum is now largely inaccessible to civilian visitors due to safety and health concerns, Thompson pointed out that the museum’s new site just on the outside the perimeter of the base is an ideal location. to accommodate foreign and domestic visitors.
More than a museum, the new campus will be a center for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) studies and professional technical education, an archive and a library for the archives and offices of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots , and the home of Bob Hoover Library.
Recovering from the setbacks of the pandemic, the museum foundation has ramped up its private sector fundraising campaign for major sponsorships, while maintaining and enhancing existing outreach for community members and donor support.
Families, charitable foundations and businesses can sponsor aircraft and/or exhibits and have the opportunity to sponsor a classroom or building in the new museum.
Sponsorship opportunities range from an entire aircraft or historic structure to brick walkways and donor walls. The FTHF’s marketing materials and website are designed to recognize donors and sponsors at all levels.
“We have museum friend levels that include giveaways with donations, inclusion on our donor wall, and invitations to special events,” Brown said.
There’s also a paving program: For a donation of $100, the name of the donor, or that of someone else to be honored or remembered, will be engraved on a brick walkway bordering the already existing Century Circle. of famous military aircraft.
This display area overlooks the new location of the Flight Test Museum just outside the west gate of Edwards AFB.
Brown said: “The Sponsor-an-Airplane program is an opportunity to support the preservation of the iconic aircraft in our collection and to support the construction of the new museum. The director added: “Companies, organizations and individuals are recognized in various ways for their contributions. Each sponsored aircraft will include a plaque on display in the museum, recognition on our website, and recognition as partners in our education and preservation efforts.
Each sponsorship is also associated with a construction milestone (i.e. concrete, insulation, etc.) to show exactly what each contribution is helping to support during construction.
For more information or to contribute, email [email protected]
Annual friend
Friends of the Museum who wish to make an annual donation as an Annual Friend receive an FFTM card, a certificate, a Foundation crest, a 15% discount in the shop, a newsletter and invitations to Friends events and activities. The contribution levels are: Regular – $50, Student – $25; and Corporate – $500 (same as Regular and Student plus 2 tickets to a gala of the donor’s choice.
patron of life
All Life Patrons receive an FFTM card, a Foundation crest, 15% off in the gift shop, a newsletter, an invitation to FTHF events, as well as a certificate of lifetime membership, the book “Flight Testing at Edwards and a “Golden Age of Flight Test” fine art lithograph signed by aviation artist Mike Machat.
Senior Patron (60+) – $500
Bronze Patron – $1,000. (Same as main patron plus nameplate on museum patron wall.
Silver boss – $5,000 Same as bronze plus a plaque near the museum entrance.
Gold Patron – $15,000 (Same as Silver plus exhibition sponsorship with a second recognition plaque at the exhibition and a third for home or office.
Platinum Patron – $25,000 (Same as Silver plus aircraft sponsorship with a second recognition plaque at the aircraft site and a third for home or office.
Diamond Patron – $50,000 (same as Silver plus sponsorship of an area of the museum with a second recognition plaque in that area and a third for home or office.
Become a friend
At the most recent count, there are 86 aircraft at various locations on Edwards or elsewhere in the Aerospace Valley, each to be taken under wing and adopted by a sponsor of the Flight Test Historical Foundation Museum.
In no particular order, the birds are:
- Beech UC-45J Expeditor, BuNo 67161
- Bell P-59A Airacomet, s/n 44-22633
- Bell X-1 (model)
- Bensen X-25B Gyrocopter, s/n 68-10771
- Boeing C-135A Stratolifter, s/n 60-0377
- Boeing C-135C Stratolifter, s/n 61-2669, “Speckled Trout”
- Boeing NB-52B Stratofortress, s/n 52-0008
- Boeing “Phantom Eye” test vehicle, s/n 001
- Boeing XB-47 Stratojet, s/n 46-0066
- Boeing X-48C “Mixed Wing”
- Boeing YC-15, serial number 72-1875
- Cessna NA-37B Dragonfly, s/n 73-1090
- Convair F-106B Delta Dart, s/n 59-0158
- Convair TF-102A Delta dagger, s/n 54-1353
- Convair YB-58A Hustler, s/n 55-665
- DeHavilland C-7B Caribou, s/n 63-9765
- Douglas A3D-1 Skywarrior, BuNo 135434
- Douglas C-53D Skytrooper, s/n 41-20093
- Douglas F-10B Skyknight, BuNo 125850
- Douglas PGM-17 THOR
- Douglas TB-26B Invader, s/n 44-34165
- Fairchild T-46A Eaglet, s/n 84-0492
- General Dynamics F-111A Aardvark, s/n 63-9766
- General Dynamics F-16B Fighting Falcon, s/n 75-0751
- General Dynamics F-16B Fighting Falcon, s/n 80-0634
- General Dynamics F-16XL, s/n 75-0747
- General Dynamics F-16XL, s/n 75-0749
- General Dynamics NF-111A Aardvark, s/n 63-9778
- Meteor Gloster TT.20, s/n WD592
- Grumman X-29, s/n 82-0049
- Gulfstream G2/G3 Shuttle Trainer Aircraft, (N944NA)
- Lockheed A-12 (oxcart), s/n 60-6924
- Lockheed C-130E Hercules, s/n 61-2358
- Lockheed C-140A JetStar, s/n 59-5962
- Lockheed D-21B, serial number 525
- Lockheed EF-80A Shooting Star, s/n 44-85123
- Lockheed F-104A Starfighter, s/n 56-801
- Lockheed NC-141A Starlifter, s/n 61-2779
- Lockheed NF-104A Starfighter, serial number 56-756 (56-760)
- Lockheed NF-104A Starfighter, s/n 56-790
- Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird, s/n 61-7955
- Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird, s/n 61-7973 (on loan),
- Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star, s/n 52-9846
- Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star, s/n 58-0669
- Lockheed U-2D, s/n 56-6721
- Lockheed YF-117A Nighthawk, s/n 79-10783
- Lockheed YF-22 Lightning II, s/n 87-0700
- Lockheed YF-94A Starfire, s/n 48-356
- Lo-FLYTE
- Martin B-57B Canberra, s/n 52-1576
- Martin Marietta MMC-845, s/n 01454
- McDonnell F-4C Phantom II, s/n 64-0741
- McDonnell Douglas F-15B Eagle, s/n 73-0114
- McDonnell Douglas YF-15A Eagle, s/n 71-0287
- McDonnell Douglas YF-4E Phantom II, s/n 65-0713
- McDonnell Douglas/Boeing X-36
- McDonnell F-101B Voodoo, s/n 58-288
- McDonnell NF-4C Phantom II, s/n 63-7407
- McDonnell RF-4C Phantom II, s/n 64-1004
- North American CT-39A Sabreliner, s/n 60-3505
- North American F-100A Super Saber, s/n 52-5760
- North American F-86F Saber, s/n 52-5241
- North American Trojan T-28B, BuNo 137702
- North American X-15 (mock-up)
- North American YF-100A Super Saber, s/n 52-5755
- Northrop T-38A Talon, s/n 61-0849
- Northrop F-89D Scorpion, serial number 52-1959
- Northrop T-38A Talon, s/n 61-0810
- Northrop X-21, s/n 55-408
- Northrop X-21, s/n 55-410
- Northrop X-4 Bantam, s/n 46-676
- Northrop YA-9A, s/n 71-1367
- Piasecki H-21B workhorse, s/n 52-8623
- Piper PA-48 Enforcer, s/n 48-8301002
- Republic F-105D Thunderchief, s/n 61-146
- Republic F-84F Thunderstreak, s/n 51-9350
- Republic YA-10B Thunderbolt II, s/n 73-1664
- Rockwell B-1B Lancer, s/n 84-0049
- Rutan Vari-eze, s/n N309V
- Ryan AQM-34J Firebee
- ATTT Scale Composites (Model 133)
- Scale Composites (Model 226), “Raptor D-2”
- Sikorsky CH-34G Seabat, s/n 53-4477
- Sikorsky H-3C, s/n 62-12581
- Vought YA-7D Corsair II, s/n 67-14583
- Vought YA-7F Strikefighter, s/n 71-0344
