The Airline History Museum, which has been at Kansas City’s Wheeler Downtown Airport for 35 years, is in a fight for its life with Signature Flight Support.
The museum has filed a lawsuit against Signature, which holds the master lease with the city on several hangars at the airport, and wants the museum out or, barring that, to pay rent.
In a petition at Change.org, museum officials note: “The Airline History Museum and Lockheed Constellation have been a landmark of Kansas City since 1986. Signature Flight Support wants to close the museum. Why…You might ask? Well we don’t know. We are written into the master lease and are a tenant through 2050 as part of that lease. Signature does not pay rent to the city for our property but are demanding that we pay rent to them.”
The petition had garnered more than 6,500 signatures by March 30, 2021.
The museum isn’t asking those who sign for money or donations. Instead they are asking for help to increase awareness of the problem.
“This isn’t a request for money or donations, this is a request to bring awareness to the fact that the Airline History Museum is written into the new 2005 Master Lease to remain at its current location as long as it remains a non-profit.”
The petition also includes the contact information for several city officials, including city council members, the director of aviation and the airport manager, with museum officials asking supporters to contact these people with a simple question: Why?
“Why is the Aviation Department and the City allowing this? Why has the Aviation Department and City Council allowed Signature to take $500,000 meant for our museum? Why does Signature refuse to return $61,500 in wrongfully collected rent?”
Learn more about the museum at its website, as well as in this article from CitySceneKC.com.
Opened in 1986, the museum’s collection includes a Lockheed Constellation, a DC-3, a Martin 404, Navy SNJ World War II trainer, and the last 1932 Northrop Delta.
Signature flight support is a horrible General Aviation FBO and
I believe this well known throughout the GA population. Check their fuel prices and ramp fees. They truly dont care for us and their disruption/destruction an aviation landmark is just further proof.
Signature owns the building and wants rent…Sounds plausible.
Is there a document that allows the Museum to live rent-free in the building? If so, it ought to be a quick court case. If not…..
Rc, Read the article again. Signature does not own the building. For whatever reason they hold a lease on it for which they do not pay rent. As for whether he museum, as part of the master lease, is allowed to use the building rent free until 2050 we would have to read the terms of the lease. Something tells me that Signature is not being a good land lord. Signature has a reputation for being a rapacious organization.