If you consider yourself a true aviation aficionado, whether pilot or aviation enthusiast, and you find yourself near Manchester, New Hampshire, make sure to visit the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire.
A 501c-3 non-profit operated by the New Hampshire Historical Society, the musem is on the east side of the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (KMHT) just over the city line in Londonderry. This Art Deco building used to be on the west side of the airport at one time, but that story comes later.
The museum is packed with New Hampshire aviation memorabilia, aircraft displays, airplane engines of various sizes, and a couple of flight simulators.
In fact, the museum has something for all age groups that will allow people to meander here for hours.
For plane spotters, the parking lot gives a commanding view of the runways, taxi area, and modern terminal on the other side of the airport. You can easily sit in your car and watch airplanes land and take off all day.
Inside the museum they maintain a daily schedule of the commercial aircraft arrivals and departures so you won’t miss seeing those modern jet passenger planes in action.
The museum also maintains a comfortable and inviting library devoted to aviation. It’s a good place to visit if you are interested in aviation history, both local and worldwide.
For example, did you know the Granville brothers who designed and built the famous Gee Bee racing aircraft came from Madison, New Hampshire?
Museum officials also do a lot to inspire young people who might have an interest in aviation or those who have not yet discovered what their aerospace interest might be.
First, there is a K-8 school outreach program to expose youngsters to the world of aviation.
For high school age kids the museum partners with schools such as the Manchester School of Technology to build a Light Sport RV 12iS two-seater aircraft. They also partner with Tango Flight, a Texas-based organization to provide STEM curriculum for both mentors and students.
They raised the money to pay for the RV-12iS airplane kit through private and corporate donations.
Through these partnerships one plane has already been completed and flown to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.
That plane has been sold at market value and the proceeds will pay for the next aircraft kit.
The museum is looking forward to finding other schools to partner with to replicate this unique aviation experience.
The museum also runs an aviation summer camp for kids where they can get more intense exposure to flight. As part of that summer camp, they enlist the help of a nearby Experimental Aircraft Association chapter to provide free Young Eagles flights. This is often the catalyst to help someone decide to become a pilot or explore some other area of aviation.
Through donations they provide summer camp scholarships for disadvantaged young people.
The Art Deco building I mentioned earlier was the original terminal for the Manchester Airport built in 1937 under the auspices of the Works Progress Administration, commonly known as the WPA.
It was moved across the airport runway and taxiways on June 27, 2004. Just imagine what the NOTAM looked like on that day!
In 2011 The Slusser Aviation Learning Center, a sizable building attached to the original old terminal building was opened. This was made possible through a donation made by Eugene and Ann Slusser. This building now houses a large display area, offices, and the library.
If you live in New Hampshire or are traveling in that area, treat yourself to an interesting and pleasant visit to the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire.
It is open to the public on Friday and Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
Fore more information: nhahs.org