Sun Jan 13, 2008 12:23 am
I started volunteering with the B-17 "Chuckie" in 1987 (long before we had an acutal museum.) The first words from the owner were," Welcome---Don't touch a Damm thing!" I started out as a wrench holder, flashlight holder, gofer. When we moved into our home (now Vintage Flying Museum) I dug up and patched water lines, fixed toilets, painted walls, swept floors, changed light bulbs, killed wasp nests, mended fences. AND learned everything I could about the B-17. I learned how to read the blueprints on the micro film, poured over the T.O.'s, ask questions, and more questions, learned by doing. Now I'm about to finish my A&P rating, I have about 100 hours right seat time in the B-17, I am getting typed rated as PIC in the B-17, and have started checking out in the B-25. I have gotten to fly other warbirds too. I've been lucky, BUT I have also worked me A** off too.
So if you want to move up in a museum. Be willing to do ANYTHING, ask questions, shut up and listen, BE PATIENT, and check your ego at the door.
Patrick Mahaffey
B-17 "Chuckie" pilot/mechanic
B-25 "Pacific Prowler" pilot/mechanic
So if you want to move up in a museum. Be willing to do ANYTHING, ask questions, shut up and listen, BE PATIENT, and check your ego at the door.
Patrick Mahaffey
B-17 "Chuckie" pilot/mechanic
B-25 "Pacific Prowler" pilot/mechanic
Sun Jan 13, 2008 4:21 pm
pmahaffey wrote:So if you want to move up in a museum. Be willing to do ANYTHING, ask questions, shut up and listen, BE PATIENT, and check your ego at the door.
What Patrick said!
The more you vounteer, the more opportunities will open for you. It's a question of building skill levels and trust.
Once you've become skilled and trusted, a lot more can happen.
Also, when others in the field are looking for some assistence in their project, a museum director's phone call can introduce you to an entire other type of volunteering.
I've had many doors open across the United States just because of my time as a volunteer curator at the New England Air Museum.
And just so you know, those doors keep opening even though I'm not an active volunteer any more.
Go Volunteer Anywhere!
It's all fun!
Jerry
Sun Jan 13, 2008 8:07 pm
For the wonderful year that I was a member/volunteer at Grissom Air Museum, I got inside most of the planes on display for cleaning or minor repairs. The guy in charge of maintaining the aircraft and grounds asked me if I would take care of the insides of the aircraft as he was unable to. I jumped at the opportunity! Seeing how complete the KC-97 is inside or how bad the B-17 looks inside is both wonderful and depressing. The F-102 cockpit is very complete and fun to sit in and daydream.
I am really gonna miss that place now that I live so far away
I am really gonna miss that place now that I live so far away
Sun Jan 13, 2008 10:32 pm
This is not the first time a thread like this as come up. I'm glad it has come up again. All museums need volunteers!
For those of us who are not pilots or A&Ps (me, for example), there are still plenty of opportunities to do good stuff at your local avaiation museum. I've been with VFM for two years. I started out sweeping the hangar floor, taking out the trash, and doing similar fun jobs... the "grunt work". Over time, I've worked my way up to bigger and better things. I do some mechanical and restoration work on the B-17. I crew the B-17 to air shows. I'm trained in most of the ground crew duties, and I served as the B-17 ground crew chief at one air show this season. I work as a tour guide in the Museum and at air shows. I am in charge of procuring vintage WW2 radio equipment that will be used in the eventual restoration of the B-17's radio comparment. Of course, the hangar always needs sweeping, there is always oil to clean up, the trash always needs emptying, and something always needs fixing. There is always a need for someone to be the wrench-holder or go on a parts run. One Sunday when the nice lady who runs the gift shop called in sick, I assumed the job of "gift shop lady" for the day. I do whatever is asked of me. It's not always fun, but it's always fun! Those of you who do volunteer work know exactly what I mean by that!
To answer some of the original questions... The Museum staff knows my talents and abilities, and I am allowed free access to the B-17 (which is necessary when I work as a tour guide). I am allowed free access to the maintenance shop, the machine shop, and most of the storage areas. I am allowed to perform minor repair, maintenance, and restoration work on the B-17; tasks are assigned to me by one of the licensed A&Ps, and my work is inspected by them afterwards. I am allowed to help the mechanics with major repair and maintenance work on the B-17. I've helped with engine and prop removal and installation, for example. I've also done some of the inspection tasks for the Annual. Only a handful of checked-out personnel are allowed to start, run-up, taxi, and fly the B-17; those people are all pilots and/or A&Ps. Most of the warplanes in our hangar belong to private owners who lease hangar space from us, and only the owners work on them and fly them. The remainder of the Museum-owned aircraft are not flying.
Is there an aviation museum in your area? Go check it out! You may think you don't have any useful talents, but trust me... there is something you can do to help, whether you realize it or not. Even if it's just emptying the trash or sweeping the hangar floor, your efforts WILL be appreciated.
Cheers!
For those of us who are not pilots or A&Ps (me, for example), there are still plenty of opportunities to do good stuff at your local avaiation museum. I've been with VFM for two years. I started out sweeping the hangar floor, taking out the trash, and doing similar fun jobs... the "grunt work". Over time, I've worked my way up to bigger and better things. I do some mechanical and restoration work on the B-17. I crew the B-17 to air shows. I'm trained in most of the ground crew duties, and I served as the B-17 ground crew chief at one air show this season. I work as a tour guide in the Museum and at air shows. I am in charge of procuring vintage WW2 radio equipment that will be used in the eventual restoration of the B-17's radio comparment. Of course, the hangar always needs sweeping, there is always oil to clean up, the trash always needs emptying, and something always needs fixing. There is always a need for someone to be the wrench-holder or go on a parts run. One Sunday when the nice lady who runs the gift shop called in sick, I assumed the job of "gift shop lady" for the day. I do whatever is asked of me. It's not always fun, but it's always fun! Those of you who do volunteer work know exactly what I mean by that!
To answer some of the original questions... The Museum staff knows my talents and abilities, and I am allowed free access to the B-17 (which is necessary when I work as a tour guide). I am allowed free access to the maintenance shop, the machine shop, and most of the storage areas. I am allowed to perform minor repair, maintenance, and restoration work on the B-17; tasks are assigned to me by one of the licensed A&Ps, and my work is inspected by them afterwards. I am allowed to help the mechanics with major repair and maintenance work on the B-17. I've helped with engine and prop removal and installation, for example. I've also done some of the inspection tasks for the Annual. Only a handful of checked-out personnel are allowed to start, run-up, taxi, and fly the B-17; those people are all pilots and/or A&Ps. Most of the warplanes in our hangar belong to private owners who lease hangar space from us, and only the owners work on them and fly them. The remainder of the Museum-owned aircraft are not flying.
Is there an aviation museum in your area? Go check it out! You may think you don't have any useful talents, but trust me... there is something you can do to help, whether you realize it or not. Even if it's just emptying the trash or sweeping the hangar floor, your efforts WILL be appreciated.
Cheers!
Mon Jan 14, 2008 10:25 pm
I've been lucky enough to be a volunteer at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton since age 10 (I'm 20 now).
After I learned what I felt was enough, I began giving tours of the museum. It felt great to be the one passing on the knowledge and thinking that maybe some day one of them will have as much of an interest in aviation as myself.
From the tours I moved on to groundcrew for the "Legends" flights (Harvard and Stearman flights). Started out being the chock boy, moved on to wiping the plane down, and fueling, strapping passengers in, marshaling. A lot of fun, still do it when I'm not away at college!
Even the pilots start out just by coming out frequently and showing an interest. They're not gonna give someone they don't know all the fun!
One other thing, got my first flight with the museum when I was 11 or 12, it was in the Chipmunk. Since then I've flown twice more in the Chippie, I've been in the Stearman, Harvard, Beech 18 (several times), B-25 and PBY, at no extra cost, just a result of working hard and having fun! Also, never met a better group of people, I've met most of my close friends there.
After I learned what I felt was enough, I began giving tours of the museum. It felt great to be the one passing on the knowledge and thinking that maybe some day one of them will have as much of an interest in aviation as myself.
From the tours I moved on to groundcrew for the "Legends" flights (Harvard and Stearman flights). Started out being the chock boy, moved on to wiping the plane down, and fueling, strapping passengers in, marshaling. A lot of fun, still do it when I'm not away at college!
Even the pilots start out just by coming out frequently and showing an interest. They're not gonna give someone they don't know all the fun!
One other thing, got my first flight with the museum when I was 11 or 12, it was in the Chipmunk. Since then I've flown twice more in the Chippie, I've been in the Stearman, Harvard, Beech 18 (several times), B-25 and PBY, at no extra cost, just a result of working hard and having fun! Also, never met a better group of people, I've met most of my close friends there.
Mon Jan 14, 2008 11:04 pm
As some like to say, when I first got involved with the BAHF 13 years ago, I "didn't know the front of the airplane from the back". (Not exactly true).
However, I had an open mind, an eagerness to learn, and a desire to be involved. Now 13 years later, I'm 35, have an A&P, which I earned through experience, Im working on my Recip FE rating, and Ive sat as Crew Chief/Flight Mechanic on so many C-54 flights, I can no longer keep count.
The menial jobs I was given in the beginning were as nasty as cleaning the oil screens (Much worse when we used straight mineral oil), to sweeping the floor and painting, etc.
As the years wore on, I have been involved with and even supervised some of the more complicated maintenance, such as prop removal and installation, and engine removal and installation. Oh yeah, plus I'm now the Vice President! (How that happened, I'll never figure out..
)
All of these things can be accomplished by any volunteer, provided he is an effective volunteer. That is, you have to care. If you care about what you're getting involved in, your ego will automatically be checked at the door and your eyes, ears and mind will open and your mouth will shut.
All is takes is someone willing to put forth the effort.
We're always accepting volunteers by the way and you can check out how to get involved by visiting our website at www.spiritoffreedom.org
However, I had an open mind, an eagerness to learn, and a desire to be involved. Now 13 years later, I'm 35, have an A&P, which I earned through experience, Im working on my Recip FE rating, and Ive sat as Crew Chief/Flight Mechanic on so many C-54 flights, I can no longer keep count.
The menial jobs I was given in the beginning were as nasty as cleaning the oil screens (Much worse when we used straight mineral oil), to sweeping the floor and painting, etc.
As the years wore on, I have been involved with and even supervised some of the more complicated maintenance, such as prop removal and installation, and engine removal and installation. Oh yeah, plus I'm now the Vice President! (How that happened, I'll never figure out..
)
All of these things can be accomplished by any volunteer, provided he is an effective volunteer. That is, you have to care. If you care about what you're getting involved in, your ego will automatically be checked at the door and your eyes, ears and mind will open and your mouth will shut.
All is takes is someone willing to put forth the effort.
We're always accepting volunteers by the way and you can check out how to get involved by visiting our website at www.spiritoffreedom.org