Warbird Information Exchange

Are you more likely to be interested in, donate to, or volunteer for a restoration project at a museum taking place if you are able to view the work via restoration shop tours and such.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager

Personally I would be more interested in the history and have a hand in the restoration or at least be able to see the restoration in progress

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A&P/I.A., A.A.S./Aviation Maintenance technology
Warbird salvage/recovery
One day I'll get that P-40!

I agree, and I think it is cool to be able to see the aircraft come together. I think it can also motivate folks to become a part of the museum.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager

Absolutely. It's inspiring to see these projects and worth a little donation for the chance to see them up close.
Jerry

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"Always remember that, when you enter the ocean or the forest, you are no longer at the top of the food chain."

No can't say that it has......

Mark H

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Fly safe or you get to meet me .......

I will usually make a small donation when I am at a museum that has a "keep whatever flying" or help "restore our current project". It isn't a lot, but every bit little helps. As far as volunteering, most places I visit are too far away from where I live.

Yes and No.


If I see QUALITY workmanship being done, then YES.


If I see amateurs, or skilled-but-lazy people, doing really poor work on static display aircraft, then NO. I think supporting them is simply contributing to the further destruction of the aircraft.


I'm fine with museums doing anything they want to an aircraft, until they start ruining the original components. Like putting wood screws into cowlings, to secure wire mesh over intakes, or welding MLG struts/torque links, or pop-riveting sheet metal panels over missing structure, or painting directly over canopies.


I can put up with poor paint schemes, but when I see something really out of whack, I feel my money/time/efforts would be better spent at a museum that is more serious about their collection.

Now, this is just MY personal preference. Y'all are certainly entitled to think and act differently.

Definitely. Not only does it make me want to donate more, but it increases the amount of visits I make to a museum so I can check out new progress on restorations. My Dad and I must have gone for two restoration center tours a month for years to see the SBD, PT-23, CG-4A, etc. restored. When you have that kind of access it's neat because you can watch everything take place before your eyes and see all the workmanship that goes into the restoration. I find that I can appreciate those restorations a lot more because I've seen what it looked like before, all the details that went into the restoration, and the final product when it's finished.

When the museum stopped offering restoration tours, we stopped going as frequently. You can only look at the same collection so many times, and it's just not as exciting as getting to see aircraft getting worked on and restorations taking shape.

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Matt

Yeah, really, all the restorations in my area are at least 3 hours away. That is why I am looking to bring one to my area.

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A&P/I.A., A.A.S./Aviation Maintenance technology
Warbird salvage/recovery
One day I'll get that P-40!

I've thought about the volunteer part, but then I hear stories about skilled volunteers being handed a brush & spending the first 18 months sweeping hangar floors... That ain't going to happen.

& then there is that entire CAF deal where they you expect you to pay to volunteer... That ain't happening either...

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Those who possess real knowledge are rare.

Those who can set that knowledge into motion in the physical world are rarer still.

The few who possess real knowledge and can set it into motion of their own hands are the rarest of all.

The challenge for the museum is that most people want to be part of a restoration project. However, few of those people are qualified - especially if the aircraft is being restored to flying status. One of the most common things I hear from perspective volunteers is 'I want to work on XXX Project'. When you ask about experience or qualifications, they often have none. On the plus side, most are more than willing to learn!
I think it's great, if a museum has the ability (space in particular), to have restoration work take place where the visitors can see what really goes into restoring the planes or keeping them in the air. Of course, this can be somewhat distracting to the volunteers, but overall, it's still a positive. Typically, if there's a donation bin next to a plane/project undergoing restoration, I'll drop in a few bucks. It's not much, but I can tell you from experience....every dollar counts!

At our museum the restoration area is open to visitors for both escorted and self guided tours.

Our course we have taken great pains to make it safe and secure by fencing off active work areas and other steps.

Many people think it is the highlight of coming to our facility as they can watch a restoration take place and it often leads to both the attraction of skilled volunteers and much needed $$$ to projects.

To any museum my recommendation is...just do it!

Takes some effort and causes some inconvenience but the overall benefits far out way any hassle created

Tom

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Alberta Aviation Museum
Edmonton Aviation Heritage Society

If I had had this man's attitude I would have missed nine of the most rewarding years of my life. Life is what you make of it. It may or may not be your thing but you need to check things out for yourself. Any body that wants to check my wing out is welcome. We don't bite. Oh and that CAF deal about paying pays the insurance and keeps the lights on my friend.

All the best,

Dan

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Check out our new website.
CAF SoCal Wing http://www.cafsocal.com/

The VFM hangar is one huge workshop. Right this minute, there is plenty of work going on:

- Two C-47s and one B-26K undergoing major restoration work









- A Waco CG-4A glider undergoing a full restoration



- Two AT-6 types undergoing in-depth annuals with their innards all exposed







- A Ryan PT-22 and an Aeronca L-3 both getting their fabric wings re-covered









- The local EAA chapter is building a 1/2 scale wood/fabric F4U Corsair replica



- Someone always has a cowling off of something (B-25, C-49J, Twin Beeches, Stinson Reliant, et al)



- My F-86 at least looks like it's being worked on



Our guests absolutely love it! At most other aviation museums, they get to see vintage aircraft. At VFM, they get to see what it takes to restore and maintain vintage aircraft. We're rather unique in that regard. Our guests can get very close to the planes being worked on (yes, the work areas are cordoned off) and really see what they're made of, see the tools and equipment the workers are using, and ask questions about what they're seeing. It's a fabulous learning experience for our guests. We're definitely not what most people expect. . . we're even better! We also have donation boxes scattered about the hangar. They're bright yellow and very eye-catching. At the end of the day, most of them contain money! Seeing the donated dollars at work definitely makes people want to help out.

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Dean Hemphill, K5DH
Port Charlotte, Florida

Amen to that!

They wanted my $40 dues money much much more than my 20 years of aircraft maintenance experience, my $100,000 in tools/shop equipment, or my free labor. When they gave me an ultimatum, pay dues or leave, I left. They considered me as just another potential money source, my abilities to restore aircraft were of little importance.

One thing I’ve learned, is that many folks who join groups like the CAF, are in it more for the social aspects than actually restoring aircraft. They wanted a reason to get out of the house/away from the spouse/hang with their buddies, and the CAF fit the bill. Some had no skills to offer, and never tried to learn any that would benefit the CAF projects. I went many Saturdays to find 8-10 people in the hangar, but only 1-2 actually trying to get any work done. The others would sit around and gossip or swap flying stories.




CAF dues money keeps the hangars lit, and in some cases, it also keep the members lit.

I was shocked when I attended their Christmas party one year. For a small group, with maybe 15 people present, there were 20 bottles of hard liquor, 6 gallons of wine, multiple cases of beer, a punchbowl that was 100-proof, a ton of snacks, and almost no food.

People were having a grand time, swapping flying stories, and getting rip-roaring drunk.

They never had money to buy even the cheapest supplies for the aircraft, but they spent an easy $500 on that party.

I am solely interested in preserving America’s aviation heritage, not supporting an aviation themed whiskey/coffee klatch.

Now that I’ve dumped on the CAF, let me say my remarks are about only one unit, at a certain time. I’m certain many of their squadrons are very serious about their work, and if I find one in the future, I will consider working with it.