Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum
Jay Smith, Editor-in-Chief
jays@modelaircraft.org
When traveling, I often try to take time to see something aviation related. That often takes the form of a museum. Such was the case on a recent trip to St. Louis, when I had the pleasure of visiting the Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum at the Creve Coeur Airport in Maryland Heights, Missouri.
The museum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit educational institution. Its primary goal is the acquisition, restoration, display, and operation of antique and vintage aircraft. The collection is housed inside four hangars and focuses mainly on the Golden Age of Flight, encompassing roughly 50 aircraft. The museum also has a large collection of Waco aircraft.
My tour guide, Patrick Crouch, happened to be an AMA member who flies Giant Scale aircraft. The tour provided the opportunity to get right up next to all of the aircraft—and even sit in the cockpit of an Antonov An-2. The tours are generally small and visitors are provided plenty of time to pour over the aircraft in the collection.
I found myself drawn to the Standard J-1 biplane that was used in the movies The Great Waldo Pepper and The Rocketeer. The aircraft was restored to look just as it did in The Great Waldo Pepper and that alone was worth the $10 for admission! You will also find a few aviation items for sale in the airport office. I purchased a book about the museum and its aircraft on display.
If you find yourself in the St. Louis area, I highly recommend visiting the Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum!
Nats 2016
This year we celebrated 90 years of Nats competition. In this issue, we provide you with an overview of what took place at the event. If you would like further details and a daily report of the competition, be sure to check out NatsNews, the daily newsletter covering the event. It can be found at www.modelaircraft.org/events/nats/natsnews.aspx.
“The museum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit educational institution. Its primary goal is the acquisition, restoration, display, and operation of antique and vintage aircraft. The collection is housed inside of four hangars and focuses mainly on the Golden Age of Flight encompassing roughly 50 aircraft.”
