Museum News & Views - 2004/05

Aviation Museum? If not, visit the
museum’s new Web page at
www.modelaircraft.org/museum/index.asp.
Yes, it is a long title, but it is worth the
visit!
For years we have dealt with the issue
of how to make the museum’s collection
more accessible to our members, as many
will never be able to make the trip to
Muncie, Indiana.
Articles in Model Aviation and Cloud 9,
our Museum Patron newsletter, offer some
opportunities for coverage, but the Web
site offers us the best solution. The site
allows us to provide a glimpse into the
holdings of the museum.
Presently our Wright brothers exhibit
and our student aviation art contest are
highlighted on the front page. The
navigation menu on the left side of this
page provides visitors access to a wealth of
information.
Clicking on “Exhibits” will provide an
overview of some of the museum’s key
displays focusing on Free Flight, Control
Line, and Radio Control. Each display will
be highlighted by photographs of some of
the aircraft in the collection and
accompanying text.
As time allows, these categories will be
subdivided to incorporate various
aeromodeling specialties. In this manner
aircraft such as Elmer Wasman’s 1937
Radio Controlled White Mystery, George
Aldrich’s Control Line Nobler, and Carl
Goldberg’s Free Flight Sailplane can be
appreciated by visitors worldwide.
Similarly, “New Acquisitions”
highlights new additions to the collection
before they are placed on display.
The “Library” area will eventually
outline the holdings of the Lee Renaud
Memorial Library, providing researchers
with a list of materials such as magazines
that are available.
When this part is completed, clicking
on “Theater” will provide information
about the film(s) being shown in the
museum as well as any lectures or
seminars that are scheduled.
Information in the “Restoration Shop”
area includes projects under construction
or newly completed.
AMA’s online WebStore can be
accessed through the “Museum Store” link.
The area also contains photos of Cloud 9,
the museum’s store.
Under the “Education & Community”
link are highlights of programs presented
through the museum’s Outreach program.
Information and prices for scheduling a
group tour or educational trip are also
available in this section.
The “Patrons” area offers an overview
of the Museum Patron program. Here the
need for Museum Patrons and the benefits
of becoming one are outlined.
Clicking on the “Donations” link
outlines the requirements to donate
artifacts to the museum and includes a
PDF file of the museum’s artifactsubmission
form.
“History Program” is a link to
information about the museum’s efforts to
document the history of model aviation as
told through the personal stories of
aeromodelers. Many of the biographies and
autobiographies that have been collected—
now more than 330—are also available.
Biography writing guides and instructions
can be found in this area.
“Museum Information” provides
directions to the museum and lists hotels,
motels, and restaurants in the area. This
page also links to information about the
museum’s Steering Committee and offers
contact information for the museum staff.
If you happen to be online, please stop
by the site and visit.
By the way, have you sent in your
Museum News & Views
Michael Smith
National Model
Aviation Museum
Curator
Tel.: (765) 287-1256
Ext. 500
[email protected]
continued on page 179
biography to the museum’s history program? Do you know
someone whom you feel should be included? If so, please contact
our new Assistant Historian, Joe Fox, at
[email protected].
While the museum provides visitors with the opportunity to see
and learn about aeromodeling history, occasionally we are able to
use the facility to discuss the workings of museums.
Each year the Introduction to Public History class from Ball
State University visits museums and archives in the Muncie area
including the National Model Aviation Museum.
This year we divided the class into three groups and reviewed
the museum’s gallery, storage area, and archives. Unlike regular
educational tours, we do not discuss the collection. Instead we talk
about why and how we do things here in the museum in an
attempt to relate real-world situations to the class curriculum.
While it is of great help to the instructor, the visit allows staff
members to take a step back and re-examine museum operations
and use it as a benchmark regarding museum improvements.
In a similar fashion, staff and volunteers from another of
Muncie’s museums, the Minnetrista Cultural Center, visited the
National Model Aviation Museum. While the focus of our
facilities is different, we both deal with similar issues such as basic
exhibit design and construction and the reliability of hands-on
exhibits.
On this visit, the Minnetrista staff was particularly interested in
seeing the Wright brothers exhibit, discussing how we constructed
it, what problems we had been faced with, and any component
failures we had experienced since it was placed on display.
A vital learning experience, visits such as this and the
discussions that resulted allow for improved future exhibits.