The 2007 APM Fundraising Campaign has been a great success. We have exceeded the goal of $19,500 and have topped $22,000 as of February 1, 2008. We gratefully acknowledge the donors who have generously contributed to preserving the APM’s collection.
We also received donations from Ron Price and William J. Purcell that are slated for APM projects beyond this fund drive and we wish to thank them for their donations as well.
If you’d like to donate here is a link to donate online:
Here is the fundraising kickoff letter:
From: APM Board of Trustees and AAA National Directors
To: All AAA members
November 5, 2007
Re: APM Update
Dear AAA/APM Supporter:
Periodically, it’s wise for any organization to step back and evaluate itself, to strip off the image and see exactly what it is and where it wants to go. Recently the Airpower Museum (APM) Board met with AAA (Antique Airplane Association) National Board members at Antique Airfield to chart strategies to Keep The Antiques Flying into the future. We began our trip into that future by conducting a walk-through inventory of the museum buildings, including the APM “Library of Flight”, to see where we’ve been and what we have. Frankly, we couldn’t help but be impressed by what’s accumulated over the years, thanks to members’ contributions. Now, we must decide how to preserve, promote and utilize this treasure you’ve entrusted to our oversight.
At the heart of the Airpower Museum is the newly completed APM “Library of Flight”. It houses an immense collection of aviation books, periodicals, artwork, artifacts and – perhaps most important - reams of priceless antique aviation data, that includes drawings, manuals, tech sheets.the list goes on. As volunteers slowly catalogue this collection a vast resource opens for all antiquers and historians. One day, we hope to have much of this information searchable online, providing a research site for not only AAA/APM members but also to the rest of the world including antiquers yet to come. For now, everything is safely stored on shelves and cabinets. If APM had nothing else, the APM “Library of Flight,” alone, would make all the effort and expense to maintain it worthwhile. But APM does have more – lots more.
APM includes several buildings on Antique Airfield, each stuffed with a wide assortment of aircraft (46 total) in various stages of condition, from airworthy to displaying the providence and patina of age to needing restoration. It’s possible that as many as a dozen of these aircraft could be returned to airworthiness with a thorough annual inspection and a little work.
However, that being said, Antiques do not preserve themselves. They need help. Your APM needs help. Our first duty is to house and protect these gems and, in years to come, rebuild as many as possible to airworthy status. Before a rib can be stitched, however, the buildings themselves, up to 38 years old, need to be upgraded. Sadly, many suffer from water damage. Poor drainage, leaking roofs and the inevitable strain of time shows on these old hangars. They need help. The Board members came up with a list of must-do-right-now items to stabilize things. Volunteers – the backbone of AAA/APM – can provide much of the labor, but the APM needs everyone’s help. Here’s our proposal:
Long-term, the APM will expand. Antique airplanes and their legacy will fly into the future, returning each year for the AAA/APM National Fly-In. The APM Board is actively developing an action plan to see that we set and reach specific goals. Before we get too excited, we need to meet short-term challenges. The APM needs immediate infrastructure attention. This takes money. Our goal is to raise $19,500 before the end of 2007. With these funds we can address the immediate threats to the APM collection. Once complete, the APM will then be able to implement its plan for the future: We can decide which airplanes to restore first. We can look at expanding and improving the hangar space to better display the aircraft. We can continue to catalogue the entire APM “Library of Flight” collection and get it on the shelves and, perhaps, online. We can look toward the future knowing we’ve protected the facilities from present threats.
This is where you come in. We all love antique airplanes. We love the history, fun and social aspects of the antique airplane community. As antiquers we also know that restoration is Step #1, and maintenance is never-ending. So, please, send the APM whatever you feel is appropriate. It’s all tax-deductible, and the enclosed self-addressed envelope makes supporting the APM easy. Whatever you decide, please, respond quickly. Antiques, and antiquers, get older every day – one reason we love ‘em – and so does the APM. With your continued help, the APM and APM “Library of Flight” will keep our collective dreams flying.
Yours truly,
Jim Jones, APM Board
Paul Berge, AAA National Board
Jim Jones, AAA Lifetime M-20547, of Newton, Iowa, has served on the APM Board of Directors for several years. Jim is a corporate pilot and has restored, owns and flies a Meyers OTW. He was the Executive Director of the Newton Airshow for nine years. He has been the Chaplain and organizer of the annual “Gone West” memorial services here at Antique Airfield during the Annual AAA/APM Fly-In.
Paul Berge, AAA Lifetime M-17344, lives in central Iowa. He was an FAA air traffic controller for many years, is a CFII and utilizes his own Aeronca Champ for instruction. Paul was the editor of IFR magazine for five years and host of Iowa Public TV’s Side Roads, as well as a freelance producer. He’s a professional writer with a regular column called “Flights of Fancy” in The Pacific Flyer magazine. His books include Bootleg Skies, Ailerona and the Logbook. He currently hosts the Hangar Flying Theater aviation blog. Paul has been the MC of the annual awards ceremony at the AAA/APM Invitational Fly-In.