Olive Ann Beech was not impressed when first approached, in 1973, by the founders of the newly forming Staggerwing Museum Foundation in Tullahoma, Tennessee. She told the organizers she wasn’t a fan of museums and that they were often underfunded ideas that lost steam.
The then-chairman of Beech Aircraft had a change of heart, though, when she saw that after several years the museum was continuing to grow and operate debt-free, without financial support from her or her company.
Olive Ann became very supportive, having historical documents and artifacts related to the Staggerwing sent to the museum, and visiting the museum for dedications of new hangars and galleries. Her family, the company and many long-time employees have continued to contribute items to the museum. Thanks to those contributions, donations and loans from other aviation enthusiasts, the museum has grown into the Beechcraft Heritage Museum, promoting aviation education and preserving the heritage of all Beechcraft models from 1932 through the present. Last year the museum attracted more than 3,500 driving or flying visitors, not including local school groups and another 500 who attended the museum’s annual Beech Party fly-in.
Why Tullahoma?
Walter H. Beech was raised in Pulaski, Tennessee, but the real reason a museum tracing the lineage of the company he founded in Wichita, Kansas, is located in Tennessee is that a group of Staggerwing enthusiasts happened to live in the middle Tennessee area when the idea for the museum came about.
A 1973 Staggerwing Club event in Tullahoma featured famed aviatrix Louise Thaden, who won the 1936 transcontinental Bendix Trophy Race in a Model C17R Staggerwing. She mentioned that the group of enthusiasts led by Dub Yarborough, Jim Gorman and John Parish Sr. should consider a museum to preserve the Staggerwing’s legacy and that she would donate her collection of trophies along with a lifetime of aviation memorabilia. (Editor’s Note: Coincidentally, there is a historical article about Thaden starting on page 22 of this issue of King Air.)
The museum began that same year as the Staggerwing Museum Foundation. Parish Sr., today chair of the museum’s board, donated the land on the field of the Tullahoma Regional Airport (THA). The first building was a small log cabin built to display Thaden’s memorabilia. Glen McNabb, a corporate pilot and FBO owner, became the museum’s curator.
Seventy miles southeast of Nashville and not far off of Interstate 24 near the midpoint between Nashville and Chattanooga, Tullahoma is a town of about 20,000. Many aviation enthusiasts have been drawn through the years to work at the town’s Arnold Engineering Development Complex – the nation’s largest complex of flight simulation test facilities. Established in 1951, it is on the site of the former Camp Forrest, one of the largest Army bases in the United States during World War II.
Today, original members are involved with the museum and many of the officers, board members and staff are second generation. For example, Wade McNabb, son of original curator Glen McNabb, is the current curator and CEO of the Beechcraft Heritage Museum.
(Photo credit: Jonathon Campbell)
Unique Aircraft, Rare Artifacts
(Photo credit: MeLinda Schnyder)
What started as a narrow focus has grown into the most comprehensive collection of Beechcraft artifacts and aircraft in the world. The museum changed its name to reflect its scope in 2007, becoming the Beechcraft Heritage Museum. The original log cabin is now the Louise Thaden Library and is surrounded by 60,000 square feet of exhibit space housing nearly three dozen aircraft and thousands of pieces of memorabilia.
“We attract many people with or without an aviation interest, and those with an aviation interest aren’t always Beechcraft owners,” said Wade McNabb. “Anyone interested in airplanes will find it fascinating. The artifacts, the airplanes themselves, the architecture of our buildings and the campus – we have a comfortable place to come and see some really neat stuff.”
Pilots love the opportunity to park their airplane on the museum’s lawn and walk up to the entrance, a pathway that evokes a runway. The front of the museum campus is stunning, with a full glass hydraulically lifting hangar door welcoming guests and showcasing a 1943 Model D17S Staggerwing.
Once inside, every hangar, gallery and hallway is full of one-of-a-kind artifacts: Olive Ann’s original handwritten ledger from the factory, her corporate office furniture, hand-drawn aircraft paint schemes, bound collections of early photographs, wind tunnel models, the original landing-gear mechanism for the Staggerwing, aircraft cutaways, Thaden’s competition certificate signed by Orville Wright, advertising replicas and much more.
The 35 aircraft on display across several hangars include a Staggerwing, Travel Air, Twin Beech, Bonanza, Baron, Duke and a Starship.
“No question the centerpiece of the collection is the first Staggerwing and the first Beechcraft product produced – a Model 17R,” Wade McNabb said.
The first Beechcraft, a Model 17R registered NC499N, was test flown by Wilbur “Pete” Hill on Nov. 5, 1932, less than seven months after the company was founded. The aircraft served as the Beechcraft demonstrator until 1934, when the Ethyl Corporation purchased it. The aircraft was severely damaged in upstate New York in 1935. Nearly 50 years later, in 1984, museum member Stephen Pfister located the plane’s wreckage where it had been buried and began the reconstruction effort. The Staggerwing Museum Foundation purchased the aircraft, completed its restoration and dedicated NC499N in honor of Pfister in 1990. Known as Staggerwing No. 1, the aircraft resides in the Walter H. Beech Hangar with other Staggerwing and Travel Air planes.
Beech Party Fly-In
The invite reads: “Whether you are a passionate aviator, an enamored enthusiast or own any brand of aircraft, please come to Tullahoma on the third week of October. You will find all ages of aircraft, from vintage biplanes through modern turboprops, and everything in between. Last year’s gathering brought in over 125 airplanes, including a variety of Beechcraft treasures along with many other shapes, sizes and classic flying machines.”
The annual Beech Party is Oct. 14-18 on the grounds of the museum, which you can fly into and park your airplane 100 feet from the entrance. McNabb estimates that 500 guests attended last year.
This year’s theme is Women in Aviation, and special guest Fran Bera is scheduled to attend. Bera is an International Pioneer Hall of Famer and a seven-time winner of the All Women Transcontinental Air Race/Powder Puff Derby.
Beech Party is a chance to spend quality time in the air (about 9,000 gallons of fuel were pumped at THA last year), as well as attend exhibits and educational seminars from industry leading companies, respected restorers and knowledgeable technicians. Tom Clements is returning by popular demand to share his King Air expertise and provide a personal book signing. Sarasota Avionics is conducting a hands-on Garmin seminar. Former Beechcraft executive Jack Braly will present a special program on the design, production and flying of the Starship.
Museum members and non-members can attend. To register or for more information, visit www.BeechcraftHeritageMuseum.org.
King Air Society
After the museum started in 1973 with an emphasis on Staggerwings, the first major expansion came in 1995 with the addition of the Twin Beech 18 Society and the Bonanza/Baron division was launched in 2003. The museum formed the King Air Society in 2013 and made a push in 2014 to get more King Air owners to the Beech Party.
“We had about 10 to 12 King Airs show up, including Jack Braly, who has become a fixture at Beech Party, in his F90. (Editor’s Note: Mr. Braly’s F90 is featured on the cover of this issue of King Air magazine.) The idea is to build momentum on getting more artifacts and items here at the museum to support the history of the King Air,” Wade McNabb said. “Ideally, you’d see a full line of Beech aircraft at the museum, including the King Air line. I’d love to see a 90, 100, 200 and even a 300 eventually.”
The societies work as divisions or interest areas of the museum; a member can identify which Beech-craft model they are interested in when they join. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, Beechcraft Heritage Museum operates on annual memberships, donations to the Friends of the Museum program and income from its investment portfolio. Annual membership dues are $50 and lifetime memberships are $1,500.
When asked when the museum might get its first King Air to display, McNabb answered playfully, “There are always things in the works that we hope to announce in the near future. I didn’t envision that we would have a Duke and now we do, so I would anticipate a King Air in the not so distant future.”
IF YOU GO
Beechcraft Heritage Museum
Tullahoma, Tennessee
Located on the field of the Tullahoma Regional Airport (THA)
Hours
March 1 through Nov. 30: Tuesday-Saturday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
December through February: by appointment only
Admission
Adults: $10; Ages 12-17: $5
Ages 11 & under: free
Members: free
Membership
$50 annual dues or $1,500 lifetime
Beech Party annual fly-in
Oct. 14-18, 2015
Registration open to members and non-members
More information
(931) 455-1974
www.BeechcraftHeritageMuseum.org
Allow a couple of hours to explore the museum’s eight exhibit areas, more depending on how much of the files
you want to explore.
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