Page 9 - August 2015 Volume 9, Number 8

One of the recent additions to the museum’s collection, a 1943 Beechcraft D17S Staggerwing nicknamed Gilmore. (MUSEUM PHOTOGRAPHER BOB BURNS)
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.” KA
AUGUST 2015
KING AIR MAGAZINE • 7