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September 16, 2024

New England Air Museum’s ambitious $25M expansion plan aims to spur economic development, bolster aerospace industry

HBJ PHOTO | HANNA SNYDER GAMBINI New England Air Museum President and CEO Stephanie Abrams (left) and Vice President of Development Richard Cleary inside the museum’s Windsor Locks facility.
By Hanna Snyder Gambini
Exhibits on display at the New England Air Museum
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The New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks is planning an ambitious expansion that includes building a new multipurpose hangar, increasing enrollment in its educational programs, partnering with local industry and higher educational organizations and further highlighting the aerospace, engineering and manufacturing career fields.

The New England Air Museum dates back nearly 65 years, when it was originally founded as the Connecticut Aeronautical Historical Association in 1960. Later, it was dubbed the Bradley Air Museum for the state’s flagship airport, before relocating to its current site and being renamed again in the 1980s as the New England Air Museum.

It’s now the largest aviation and aerospace museum in New England, with more than 100 authentic and restored aircraft, ranging from early flying machinery to a B-29 Bomber and supersonic jets. It showcases warplanes and helicopters from World War II and Vietnam, and a new F-15 fighter jet that is still in active U.S. military service.

Over the past three years, the museum’s visitor count increased 20%, to 75,000 visitors annually.

The museum has more than 90,000 square feet of space, three exhibit hangars, daily programs and activities, as well as restoration hangars and digital displays.

But large aircraft take up a lot of space, and museum President and CEO Stephanie Abrams said the facility is “completely out of room.”

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Inside a hangar at the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks, which features vintage aircraft, flight simulators and exhibits.

A new $25 million expansion will not only create additional display areas, but more educational space and opportunities for community engagement and industry partnerships.

The museum is awaiting state Bond Commission approval for $15 million in state funding to help finance the project. When it becomes available, it will cover the construction of the new hangar, which is scheduled to break ground in 2025 and open in 2026, Abrams said.

The remaining $10 million will cover the cost of new digital classrooms and other educational initiatives involved in the museum’s strategic growth plan.

Those funds will come from individual donations, corporations, grants and other fundraising efforts, Abrams said. Offering naming rights for the new hangar, a planetarium and other new spaces is also an option for raising funds, she said.

History of flight

The new hangar will help the museum tell the complete history of flight, from its inception, which is ballooning, to other major milestones, Abrams said. The hangar will also include space for hands-on manufacturing exposure and a kiosk that lists available jobs in the industry.

A planetarium or digital and immersive dome will take visitors “to the far reaches of the universe through the technology of the James Webb Telescope, or you can go inside and literally explore a human cell,” Abrams said.

“There’s nothing like it in the state, and we feel it will drive workforce development, economic development and tourism,” she said.

Richard Cleary, the museum’s vice president of development, said education is a major focus for facility and program growth.

The museum currently hosts more than 5,000 area students in its STEM educational programs each year. The expansion will help accommodate the goal of serving up to 30,000 students, both on and off the museum campus, Cleary said.

Aside from expanding the Windsor Locks site, other plans are in the works for the development of a new Challenger Center, a concept that was created by the relatives of the astronauts who died in the 1986 Challenger disaster. The center would offer a space mission simulation with mission and briefing rooms, a planetarium and space lab.

The initiative, Cleary said, aims to expose students to STEM careers and promote aerospace education, with support from local corporations and educational institutions.

Still to be determined is where the Challenger Center will be located, museum officials said. They are in talks with leaders at Manchester Community College and Central Connecticut State University about possible site locations.

The goal of all educational programs is to provide digital exposure to STEM careers, Abrams said. The museum, for example, offers programs like SOAR for STEM, which provides lessons on the principles of flight, aircraft restoration and digital experiences.

The museum, which reported $2.55 million in revenue and a $740,428 deficit in fiscal 2023, also has dozens of engineering trades workers who volunteer their time restoring planes and machinery. The museum expansion will include an engine disassembly exhibit to educate visitors on manufacturing processes and career opportunities.

Abrams said the museum is looking to establish an extension location at Barnes Airport in Westfield, Massachusetts, to host fly-ins and expand its reach.

“We’re shifting from just being a museum to really promoting economic development, job markets and underserved industries,” Cleary said.

Several lawmakers have expressed support for the expansion and state funding, including state Rep. Tami Zawistowski (R-East Granby), who said the museum is a state asset that attracts national and international visitors to north-central Connecticut.

The museum has “increased opportunities for education and workforce development through hands-on programs for all age groups,” Zawistowski said.

“This provides potential career opportunities for participants and helps bolster interest in aerospace employment with our local manufacturers,” she added. “The museum’s exciting expansion plans build on this momentum and have great potential for increased tourism, expanded educational offerings and will benefit our local communities and beyond.”

Correction: The museum is awaiting state Bond Commission approval for $15 million in state funding to help finance its planned expansion project. A previous version of this story incorrectly said the Bond Commission has already approved the funds. 

Exhibits On Display

The New England Air Museum has various exhibits, including:

  • Tuskegee Airmen: Their Untold Story allows visitors to hear firsthand accounts of the pioneering Black aviators in World War II.
  • New England Women in Aviation highlights many of the female aviators and innovators in the early 20th century up to modern-day pilots and astronauts.
  • The Kosciuszko Squadron tells the tale of a Polish fighter squadron that flew outmoded planes, but achieved the highest kill rate and fewest casualties of any Allied air unit in World War II.
  • There’s also a multimedia exhibit that goes inside the mind of the legendary Russian-American aviation pioneer Igor Sikorsky.

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