To accommodate growing interest, the Aviation Museum of N.H. is expanding its public schedule from three days to five days each week. Starting Wednesday, March 5, the museum will be open to visitors Wednesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. Until now, the museum has been open Friday through Sunday. “Our new expanded schedule offers the public more opportunity to visit the Aviation Museum, view our exhibits, and get inspired by aviation and aerospace,” said Jeff Rapsis, the museum’s executive director. The new schedule and increased hours for visitors will be celebrated by a ribbon-cutting ceremony and cake on Wednesday, March 5 at 10 a.m. The public is invited. The expanded schedule nearly doubles the amount of time the Aviation Museum is open to the public each week, from 15 to 27 hours. Being open and accessible to the public is a crucial part of the Aviation Museum’s mission, Rapsis said. “As a non-profit, we’re here to serve the public—and we do that by being open,” Rapsis said. Group tours and school visits will continue to be arranged by appointment. Also, the Aviation Museum’s parking lot, which is adjacent to Runway 17-35 at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, remains open to the public seven days a week from dawn until 8 p.m. The Aviation Museum, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is housed in the 1937 passenger terminal at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport. It’s located at 27 Navigator Road, Londonderry, N.H. The museum, operated by the N.H. Aviation Historical Society, aims to preserve and popularize the region’s rich aviation heritage, and also to inspire today’s young people to become tomorrow’s aerospace professionals. More than 100 volunteers help guide visitors through the museum, manage its historic archive and collection, and participate in its youth aviation education outreach programs. The museum’s education activities include a high school student plane-building program now operating in three N.H. communities: Manchester, Lebanon, and Farmington. The Aviation Museum also operates ‘Flights of Discovery,’ a popular summer day camp, and welcomes student visits and field trips throughout the school year. The museum’s youth education program seeks to encourage young people to consider careers in aviation and aerospace, which makes up the largest sector of New Hampshire’s economy. The museum also offers regular weekly activities for visitors, including ‘Family Fun Fridays’ for young children and ‘Simulator Saturdays’ to give flying experience to those 13 and above.
