A look at history

Docent Bill Haugen explains the special tiles on the shuttle.

A busload of aviation enthusiasts enjoyed the day November 8 at the Smithsonians's Udvar-Hazy Center. Members and guests got whilrwind tours of the vast aviation and aerospace collection.
A special thanks to Tom Jones and Dave Waldrup who joined the tour and added special insights.
The museum is planning its next bus trip in the spring and suggestions are welcome.

Astronaut Dick Gordon dies

Dick Gordon shows off Museum award presented by  Guy Walsh at Gemini dinner

Gemini and Apollo astronaut Richard "Dick" Gordon died Nov. 7 at age 88. A Navy veteran, he was a test pilot when he joined NASA's astronaut corps. 
Dick was the guest of honor when the Museum marked the 45th anniversary of the Gemini program in 2011.  He was an informative part of panel discussions, which spotlighted several people who worked on the program Maryland. Martin Marietta played a key role in the Titan missile used in the program.
Everyone who met Dick was impressed by his warmth and remember him fondly.

Look into planetary defenses

What happens when an asteroid or other near-earth object threatens us?

On November 6 Cheryl Reed, project manager of the DART program to redirect an asteroid, told audience about all the exciting programs at Johns Hopkins Applies Physics Laboratory.  Dr. Reed described NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test which is scheduled to launch in 2020 and will impact "Didymoon" in 2022.

Smithsonian Associates' visit to the Museum

Member David Power explains to visitors how he had to crawl to the nose to control cameras when he was a navigator on a B-57 in the 1950s.

Visitors from the Smithsonian Associates program followed the "Ghost of the China Clipper" to Middle River on Saturday, October 21.  The day-trippers made a stop at the Museum, where they heard archivist Stan Piet give a brief history of Glenn Martin and his factory.  They spent time looking at the Flight Line at Strawberry Point, where they heard members Ray Helmick and David Power give some inside information on some of the craft. They then headed for lunch and a talk on Pan Am and the China Clipper. In the afternoon, they took a tour of the Maryland Air  National Guard base.
Before boarding the bus back to Washington, they heard from Al Pollard, airport manager.

Al Pollard, airport manager, describes the importance of Martin State Airport.

Sorry, if we missed you

David and Regina Buehl join Peggy Smith (right) at the Museum's table.

The Museum was part of the Baltimore County Department of Aging Senior Expo at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium this week. The Expo featured hundred of exhibitors (including the Glenn L. Martin Maryland Aviation Museum) offering services, products and resources for seniors. The site also was home to a Job Fair, Art Show and entertainment.

Baltimore During World War II

Jack Burkert talks to members after his presentation.

Historian Jack Burkert informed and entertained visitors as the featured guest at Monday's Speaker Series.  His lively presentation focused on local indutries that thrived during World War II. Although his talk focused on  the "Big Three" industries that employed more than 100,000 people during the peak of the war effort -- steel making, ship building and aircraft manufacturing -- he also tipped his hat to the many other companies that contributed.
More than 50,000 people worked at the Martin Company and he hailed Glenn Martin as one of the aviation pioneers of the century.

Rosies and B-17 show up for weekend

Rosie Grace, three Rosebuds and some visitors ring bells commemorating workers in World War II.

The Museum hosted a bell ringing September 2 that was part of a national thanks to all Rosie the Riveters who helped in World War II.

The Liberty Foundation brought in its B-17 Flying Fortress Madras Maiden for the weekend but some bad luck kept it grounded. People were still able to admire the historic aircraft and take tours.

The weather did not deter fans who are waiting to get a ride on the Madras Maiden Saturday morning.

Open House for teachers Sunday

Coming to a museum near you

The Paint Team has been working hard to restore one of the Museum's RB-57A's.  After nearly a year of restoring, cleaning and painting, the aircraft is getting its final gloss coat.  This RB-57A was repainted in its black livery to reflect its mission as a night reconnaissance aircraft in Europe during the 1950s.

We missed you!

Volunteers get the table ready for bargain seekers.

Hundreds of visitors took a chance on the weather to come to the last Open Cockpit and Flea Market of the year at the Glenn L. Martin Maryland Aviation  Museum on Saturday. Buyers scooped up aviation photos, books and models at the Museum's table and still had time and money to check out all the merchandise  from the other vendors.

Families enjoyed the overcast and cool walk along the historic aircraft at Strawberry Point and the children were thrilled to sit in the cockpit of an historic  fighter, airliner or attack helicopter.

Don't forget the Museum is open all year long and you can visit the aircraft, just can't sit inside!

How We Learned to Love the B-52

Dave Waldrup, left, talks with visitors after his presentation.

Dave Waldrup, USAF veteran, was our guest at the monthly Speaker Series on August 7.

His topic was "The B-52 -- Toe to Toe with the Russkies." Attendees enjoyed his personal tour of being a B-52 crew member and some of the humorous episodes flying during a very serious time.

Spreading the word

Regina Buehl tells about the many accomplishments of Glenn Martin.

Members took the story of Glenn Martin and his company on the road Tuesday, although they did not have to travel far to find an audience at the Essex Branch of the Baltimore County Public Library. Regina Buehl, Stan Marzec, Steve Payne and other Museum members answered questions and offered glimpses into what motivated them to enjoy their volunteer time at the museum.

June Open Cockpit/Flea Market

Saturday Open Cockpit returns June 10, weather permitting. Come on out and enjoy seeing the Museum's historic aircraft at Strawberry Point. This may be your only chance to sit in the cockpit of a fighter, airliner or attack helicopter.
The doors open at 9 AM and the last tour bus leaves for Strawberry Point at 12:15. Don't miss your chance. Admission is $5 for adults and $1 for children.
For the first time, the Museum will also host a flea market with a variety of vendors.  There Museum will have a table with books and other aviation items.

Longtime member dies

Gene Regester, Martin Company photographer and longtime Museum supporter, has died.  Gene was a valuable source of information on the history of the company and helped organize many of our photographic files.
Here is a link to an interview Gene gave in 2010 about his brush with a "UFO."

Adopt one of our aircraft

For the first time, the aircraft of the Glenn L. Martin Maryland Aviation Museum will be available—for adoption. The aircraft can’t be taken home, and adopters won’t be responsible for care of the aircraft. Funds raised will help maintain the aircraft on display at Strawberry Point.

Thirteen of the museum’s aircraft are available for adoption, including the Martin 4-O-4 airliner, the UH-1M Huey helicopter and the F-100F Super Sabre. For a $25 donation, donors receive a personalized adoption certificate and a fact sheet about the aircraft they have adopted. They also receive recognition on the website. Adoptions are good for one year and are suggested for the aviation fan, all occasions (Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthdays, graduation, etc.) or to honor someone special.

Visit the museum’s website www.mdairmuseum.org/flight-line.html to download a form or adopt and aircraft online.

The Glenn L. Martin Maryland Aviation Museum is located at 701 Wilson Point Road, Middle River. Call 410-682-6122 for further information. 

Sorry we missed you

Parents and grandparents recorded the family visit.

The weather was clear and cool for the first Open Cockpit event of the season. Many families dropped by the see the Museum's aircraft and get a rare chance to sit inside many. The children, young and old, had fun exploring the historic Flight Line at Strawberry Point.

Your next chance to sit in a historic aircraft will be Saturday May 13, weather permitting. Don't miss the chance.  And, remember, the hours for the event have gotten earlier from 9 AM to 1 PM, so you can beat the heat, when it finally arrives.

Volunteer crew added SideWinder missile to the A-7D for Open Cockpit. 

Open Cockpit season resumes

Volunteers give the T-34C spring cleaning before Saturday's event.

April 8 marked the return of the popular Open Cockpit day when visitors, young and old alike, get a chance to sit in the Museum's historic aircraft.  This year, there are some changes: the hours for the open aircraft are 9 AM to 1 PM, so arrive early. Once again, there will be a shuttle bus to make your trip easier. There are plenty of other things to see when you come, so leave time for it all.

This week also begins our Adopt-an-Aircraft campaign when you can help support your favorite aircraft.  Information and forms will be at the museum, or you can look are our Aircraft webpage.

Museum gets a place in the Sun

Executive director Ted Cooper took the Sun on a tour of Strawberry Point.

A reporter and photographer from the Baltimore Sun visited the Museum recently and did a nice article profiling the organization. For a look, click on the link:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-martin-aviation-museum-20170225-story.html

Museum back in business

The museum is starting to get a whole new look.

The first phase of the museum's redesign has been completed!
Stop by and see how we are improving the education experience for our visitors. Stay tuned as our volunteers make even more changes.

STEAM  Education  Programs For Field Trip Learning

For teachers in search of outside the classroom learning experiences, consider the Glenn L. Martin Maryland Aviation Museum for your destination where students in grades 3 through 12 will be engaged, excited and inspired with aviation STEM. And they will be wowed with their up close visit with airplanes!!!  To schedule call 410-682-6122.

For Grades 3 -12

FROM WIND WAGONS TO ROCKETS

90 Minutes

$3 per student

From Wind Wagons to Rockets museum tour includes the Museum's exhibit gallery, housed within a World War II hangar built by the Glenn L. Martin Company and the outdoor flightline of 14 aircraft.

For Grades 3-5:

IT’S ROCKET SCIENCE

One hour

$6 per student

It's Rocket Science features the dynamics of flight. Students are recruited to demonstrate the principles  of flight as developed by the Wright brothers, the four forces of flight, Bernoulli’s Principle, and Newton’s Third Law of Motion. After a brief presentation on rocketry, each student designs and builds a paper rocket. The rockets are then launched and propelled by means of a pressurized launcher  through a designated target. With each attempt, students apply concepts of motion, trajectory and stability in refining optimal designs.

 

For Middle and High School Students  

THE B-26 ASSEMBLY TEAM PROJECT

Three and a half hours  (includes Museum tour and time for lunches students bring with them)    

$10 per student

Participants will assume the roles of aviation experts involved in an effort to restore the remains of the B-26 Marauder “Lady Kate”, their jobs mirroring the original B-26 assembly workforce in Tool Crib, Sub-Assembly, Transportation, Platform Assembly, and Final Assembly. This STEM exercise will incorporate World War II history setting the story of the aircraft, Geography setting the locations the aircraft flew, and Economics setting the tone of World War II homefront workers. Pre-visit preparation of students as instructed by this program’s Teacher Manual is required prior to students participating in the program.

              

New strategic plan

The Museum Board of Directors has adopted a long-range strategic plan  for the next five years. The link below will allow you to read the results of several months work by members of the board and volunteers.

Strategic Plan for 2017-2021

Chairman steps down

Jane acknowledges the gratitude of the audience.

Jane Michael, longtime Jill-of-all-trades at the Museum, stepped down on January 11 as chairman of the board when her two-year term was up.  Board members, volunteers and guests enthusiastically thanked her for her service. Jane said she would now limit herself to being the Museum "Administrator," which means she would continue her work to keep the organization moving  forward.