Economy, War On Terror Has Organizers Worried

Things may be tough for the airline industry, but you can bet your altimeter they're tougher for the airline museum industry. So says Foe Geldersma, President of the Airline History Museum in Kansas City (MO). It's not a new feeling. Supporters of the museum weren't sure how long they'd be able to pay the facility's $14,000 a month rent. Now, they're even less certain.

"We knew coming into this we could make it three or four years, and we would have to come up with more money," President Geldersma said in an exclusive interview with the Kansas City Business Journal. Even the museum's flagship, a Lockheed Constellation in TWA livery, hasn't seen a lot of action this year. "Where we normally would have between 12 and 18 air shows, this year we've had seven," Geldersma said. "This should have been a banner year because of the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers."

The Connie did make more than $22,000 for the museum's parent organization, Save A Connie, at the recent airshow in Dayton (OH). And, while actor/pilot John Travolta wants to fly the Constellation, he'll have to pay for it. "It costs us $2,800 an hour to fly that airplane," Geldersma said. "I can't justify that unless we get paid for it."

FMI: www.airlinehistorymuseum.com