Kentucky’s Aviation Museum Receives Major Boost with $4 Million State Funding

Aviation Museum of Kentucky Benefits from Significant State Funding

A Gust of Support

Lexington, Ky. — The Aviation Museum of Kentucky, an emblem of aviation history and aerospace exploration, has recently been granted a substantial financial boost by the state. The museum, located at Blue Grass Airport, is receiving $4 million as part of Lexington’s $9-million share from the $2.7 billion state budget for one-time expenses. The allocation primarily focuses on facility improvements at the airport and the state’s aviation museum.

Learning to Fly High

Ron McBride, chairman of the museum’s board of trustees and a retired law enforcement officer who flies planes for recreation, knows the stories attached to every artifact displayed at the museum. He described a replica of the Sellers quadruplane, an early precursor to modern airplanes, on display at the museum. “The uniqueness of the thing is that it flew,” he said. “I wouldn’t fly in it, you wouldn’t fly in it, but it’s a step toward the future.”

The Aviation Museum of Kentucky, since its establishment in 1995, has been dedicated to inspiring interest in aviation and aerospace. The museum provides hands-on aviation experiences for young people — their pictures with the aircraft and inside the cockpit are memories to cherish. The museum’s goal, according to McBride, revolves around education starting with a fun trip to the museum.

“When you see an airliner push back from the gate over here, there are over 6,000 jobs behind that, all the way from design engineers, corporate leader, to the guy who works putting the baggage in the airplane,” explained McBride, highlighting the economic significance of the aviation industry within Kentucky.

Aviation Education Everywhere

The museum, presently located in a retrofitted plane hangar at Blue Grass Airport, plans to relocate to a specially-constructed facility on the other side of the airport. The planned move has been motivated by the airport’s ambition to use the existing facility for general aviation plane storage. The $4 million from the state will fund half of this project, leading to improved exhibits and larger learning spaces.

“We need donations, we need contributions, and we need assistance,” expressed McBride regarding the impending project. The museum, being a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit, welcomes contributions from all sections of society. The sum collected also goes towards conducting yearly summer camps in multiple cities throughout the state, spreading its educational mission further.

The remaining $5 million of the budget allocated to Lexington will go to Blue Grass Airport to widen Terminal Drive and create additional parking spaces.

This gesture of financial support from the state embodies its commitment to promoting and preserving the rich aviation legacy of Kentucky. It also signifies the state’s vision to instill a passion for aviation and aerospace among the younger generation and the public at large.