"Do you know that there's an F-14 Tomcat "Top Gun" fighter located right here in Lexington? Or that there's an A-4 Skyhawk used by the Blue Angels? If you've been to the Aviation Museum of Kentucky, you would indeed know that and more.
Housed next to the Blue Grass Airport, but somewhat hidden from the beaten path, the museum has been quietly but successfully building its offerings and programs over the years. It operates as any museum would, with paid admission to the public. They can boast an annual attendance of some 50,000, with the patrons coming from all 50 states and 61 foreign countries. They manage this with only three full-time employees and some 50 regular volunteers from the community. The general marketing of the museum has been limited due to lack of funds, but they have marketed themselves through TV and radio, small print ads, flyers and community announcements.
But that's just what you see on the surface, with the museum having a variety of other programs to help build their awareness and traffic. In the Fall, they have a Hall of Fame black tie dinner and induct Kentuckians who have had a significant impact on aviation. This alone attracts as many as 250, especially with presenters such as Paul Tibbets, the B-29 pilot who dropped the first atomic bomb.
It's their youth programs, though, that are important in building interest in aviation and the museum for future generations. With a dedicated education director, the museum has designed an educational program called "Learning through Aviation." Aligned with the Kentucky Core Content, this program provides instruction through activities that teachers can use either before or after a museum visit. Aside from a simple museum visit, it also includes a tour of Blue Grass Airport, instruction in types of aircraft and engines, parts of a plane and their function, and even tail number instruction. This program, then, not only offers students an up-close experience with aviation, but is a true learning experience as well.
Not limiting themselves to just that effort, though, the museum has launched an even more ambitious educational effort. This is "Aviation Camp," designed for 10- to 15-year-old students. Offered in six cities throughout Kentucky, it offers an even more involved experience in aviation for some 500 students per year. This camp consists of three half-days, during which the students learn more than aviation itself. They are exposed to the areas of aerodynamics and meteorology, both obviously critical to the field.
The crown jewel of this program, however, is that each student gets to go up in a plane with a certified instructor. From Blue Grass Airport, their flight would be in a triangle from Lexington to Frankfort to Georgetown and back to the airport. They aren't just passengers on the flight, but get to handle the controls and actually fly the plane. At the completion of the flight, they receive a real logbook that shows that they have had 30 minutes of flying time, which can actually be counted toward obtaining a pilot's license.
We all know how powerful word-of-mouth advertising can be, but it's hard to imagine the extent that this program would generate. Put yourself back in time to when you were that age. If you had a chance to go through this program and actually fly a plane — officially documented in your logbook — who would you have told about it? Your friends, parents, grandparents, neighbors, store clerks, and possibly even perfect strangers.
This program, tied with their other efforts, has two significant impacts for the long run. The tremendous word of mouth certainly helps develop awareness of the museum and its offerings far beyond just the participants. Secondly, the exposure to aviation in a hands-on way may develop a keen lifelong interest that might even culminate in a career choice in some branch of aviation.
Essentially, the museum is laying the groundwork for success for many years to come by making an impact on teens, who will grow into dues-paying members or who will take their family to the museum in future years. Although your business might not have the intrinsic interest that they have, look at how you might be able to make an impression on those who might be your target in years to come. Can you sponsor guided tours of your factory or business if it can tie logically into a certain type of class? Can you or your employees volunteer to speak about your industry and business to classes? Can you actually develop a program or short course that teachers can use in the classroom? An impression made now might pay back many times over in the years to come.
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