Kansas Aviation Museum

The importance of the Kansas Aviation Museum building to the glory days of Kansas aviation cannot be overstated. Its grand art-deco style appeals both to the aviation community and to anyone interested in historical preservation.

This isn't the first time the building has been in transition. The airport site, known then as Wichita's "California Section," was identified in the 1920s by then-City Manager L.W. Clapp. In 1927, the city purchased 640 acres of buffalo grass sod. The land, a square mile east and south of 31st South and Oliver, was still nothing more than prairie when the first air show was held on the site in August 1924.

• Preserve the birth and living heritage of Kansas aviation.
• Educate the world on the past, present and future of flight.
• Promote the Spirit of Flight in the Air Capital of the World.

To meet this mission, we strive to offer new programs to our members and the Wichita community, endeavoring to meet the needs of our broad client base.Building on this solid base, the museum is tackling its next challenge - to build a hangar to protect and display its priceless collection of preserved and meticulously restored aircraft, and to transform the interior of the historic terminal building into a center for aviation history, research and education to match its irreplaceable assets and to do justice to Wichita, the Air Capital of the World.

Already, dozens of volunteers bring hundreds of years of aviation knowledge and expertise to the museum, painstakingly restoring aircraft or performing countless other tasks to keep the museum operating and improve the experience for visitors. But there's always a need for more.

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