Tickets Available Now to Win $30,000 or a New Vehicle in the Museum of Aviation Foundation Auction, Raffle and Taste of Local Cuisine

Tickets are available now for the 2013 Museum of Aviation Foundation Auction, Raffle and Taste of Local Cuisine on Saturday, July 13.  The first place winner of the raffle will win a choice of $30,000 cash or a brand new car or truck from a Warner Robins automobile dealer. Cars to choose from this year are:

• 2014 Ford Mustang from Five Star Ford
• 2013 Chevrolet Camaro 1LT RS from Five Star Chevrolet
• 2013 Toyota Avalon from Lowe Toyota
• 2013 KIA Optima SXL from Jeff Smith KIA
• 2013 Dodge RAM Crew Cab ST from Jeff Smith Dodge
• 2013 Honda Accord EXL V-6 from Hughes Honda

Early ticket buyers can win several pre raffle bonus drawings for $250 gas or lunch money, an iPad and a kindle fire and still remain eligible for the big drawings on July 13. The second place winner on July 13 will take home $3,000 cash and third place pays $1,000. A large cash 50/50 drawing will also be held.

A $100 ticket admits two people into the event and a chance to win in all pre-raffle and raffle-night drawings. To buy tickets, CLICK HERE or call (478) 923-6600.

Scale Modelers Held Scale Model Contest at Museum of Aviation

Some of the best scale modelers in the southeast came to the Museum of Aviation on June 8 for the sixth annual “ScottCon” model contest sponsored by the Museum and the Gen. Robert L. Scott Chapter of the International Plastic Modelers Society. The contest was open to all modelers with 1st, 2nd and 3rd place awards given in categories for aircraft, armor, automotive, ships, science fiction, and more. This year there were special junior categories for modelers 16 and younger. This year’s theme was “The Good Old Days” emphasizing the fun and enjoyment of modeling. As part of celebrating the hobby, a special award was given for the best model using a kit that was first issued before 1975.

Over 130 First, Second and third place awards given in 30 categories for aircraft, armor, automotive, ships, science fiction, and more. Other special awards included 60th Anniversary of the Corvette, Best Air Force Reserve, Best Museum of Aviation Subject, and Best in Show. This year’s show featured nearly 250 entries with entrants coming from as far away as Tampa, FL and Chicago IL.

This year’s Commander’s Choice Award was selected and presented by Brig. Gen. Derek P. Rydholm, Director. Air, Space and Information operations, Air Force Reserve Command, and was awarded to Greg Stankie for his 1/32 scale AV-8B Harrier.

Best of Show went to Walter Fryza of Jonesboro, GA for his WWII era Tiger I main battle tank that he built over a five year period. He started with a kit that was just a shell and added a complete interior including seats, engine and drivetrain. Each track link consisted of twelve pieces carved from styrene stock.

Detailed information about categories, special awards and contest rules can be found at http://ipmsrlscottcontest.webs.com/.

In addition to the models on display there was a vendor area with a wide variety of model kits, tools, and supplies available.

Museum of Aviation Has Gone 100% Green Energy

The Robins Air Force Base (RAFB) Museum of Aviation has "gone green" with 100% of their power supplied by renewable energy from Flint Energies. With this final agreement between the RAFB Office of Civil Engineering and Flint Energies, the Air Force Base will now be buying green energy for its entire Museum complex.

“Flint Energies is proud to assist the US Air Force with its goal of being environmentally responsible with this purchase of green energy for the Museum,” said Flint Sr. Vice President Jimmy Autry. “The relationship between the Museum of Aviation and Flint goes all the way back through the Museum’s history.” Robins AFB had been buying enough green energy for the Museum’s Eagle building since 2009. Flint serves electricity to the entire Museum complex, but not the rest of Robins Air Force Base, according to Autry. The new rate agreement is in response to a request made by Robins Office of Civil Engineering back in 2008 to find suitable renewable energy to help meet the US Department of Defense’s mandate.

The green power to be used by the Museum complex is generated at the Houston County landfill located just off Georgia Hwy 247 near Hawkinsville. The landfill generation located there gives Flint members access to 3.2 megawatts of environmentally “green power” at an affordable price. Flint’s new Commercial Green Energy rate will actually create savings for the US Air Force over the prior billing rate. The Museum is the first Flint Energies member to sign up for Commercial Green Energy.

To read more, CLICK HERE.

Northside High School Students Worked on 413th Flight Test Group Exhibit at Museum of Aviation

Three Northside High School seniors who curated an exhibit at the Museum of Aviation on the 413th Flight Test Group at Robins Air Force Base helped unveil the exhibit on May 17. The students, Pamela Hamilton, Katie Ecklund, and Kyle Baker, worked over 40 hours at the museum for their Humanities course PIE (Professional Interest Exploration) program. They came to the museum for about one and a half hours a day, two days a week.

The exhibit fills a case on the second floor of the Eagle Building near the entrance to the Robert L. Scott “God is My Co-Pilot” Exhibit. It uses photos, video, text, and three dimensional objects to explain the mission of the 413th Flight Test Group.

The three student curators were joined at the unveiling by approximately 100 of their classmates as well as representatives from the Museum of Aviation, the 413th Flight Test Group, Northside High School and the Houston County Board of Education.

The 413th Flight Test Group, an Air Force Reserve unit located at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, performs functional check flights, acceptance check flights, and test support missions. The Group commands, operationally and administratively, six geographically separated units and an operating location across the continental United States. Composed of traditional reservists, active guard reservists and civilians, the 413th FTG supports Air Force Material Command by providing renowned total force flight test experts who deliver proven, world-class capabilities to the war fighter.

To read more, CLICK HERE.

SR-71 Blackbird Elevated at the Museum of Aviation

The Museum of Aviation’s SR-71 Blackbird was recently elevated into a nose-up “take off’ position in the Century of Flight Hangar. A combined team of Robins Air Force Base aircraft crash recovery personnel completed an annual exercise April 5th and 6th to raise the aircraft’s front landing gear seven feet off the hangar floor and the rear landing gear four feet high. Several large rubber bladders inflated by 100 hoses were used to elevate the fuselage and put the aircraft on three sturdy steel pedestals.

The elevation was the culmination of over two years of planning and engineering to lift the 68,000 pound aircraft. Robins Air Force Base engineers designed the pedestals which were constructed by welders from the 116th and 461st Maintenance Groups on Robins AFB. Thirty personnel were involved in the exercise from the 402nd Maintenance Group, the 116th and 461st Maintenance Squadrons, Robins AFB Safety, and the Museum of Aviation Aircraft Restoration Team.

“The project has placed new emphasis on the SR-71,” said Museum Director Ken Emery, “and has given us more space under the aircraft for hangar events and will allow us to bring in a few aircraft from the brutal outside weather.”

The high flying reconnaissance aircraft set a world speed record in 1976 of 2,193 mph which still stands today.

To view more pictures of the SR-71 lift, CLICK HERE.

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