Hill Aerospace Museum looks to trim 18 aircraft from collection

  • Published
  • By Richard W. Essary
  • 75th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah --  Nearly 30 years after opening its doors, the Hill Aerospace Museum is scaling back. The museum is reducing its collection by 18 aircraft, three missiles and a number of support vehicles.

Acting Museum Director Aaron Clark said it's a relatively small number in comparison to the more than 2,000 artifacts that currently sprawl the museum's 34-acres situated on Hill AFB's north side. He said the downsizing is necessary because "the museum no longer has the manpower, funding or means necessary to give these aircraft the care they need."

Over time, Clark said, these aircraft need restoration and repair in order to maintain their appearance and integrity.

"An outdoor static display aircraft routinely needs repainting every five-to-six years, with both small and large aircraft costing a significant amount," Clark said. For example, to repaint an F-4 Phantom in-house it could cost the base nearly $15,000. For larger airframes, such as the B-47E we have on our grounds, he said, it would cost the museum roughly $100,000 to repaint and restore.

Moving the aircraft will put the museum in a fiscally responsible position to oversee the remaining collection, but it will also allow the museum to refocus on its mission of reflecting the history of aviation as it pertains to Hill AFB and the state of Utah.

"Most of the aircraft slated to be cut from the museum's collection are those that have little if any ties to the history of the base or the state," Clark said. "However, a C-47 currently on display outside the museum will remain in the collection and is scheduled for restoration, because the aircraft has significant ties to the history of Hill."

Even with one aircraft already gone, museum goers shouldn't expect to see the rest of the museum's "excess list" to disappear overnight. The fate of those displays will be managed by the National Museum of the Air Force located at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.

Clark said the artifacts will first be offered to field museums, base air parks, service museums and certified civilian museums around the country. Beyond that, they will be offered to veteran's organizations, hospitals and cities. Only as a last resort, Clark added, will the planes be scrapped.

Retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Kevin Sullivan, Chairman of the Aerospace Heritage Foundation of Utah -- a private entity that helps fund acquisition, restoration, and maintenance of museum static displays and exhibits -- is on board with the decision to downsize.

"While some of our regular visitors to the museum may be disappointed with the decision to excess a portion of the collection, we understand the fiscal challenges in trying to maintain the collection as it exists today and the rationale for downsizing," Sullivan said. "The Foundation will continue to work with the museum staff to provide quality displays, a comfortable environment, and a one-of-kind educational opportunity for our many visitors."

Last year, more than 138,000 people visited the Hill Aerospace Museum and Clark said he doesn't expect museum attendance to be affected.

He added reducing the number of displays may be noticeable to guests who frequent the museum, overall visitors will continue to be impressed with the museum's remaining displays. "We will still have more than 50 aircraft on display inside and outside the museum," Clark said.

There are also a number of exhibits that span the life of military aviation and highlight the role Hill AFB played in our nation's different military battles. For instance, the Vietnam exhibit, which opened in Sept. 2012, is the museum's most recent large-scale addition and pays tribute to those who served in the war. The exhibit includes a wall that depicts the complete list of names of Utahns missing or killed in action during Vietnam.

The Hill Aerospace Museum is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and offers free admission. For more museum information, go to www.hill.af.mil//library/museum/index.asp.

Museum Excess List

Aircraft:
F-4C (RF)
F-4E
F-86L
T-39A (CT)
C-131D
C-130E, Trainer
H-21C
F-4E (GF)
A-7F (YA) (jet pictured)
C-45H
F-106A (QF)
U-3A
H-13T
T-28B, BUNO
F/A-18A
B-47E (WB)
C-119F, RCAF
C-7B

Missiles:
CIM-10C, Missile

Support Vehicles:
BGM-109A, Trailer
SSCBM, Minuteman ICBM Storage
Peacekeeper Air Elevator Support Trailer
Peacekeeper Support Truck