MiM 003 - Beechcraft Heritage Museum - Tullahoma, Tennessee

And as a beautiful mashup of my love of flying and my love of museums, naturally I love going to aviation museums.  The designs and shapes of the planes; the ingenuity and technology needed to get a person aloft; and the personality of each plane is unique.  Why are there so many brands of planes?  How has plane design changed over the years?  And what makes one plane different from another?  With all those questions and more, I found myself on a sunny afternoon at the Beechcraft Heritage Museum in Tullahoma, Tennessee. 

I’ve been to other general aviation museums around the country, but the Beechcraft Heritage Museum is unique because it is solely focused on one brand of aircraft – Beechcraft.  Started in 1932, the Beechcraft company has been building planes in Wichita, Kansas, and still produces airplanes there today.  So my first question was, why is there a museum dedicated to this specific brand of aircraft at all?  And, secondly, why is the museum located in Tullahoma, Tennessee? 

This was just the start of my questions when I sat down with Charles Parish – Executive Vice-President and son of the museum founder – along with Jody Curtis (Direct of Marketing & Membership) and Sherry Roepke (Resident Director).  Some of the stories Charles shared include why the Beechcraft airplane design is unique, how the first plane was designed, and the evolution of the plane’s design since the 1932.  Charles talks about his father acquiring Big Red -- the Beechcraft plane that really started the museum – and shares the backstories of the planes and people that helped kickstart the museum into being and continue to propel it into the future. 

Drawn on a napkin by Walter Beech and his chief engineer, Ted Wells, they created the “staggerwing” design iconic to the original Beechcraft airplane.  In most biplane design the upper wings are forward of the lower wings.  The staggerwing design flipped that and put the upper wing behind the lower wing.  This design improved performance, visibility and the stall characteristics of the airplane. 

Positioned as the “Cadillac” of aircraft, Beech and Wells also designed the first Beechcraft staggerwing as a “cabin” class airplane.  Before that planes had an open cockpit – the passenger sat in the front and the pilot sat in the rear in the open air.  Cabin class meant the pilot and passengers were inside the aircraft and the pilot moved from the rear to the front of the plane. 

Also amazing is the number of “firsts” in this museum.  They have Serial #1 Travel Air (predecessor company Walter Beech was involved in prior to starting the Beechcraft company), Serial #1 Staggerwing, and Serial #1 Mystery Ship.  

In addition, to the Beechcraft staggerwing airplanes, you’ll also see Bonanza and Baron branded planes.  Still part of the Beechcraft family, the Bonanza and Baron lines were introduced to target new markets, take advantage of new technologies, and are still manufactured today.  The original staggerwing was a biplane with two sets of wings with a fabric-wood-fabric construction.  The Bonanza is an all metal, single-engine Beechcraft with one set of wings that was first produced in 1947, and the museum has the #9 and #18 planes ever produced.  The Baron is a twin engine Beechcraft.    

If you’re driving to Tullahoma and wondering if you’re in the right town, then just look at the utility poles lining the streets – small, painted fighter jet style airplanes are attached to many of the light poles.  Still need more convincing this is a plane-crazy town?  Then check out some of the plane sculptures that by the sidewalks in front of local businesses.  (Living in Tennessee I naturally had to include a picture of the Tennessee Vols plane.)

If you’re a museum nerd like me, then you have got to add this museum to your “must-see” list and tell them, “I heard about you on the Made in Museums podcast.”

For full show notes with pictures, visit my website Made in Museums.  If you love to document your travels to off-the-beaten-path places, then show me where you're heading or where you've been by sharing your stories with me at Made in Museums on Facebook,  Twitter, and Instagram.  If you want to let me know about a curious museum that you’ve visited, and that I should cover on this show, contact me through social media or just send me an email.