Air Museum Opens 'Launching Pad'

March Field Air Museum has just completed its newest education facility, “The Launching Pad,” in a re-purposed hangar on its site. As a discovery center, it will be utilized for workshops and special programming throughout the year. The first series of workshops and programs are slated to begin in late October. The Launching Pad will offer a space where people of all ages can expand their knowledge, use their imagination and create new dreams. The first series will center around food with topics such as “Churchill’s Pantry,” “Ration Cooking,” and Survival Skills." Dates and times will be posted on the museum’s website at www.marchfield.org. The idea of fixing up this unused space came about when museum staff was brainstorming ideas on the long 11 hour return flight from the Paris Air Show this past June. “The curator, Jeff Houlihan, and I had suitcases full of books and lesson plans from great European air museums that we wanted to share with our guests. We were bemoaning the fact that we had no designated space in the museum’s large hangars that could be used on a recurring basis without affecting the events schedule. A series of late night 'what if’s' turned into 'how much money and how much time would it take' to transform this underutilized storage area into the 'Launching Pad'," said Museum Director Patricia Korzec. "The transformation required a lot of elbow grease and a modest amount of fresh paint." Board member Kathryn Field noted, “This is a great addition to our museum. Just a month ago it was a sad looking hut. Our staff and volunteers have been working tirelessly to make it into the cheerful and welcoming space it is today.”