R

Tennessee Aviation Association (TAA) and the Tennessee Business Aviation Association (TnBAA) met recently at the Beechcraft Heritage Museum for a tour of the facility. TAA is an advocacy organization representing a system of seventy seven General Aviation (GA) airports, public and private, in the state. The organization is dedicated to promoting airports and good aviation public policy, encouraging communications among its members, governmental entities, and the general public. It seeks to foster a better understanding of the value of air transportation and airports in the state. TAA and TnBAA are non-profit corporations.

The TAA lobbies for aviation interests with the government, monitoring regulations and safety issues, and advocating for funding to assist airports. Members include airport managers, corporate aviation business members, consultants, local governments, vendors, and suppliers to the aviation industry. The occasion was a member event, one of two held annually.

The TnBAA has many of the same goals and interests as the TAA, but with more emphasis on education and training, and working together with aviation associated businesses. Matt Wilkins and Mike Harris, owners of Hawkins Flight Academy located at the Shelbyville Municipal Airport, attended. They are working with Motlow College and Tullahoma City Schools for education and workforce development in aviation.

After the provided lunch, tour guides Jody Curtis and Lee Marsh took the group through the museum, which houses vintage to modern aircraft. Their knowledge and expertise makes the tour quite educational to even an aircraft novice. Originally founded in 1975 as the Staggerwing Museum Foundation, it became the Beechcraft Heritage Museum in 2007.

There is numerous other aviation memorabilia, including Louise Thaden’s original pilot’s license, signed by Orville Wright in 1915. Thaden was a Beechcraft racer, and regularly defeated Amelia Earhart in races. It was Thaden who challenged a group of pilots and owners to build a museum to preserve Staggerwing history when she spoke at a 1973 fly-in. She donated much of her memorabilia to the museum.

Local airports are just as indispensable to today’s economy, lifestyle, and convenience as are large commercial airports. In advocating for all of Tennessee’s airports TAA and TnBAA are, in fact, advocating for all of Tennessee’s citizens.