Aviation Museum of N.H.

Where are tomorrow's aviation and aerospace professionals? You'll find them at the Aviation Museum of N.H., a non-profit where we inspire young people to say 'Yes!' to flight. Whether kids in strollers or high school students pondering life beyond graduation, we're all about lighting that spark and creating pathways to careers in aviation and aerospace, industry sectors crucial to the region's long-term economic health.

For this year's NH Gives, we're focusing on raising funds to bring to N.H. the inspirational 'Rise Above' traveling exhibit, which brings to life the stories of the Tuskegee Airmen and the Womens Airforce Service Pilots and how they overcame adversity. Our board has offered $10,000 in matching funds to attract enough donations from the public to make this spectacular exhibit free to all during its visit. To take part, visit the 'Matching' area of our NH Gives profile.

At the Aviation Museum of N.H., our programs aim to give young people a window into careers in piloting, aerospace engineering, aircraft maintenance, air traffic control, airport management, meteorology, and many other roles where skilled professionals are in demand. Each year, we welcome more than 10,000 visitors to our home in the original 1937 passenger terminal at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport.

Our popular 'Flights of Discovery' summer camp gives young people age 10-17 an in-depth exposure to all aspects of aviation. Our innovative high school plane-building program has students building actual aircraft in three N.H. high schools. Our historic preservation efforts highlight past achievements to inspire today's future aviation professionals.

At the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire, our exhibits, programs, and presentations strive to encourage knowledge and appreciation of aviation, the important role it plays in everyday life, and the many career paths it represents.

Who We Are

The Aviation Museum of New Hampshire is a hands-on learning center dedicated to inspiring visitors about flight. We showcase the colorful stories of Granite State aviation pioneers, and also run innovative educational programs to inspire young people to consider careers in aviation, aerospace, and other STEM-related disciplines.

At the high school level, we're partnering with the Manchester (N.H.) School of Technology in a student plane-building project in which a team of students is building a two-seat Van's RV-12 light sport aircraft. Guided by the Aviation Museum's experienced mentors, students are getting unrivaled hands-on experience that take STEM learning out of the classroom and into the workshop.

At the middle school level, our robust classroom visit program was recently augmented by a virtual 'Around the World Flight Adventure' in which we're flying around the world using video segments produced on our flight simulator. Available online free to all, it's a resource designed to help educators and students alike during remote learning.

To engage the public, we maintain a year-round schedule of lectures, programs, exhibits, and events, such as celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift by re-enacting the famous 'Candy Bombing' that gave hope to the city's children. And as a working museum, we maintain an extensive collection of historic aviation artifacts and documents, and also maintain a research library for scholars and school projects alike.

As our motto says, "Celebrate Flight!"