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Historic Aviation Memorial Museum – HAMM – Is Flying High

F-4 Phantom

An F-4 Phantom shares space with other vintage aircraft at the HAMM.

Aviation has strong roots in Tyler‚ so it’s only natural the city is home to the Historic Aviation Memorial Museum.

“Tyler is one of the places aviation began‚” says Mike Burke‚ curator for the Historic Aviation Memorial Museum. “There’s been an airport here since 1930.”

Housed at the Tyler Pounds Field Airport‚ the museum opened three years ago after more than 20 years of fund­raising. Since then‚ it’s only gotten bigger.

“Our volunteer base started with about 60 people‚ and now we have 225 people‚” Burke says. “We already out­grew the space we were in‚ so we’re expanding to take over an old terminal building‚ which is an artifact itself and will house our exhibit hall and restored aircraft.”

The old North Terminal Building‚ to be annexed by the museum‚ was built immediately after World War II and reflects the architecture of the period. It will enable the museum to more than double its exhibit space‚ enlarge its gift shop and add a multimedia theater.

Through a mix of artifacts and exhibits‚ visitors to the Historic Aviation Memorial Museum learn about the history of aviation‚ from the first balloon flight in 1783 up to today. The museum also offers a monthly lecture series on historic aviators and other topics.

“We have a lot of one-of-a-kind art­ifacts and 15 airplanes‚” Burke says. “And we’re in the process of acquiring three more aircraft.”

Aviation buffs from all over the world visit the museum to see its FJ-4 Fury aircraft‚ which was flown in the Cold War and is one of only two left in the world.

Story by Jessica Mozo
Photo by Antony Boshier

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