Cincinnati Aviation Heritage Society

Cincinnati Aviation Heritage Society Celebrates the Past

Join us in celebrating the heritage of aviation in the Cincinnati Tri-State area. Membership is inexpensive at $14.00 per year. Right now benefits are limited but will expand as our membership grows. You will receive a membership card.

Members are needed who have a love of aviation and are willing to help us build a dynamic organization. One important thing members can do is volunteer so we can extend our micro-museum hours. You can help us find items for display in our library/museum by scrounging around local airfields and helping us find relics. Talented members are needed with particular skills in fundraising.

Since its founding in 2004, members of the Cincinnati Aviation Heritage Society have dreamed of an aviation museum. To this end, the group incorporated in 2007 as the Cincinnati Aviation Heritage Society. In 2008, the IRS recognized our 501c3 tax-exempt status.

We will grow and contribute to the public understanding of and enthusiasm for aviation – an industry that in 2004 contributed $10.5 billion to Ohio’s economy and supported 142,800 Ohio jobs.

An important part of our mission is the education of young people about careers in aviation. Experience in aviation complements their education and increases their career potential. The industry employs ticket agents, secretaries, instructors, engineers, clerks, controllers, secretaries, pilots, flight attendants, meteorologists, travel agents, freight handlers, med-evac professionals… and much, much more. Our mission is more than just career education, but the entire educational system.

 Visitors will learn about the science of flight, its history and its future. They will learn how the Tri-State has helped shape aviation and how aviation shapes the world.

Academically, the study of flight supports and strengthens a wide variety classroom subjects. Aviation gives meaning and purpose to the study of math, physics, biology, geography, and more. Our “Learning through Aviation” program gives educators tools to incorporate aviation studies into the classroom curriculum. In the summer of 2005, Sheila Miller came on board as Education Director; her experience as a curriculum designer and a classroom educator helps expand the reach, depth and breadth of our educational programs.

We expect visitors from World War II-era seniors introducing their grandchildren to planes they flew (or maintained, or built). Some will be aviation buffs who love these grand old aircraft. Others will be young parents who want their children to understand how aviation history affects their future.

CAHS Members are Inspiring the Future

The Cincinnati Aviation Heritage Society is an asset to the tri-state, to the industry, and to the nation. Our volunteers are enthusiastic, our board is involved, our membership is supportive, and our staff makes good use of the Society’s limited resources.

Our single greatest need is in facility improvement. Our museum in Lunken’s historic terminal building was never designed for heavy public use. It was built before ADA codes were established, so it offers only limited access to the handicapped. Most importantly; we have outgrown our display space, our office space and our storage space.

It is not good business to retrofit a 70+-year-old building such as one of the original hangars at Lunken into something it was never meant to be, so we are raising funds for a custom-designed, 90,000 sq. ft. facility. The new Aviation Museum; (Naming Rights available), to be built on Lunken Field, will meet needs well in the future for those whose lives will be enriched by aviation.

We welcome you in joining us as we build into the future. The Cincinnati Aviation Heritage Society, Inc., is a501 (c)(3) non-profit educational organization; your gift is tax-deductible. To learn more about becoming part of aviation history in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky/Southeastern Indiana area, call Peggie Beckner at (513) 276-8510.

CAHS’s objectives are met with the following Statement of Purpose:

• To create an environment in which to learn about the contributions of aviation to our community and nation, by those who pioneered.
• To broaden the scope and structure of the Cincinnati Aviation Heritage Society spanning over 105 years of flight.
• To collect, preserve, and display aircraft and related items, keeping alive the history of flight.
• To have our visitors feel educated, entertained, and inspired.

Click to Download and print an application in Microsoft Word...or Adobe PDF