Western Museum of Flight May Have to Take Off

In case of emergency, Tanner Ostensen knows to pull two handles on the sides of his cockpit seat, absorb the vacuum-like thrust sucking him out of the aircraft and trust his parachute.

He figures that, if he ejects from the F-5A fighter jet and lands in shark-infested waters, he’s in trouble.

“I’d be dead!” he yelled while climbing out of the jet on exhibit at the Western Museum of Flight in Hawthorne. The freckled-faced 10-year-old and dozens of others from Burnett Elementary School tried out the pilot’s seat on a recent field trip as part of the museum’s science program.

For 21 years, the museum at Hawthorne Airport has served as a community educational center, teaching new generations about the history and science of flight.

But its future is up in the air.

The small nonprofit is unable to keep up with its monthly rent, which has more than doubled in the last year, and could be forced to close by July 31. It now pays $5,000 a month for a 7,500-square-foot hangar and adjoining space.

Beginning Oct. 1, developer Hawthorne Airport LLC proposes to raise the monthly rent by about $1,500 and require the museum to generate a certain amount of revenue as part of its lease agreement, said museum Director Cindy Macha-Skjonsby. The museum, which relies on volunteers, can’t possibly meet those demands, she said.

“How’s a nonprofit going to do that?” she asked.

Open five days a week, the museum has about 5,000 visitors a year. It charges $5 for adults and is free for children under 12.

Jeff Dritley, a partner at Hawthorne Airport LLC, said that, since his company took ownership of the airport 17 months ago, it had given the museum two lease extensions and a chance to prove its long-term economic value.

“We had discussions each time, and we told them we didn’t see how they fit into the airport’s vision,” Dritley said. “We asked them to tell us how they fit into the airport’s vision and they declined.”

Restructuring airport operations and generating more revenue is the main priority of the developer and the city, officials said. The partnership seeks to attract more corporate users who would take advantage of existing hangars.

Two aviation-related companies have expressed interest in renting the museum space, Dritley said. Its location is one of two prime spots at the airport that can accommodate a hangar, making it lucrative real estate.

“We can’t lose money on the airport, so we have to do something to at least break even,” said City Councilman Gary Parsons. “That building is one of the few places where we can have a business.”

But finding a new location for the museum could prove difficult. The immediate concern is what to do with its vast collection, which features half a dozen vintage airplanes -- including World War II aircraft and a Unocal corporate DC-3 -- as well as historical photographs and memorabilia. A favorite artifact: one of the engines built to power Howard Hughes’ legendary seaplane, the Spruce Goose.

The museum’s board of directors doesn’t like the prospect of breaking up the collection and lending it out to other entities to display. It also prefers to keep the museum in the same general area. Otherwise, said board member Ed Levy, “we would lose all the opportunities to serve the community, particularly the local schools.”

Teachers view the museum as a valuable educational tool because of its science program. Started about five years ago, it has hosted groups from more than a dozen elementary schools in neighboring districts.

“It will be a huge loss,” said David Martin, a fifth-grade teacher at Jefferson Elementary School in the Lennox School District. “A lot of kids get into it for two reasons: They’re interested and they’re hungry for science. And it’s local, so many are able to get their parents to take them later.”

The museum specifically reaches out to Title I schools, which receive federal assistance and serve predominantly low-income students. Through private grants, the museum prints learning materials and hires buses to bring children in.

“Museum people are always accused of being nothing but a bunch of old fuddy-duddies who are playing at games,” said Marty Dodell, the museum board’s vice president. “But the education program really provides a tremendous amount of legitimacy. Over the last three to four years, well over 4,000 children have been through the museum.”

To stay close to home, museum officials have their eyes on a hangar on the opposite side of the airport. Its price tag is a hefty $1.5 million -- which jumps to more than $3 million after costs for construction and relocation are factored in, Levy said.

The museum must quickly come up with $1.5 million to make a viable offer, he said. It has about $200,000 in its treasury.

Officials hope to raise the rest or find a corporate benefactor like Northrop Grumman Corp., whose history is well-documented in the museum’s exhibits. The board has initiated talks with Northrop, but no deal has been struck.

In the meantime, the museum staff has a contingency plan in case the facility is forced to close.

Officials are negotiating with Northrop to display some planes at its El Segundo campus and to store other inventory. Flight Path Learning Center at Los Angeles International Airport has expressed interest in taking over some of the smaller exhibits and displaying the old corporate DC-3 on loan to the museum.

Macha-Skjonsby’s fundraising efforts include a letter-writing campaign to supporters and special events at the museum. The museum also plans to sell its World War II-era Tiger Moth biplane to a private individual for $25,000 -- well below its market value, according to Macha-Skjonsby.

If selling one of the museum’s most prized possessions will help save it, Macha-Skjonsby is willing to do that too. In a letter to billionaire aviation buff Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft Corp., she offered to sell the original vellum drawings for the Spruce Goose.

So far, no response, she said.