Aviation Museum Jobs
If the idea of working with vintage aircraft thrills you, you could try getting a job in one of the country's many aviation museums. Such jobs are coveted, but being willing to spend some time as an intern and to study aviation-related topics could give you an advantage over other job candidates.
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What is an Aviation Museum?
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An aviation or aerospace museum preserves and interprets the history of flight using aircraft and other artifacts, photographs and archival materials in interpretive exhibitions, education programs and special events. Aviation museums have the same positions as any other museum, including directors, curators, educators, librarians and archivists.
Unique Positions
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Most aviation museums have restoration and conservation departments where you can put your mechanical skills to work restoring vintage aircraft. Aircraft are quite large and usually arrive at the museum in need of major work to prepare them for display or demonstrations. Conservation work can be quite complicated as there are many different materials that make up an airplane.
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Education
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Many aviation museum employees are not specifically trained in the museum field. Many come from mechanical or military aviation backgrounds, according to Scott Wirz, director of the Hill Aerospace Museum at Hill Air Force Base in Utah. For example, the director of the National Museum of the United States Air Force is a retired general who has not had any formal museum education. While it may not be a requirement for a position, an academic background in history, aviation history or a related field could be helpful. If your college or university does not offer a course in aviation history, it might allow you to design an independent study of the subject. If you are required to write a thesis for your degree, choose an aviation topic so you will have a solid writing piece to add to your portfolio. An advanced degree in museum studies might also be valuable.
Internships and Volunteering
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Gain experience working in an aviation museum through internships or volunteering. Some internships are paid, but many are not. If you have other sources of income, look at the unpaid internship as an investment in your future career. Aviation museums are notoriously understaffed, making interns and volunteers even more important. At the Hill Aerospace Museum, Wirz has only five paid employees. He relies on a team of 120 volunteers to keep the doors open.
Possibilities
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America has many aviation museums, ranging from nationally known giants to small, community-centered museums. The largest aviation museums include the Smithsonian's National Air & Space Museum in Washington, D.C.; the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City; and the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. The Air Force maintains aviation museums at military bases all over the world. As with any museum job, it may be easier to get your foot in the door at a smaller museum first. Consider the College Park Aviation Museum in College Park, Maryland or the Hill Aerospace Museum in Ogden, Utah. There are also several international aerospace museums.
Job Hunting and Networking
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For networking opportunities, join the Aviation Heritage Group, a nonprofit organization of vintage aircraft enthusiasts. The "Mutual Concerns of Air and Space Museums," an annual conference sponsored by the National Air & Space Museum, is one of the best places to network for aviation museum jobs. "It's kind of a closed group," said Wirz, "where everyone knows everyone else, and people get the word out in person rather than through Internet job sites." Aviation museum job openings may also appear in Aviso, the job-listing publication of the American Association of Museums (AAM). Wirz also suggests checking usajobs.gov under the 1015 and 1016 series.
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References
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- Photo Credit Wikimedia Commons
