Florida Air Museum Expands Davis Center To Accommodate Growth In Programs & Participation

SUN ’n FUN CAMPUS, LAKELAND, FL. –Officials from the Florida Air Museum (FAM) at SUN ’n FUN celebrated the early stages of construction on a 4,000 sq. ft. addition to the Tom Davis Educational Center that will provide additional space and facilities for FAM’s increasingly popular programs and activities.  The new addition will be called the Piedmont Hangar Aerospace & Technology Lab and takes its name from the airline (Piedmont) founded by Tom Davis, whose family donated significant funds for the original Tom Davis Education Center as well as this new addition.

“The Piedmont Hangar Aerospace & Technology Lab will be an important addition to the Florida Air Museum’s expanding year-round presence on a local, regional and national level,” said FAM Board Chairman Pat Hill.  “Not only will the new facility add a high-tech computer lab, increase our classroom space and add greatly to our comprehensive learning areas, it will also enhance FAM’s expanding menu of year-round youth and adult education programs. This facility is part of a larger commitment by the Florida Air Museum to develop a national center for aerospace and aviation-based technologies here on the SUN ’n FUN campus. ”          

In addition to serving as Florida’s “official aviation museum and education center” and housing more than 45 full-size aircraft and a variety of exhibits and artifacts, FAM offers year-round education programs that emphasize science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subjects that are made more relevant by using aviation as an application – and motivation – for students of all ages, according to FAM President John Burton.

“FAM’s mission is to entertain, educate and inspire guests of all ages about the dynamic role of technology through aviation,” Burton explained.  “In doing so, we are able to use aviation as a means to increase science, technology, engineering and math competencies that will inspire better students, citizens and leaders.”

The addition of the of the Piedmont Hangar Aerospace & Technology Lab is made possible by generous contributions from the Davis Foundation (established by the family of Piedmont founder Tom Davis) and the ongoing generosity of the Aviation Education Foundation, founded by Mr. James Ray, which also provided funding for the Central Florida Aerospace Academy (CFAA) co-located on the SUN ’n FUN/FAM campus and dedicated during last April’s SUN ’n FUN International Fly-In & Expo.  Construction is planned over the next three months with a ribbon cutting ceremony planned during the week of the 38th annual SUN 'n FUN Fly-In, which will be held March 27 - April1, 2012, at Lakeland Linder regional Airport in Lakeland, Fla. 

The announcement of the addition was made during a ceremony today at the site of the new Piedmont Hangar Aerospace & Technology Lab and included FAM Board Chairman Pat Hill; SUN ’n FUN Fly-In Board Chairman Bill Eickhoff; FAM President John Burton; FAM Vice President – Operations Ernie Sanborn; and SUN ’n FUN President/CEO John “Lites” Leenhouts.

Rodda Construction, Inc., is the General Contractor for the project and Mike Furr of Furr & Wegman, P.A., is the Architect/Designer. 

The Florida Air Museum (FAM) is a 501(c) (3) not–for–profit organization based in Lakeland, Florida.  Named the state’s “Official Aviation Museum and Education Center” by the Florida legislature in 2003, FAM currently houses more than 45 full-scale aircraft from every chapter of aviation’s rich and colorful heritage plus a major exhibit on Florida’s extensive aviation history, an area containing an extensive collection of personal aviation artifacts that belonged to billionaire, entrepreneur and innovator Howard Hughes and other areas, exhibits and artifacts (including a comprehensive research and reference library).  

FAM has initiated aerospace and technology-oriented education programs that utilize aviation as a means to increase science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competencies through entertainment and education activities designed to inspire better students, citizens and leaders.