New England Air Museum

About Us

Organizational Information

The New England Air Museum is owned and operated by the Connecticut Aeronautical Historical Association, a private, non-profit educational institution organized in 1959. Located at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, the Museum is the largest aviation museum in New England. This educational organization is dedicated to preserving and presenting historically significant aircraft and related artifacts, engaging visitors through high-quality exhibits helping them to understand aviation technology and history and inspiring students through innovative and hands-on educational programs. The Museum is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and run by four (4) full-time employees, four (4) part-time employees, and over 175 volunteers.

Museum History

In 1981, the first of the Museum's existing five buildings (Civil, Military, 58th Bomb Wing Memorial and Restoration Hangar and storage building) was erected on its current site after a tornado destroyed the Museum's former location along Route 75 two years earlier. Today, the Museum houses one of the world's most outstanding collections of historic aviation artifacts; more than 80 aircraft and an extensive collection of engines, instruments, aircraft parts, uniforms and personal memorabilia. Within this collection are the last remaining four-engine American flying boat, the Sikorsky VS-44A, donated by its previous owner, actress Maureen O'Hara and restored to original condition; a B-29 Bomber; the Silas Brooks Balloon Basket (1870), the oldest surviving aircraft in the United States; the Bunce-Curtiss Pusher (1912), the oldest surviving Connecticut-built airplane; the Sikorsky S-39, the oldest surviving Sikorsky aircraft; and a Kaman K-225 helicopter, the oldest surviving Kaman-built aircraft.

Museum Mission

The New England Air Museum is committed to presenting the story of aviation, the human genius that made it possible and the profound effects that it has had on the way in which we live. We achieve this by:

Preserving and presenting historically significant aircraft and related artifacts
Engaging our visitors through high-quality exhibits that help them understand aviation technology, history and the stories of the men and women who built, flew and made history with these famous machines
Inspiring students through our innovative and hands-on education programs delivered on-site and in schools that allow them to discover and reflect on aviation technology and history and its ties to social studies, science, geography and technical advancements

Board of Directors
Scott Ashton	William Costen	John C. Davis	Thomas E. Desmond
Robert J. Ernest	Robert M. Garneau	William P. Gonet	Alton G. Hudson
Harvey Hubbell IV	Charles S. Isenberg	Kim Jones	Roger F. Joyce
Dr. Zdzislaw B. Kremens	Paul A. Lange	Michael J. Morneau	Kristin Muschett
Roy C. Normen	Cornelius P. O’Leary	Stephen R. Perez	Thomas S. Sargis
Nelson A. Sly, Jr.	V. Vanessa Williams	Glenn Woods	Lincoln S. Young

Museum Staff
Michael P. Speciale Executive Director mikes@neam.org	Deborah Reed Assistant Executive Director debbier@neam.org	Caroline B. d’Otreppe Director of Educational Programs caroline@neam.org
Gina Maria Alimberti Admissions & Gift Shop Manager gina-maria@neam.org	Joseph Fox Development Director jfox@neam.org	Susan R. Orred Museum Educator susan@neam.org
Robert Blair Restoration Manager	Carl Stidsen Research Librarian library@neam.org	Judy Roy Assistant to the Director of Education Programs judy@neam.org
James Tomasek Coordinator Scientific Literacy Program jimt@neam.org