BRIDGEWATER, Va., November 17, 2017 —In 1996, Dynamic Aviation purchased 124 Beechcraft King Air 90s from the Army, planes the company would later use to gather aerial data, spray for mosquitoes, put out wildfires and help television stations broadcast the Boston Marathon.
Overseas, the military had used the seven-seat planes in the Vietnam War and the first Gulf War to carry military officials from place to place, said Jason Burkholder, special projects manager for Dynamic Aviation. Some also carried surveillance equipment.
The airplanes are the “single most popular corporate aircraft,” he said, and are still being built today.
On Friday morning, Dynamic Aviation, a Bridgewater-based aviation company, donated one of the 124 planes to the Explore More Discovery Museum on South Main Street. The plane was manufactured on April 29, 1969.
Burkholder said the plane’s maximum gross weight, the weight limit for the plane to fly, is 9,650 pounds. He estimated, noting that Dynamic has not weighed the donated aircraft, that it weighs between 2,000 and 2,500 pounds.
To fit in the museum, they cut off the wings. They also removed the tail section, shortening the plane from 35.5 feet to about 26. Burkholder and other staff worked to ensure the plane’s interior is safe for children as well.
The plane is the centerpiece of an aviation exhibit the museum will build on throughout 2018, said Lisa Shull, its executive director.
“It gives kids a chance to experience something that they wouldn’t normally experience,” she said. “The idea that they could become a pilot, that they could become an airplane mechanic — it’s very powerful.”
Children will be able to sit inside the plane and pretend to be a pilot, said Marcia Zook, exhibit director. Later on, the exhibit will include posters and activities that highlight what pilots and air traffic controllers do, she said.
Over the next year, Zook plans to add an airport terminal station, which may be sponsored by Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport, and a Transportation Security Administration line, where kids can learn how to pack to board a plane, she said.
The museum also plans to build an air traffic control tower. There will be walkie-talkies from the tower to the plane, simulating how air traffic controllers communicate with pilots.
The exhibit will also have a monitor that displays planes flying above Harrisonburg in real time.
Sarah Conner, community relations manager with Dynamic Aviation, said the company wants to use its technology to teach future generations.
“A lot of aviators want to fly or decide that they want to get into aviation between the ages of like 7 to 12 years old,” she said. “So, to be able to invest in kids and give them the ‘bug,’ so to speak, of aviation is just a really good thing to do.”
Burkholder said he first became interested in the industry when he was about 10 years old, making airplanes and flying model airplanes. Dynamic Aviation is interested in “planting that interest early” in hopes of inspiring the next generation of pilots and aircraft mechanics, he said.
While some kids show little interest, others light up at the prospect of working with planes, he said.
And while many think of commercial airlines when they think of aviation, there are many other uses for airplanes, he said.
Dynamic uses its fleet to help map coastlines and sprayed for mosquitoes after hurricanes hit Texas and Florida earlier this year.
“We want to be able to show children that aviation is something that anybody can do,” Burkholder said, “and show them what the opportunities are, what all you can do in aviation beyond just getting on an airliner and riding point A to point B.”
About Dynamic Aviation
Dynamic Aviation is the leading provider of innovative special-mission aviation solutions designed to meet the unique requirements of government and commercial organizations worldwide. The company delivers customized aerial assets and services to support a wide range of customers including national defense, military intelligence, federal agencies, state and local governments, non-profit research organizations, and private companies. Dynamic Aviation has the flexibility and resources to deliver world-class aviation solutions that combine mission-modified aircraft, experienced flight crews and comprehensive maintenance services. The company operates a 150,000-square-foot heavy maintenance and modification center, engine shop and privately-owned airport at its headquarters in Bridgewater, Va. Dynamic Aviation employs more than 650 aviation professionals, owns over 140 aircraft and operates from 18 locations in five countries across three continents. For more information, please visit www.dynamicaviation.com.
Media Contact: Sarah Hedrick, 540-828-6070
