Kansas Aviation Museum
Kansas Aviation Museum is a Wichita, Kansas-based nonprofit museum preserving Kansas aviation history through indoor and outdoor aircraft exhibits, a volunteer restoration shop, research archives, and educational programs, while also generating revenue via admissions, memberships, donations, and venue rentals.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1991
- HeadquartersWichita, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Kansas Aviation Museum does
Kansas Aviation Museum is a single-site nonprofit museum located at 3350 South George Washington Blvd in Wichita, Kansas, adjacent to McConnell Air Force Base, that preserves and presents Kansas aviation history. Founded in 1991, the museum operates in the original 1935 Art Deco airport terminal — visited historically by Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, and Fred Astaire — and offers indoor and outdoor exhibits (12 aircraft on the outdoor ramp plus interior displays), the Kansas Aviation Hall of Fame, an active volunteer-staffed aircraft restoration shop, and a research archive holding original documents, photographs, negatives, drawings, periodicals, and blueprints of historic aircraft. Educational programming targets families and children via field trips, Little Aviators, summer camps, homeschool programs, and restoration shop tours, with a free Senior Thursday lecture series extending reach to older adults.
The museum's commercial operations are structured around five revenue streams: admission fees, venue rentals (Atrium up to 290 seated / 480 total facility-wide, 3rd Floor Mezzanine, Conference Room, and outdoor Ramp area 300+), memberships and donations (including an Adopt-A-Plane restricted-giving program), gift shop sales, and educational programs. Venue rentals are priced in published tiers differentiated by day of week and duration, with Atrium full-day rates ranging from $3,500 (Monday-Thursday) to $4,700 (Friday-Saturday), and photography sessions priced at $25 plus admission during hours and $100 after-hours surcharge plus $50/hour extensions. The venue operation is supported by an exclusive bartending contract with Shaken or Stirred Bartending and a preferred-vendor network spanning catering, bakery, floral, photography, AV, and entertainment categories. Sponsorship includes Bank of America's support of the Air Capital Theater.
Distribution is regional and on-site only; the museum has no app, no public API/SDK surface, no disclosed management team beyond Executive Director Ben Sauceda, and a small staff of 1-10 employees. Recognition includes 'Best Museum in Kansas' by LOVE Exploring and the Wichita Business Journal Innovation Awards. The museum operates daily except Thursdays and is funded through admissions, memberships, donations, and venue rentals rather than venture capital or private equity.
Kansas Aviation Museum firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kansas Aviation Museum
- Legal name
- Kansas Aviation Museum
- Website
- https://kansasaviationmuseum.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1991
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Kansas Aviation Museum is a Wichita, Kansas-based nonprofit museum preserving Kansas aviation history through indoor and outdoor aircraft exhibits, a volunteer restoration shop, research archives, and educational programs, while also generating revenue via admissions, memberships, donations, and venue rentals.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Kansas Aviation Museum industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Aviation Museum
- NAICS
- Museums (712110)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Specialty Museums (e.g., Maritime, Aviation, Sports, Music, Film) (THAJADAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Science & Technology Museums (THAJADAD)
Keywords
Where Kansas Aviation Museum is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Wichita
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Kansas Aviation Museum business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Admission Fees: Daily admission fees for museum visitors
- Venue Rentals: The museum serves as an event venue for weddings, corporate events, conferences, and photography sessions. The main Atrium holds up to 290 seated, with full facility hosting up to 480 people.
- Memberships and Donations: Museum offers membership programs and accepts donations to support operations and education programs.
- Gift Shop Sales: On-site gift shop selling aviation-themed merchandise and souvenirs.
- Educational Programs: Revenue from field trips, summer camps, and other educational programming.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Daily Admission |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Senior Thursday |
| Subscription | Annual | Membership |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Photography Session - Normal Business Hours |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Photography Session - After Hours |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Additional After Hours Time |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Atrium Venue - 4 Hours |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Atrium Venue - 6 Hours |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Atrium Venue - Full Day |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Outdoor Ceremony Add-on |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | 3rd Floor Mezzanine |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Conference Room |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Damage Deposit |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Kansas Aviation Museum product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Kansas Aviation Museum is a non-profit aviation-heritage museum located inside a historic 1935 Art Deco airport terminal in Wichita, Kansas. It preserves and displays indoor and outdoor aircraft exhibits, restores vintage aircraft in a volunteer-led restoration shop, maintains research archives of original aviation documents and blueprints, honors Kansas aviation pioneers through the Kansas Aviation Hall of Fame, and delivers educational programs including field trips, summer camps, Little Aviators, and homeschool programs. The museum also rents its terminal facilities as a venue for weddings, corporate events, and photography sessions, and operates a gift shop, membership program, and Adopt-A-Plane donor program.
Product overview
The Kansas Aviation Museum is a single-location museum offering a unified experience centered on aviation education, preservation, and community engagement. The museum provides indoor and outdoor exhibits showcasing aircraft and aviation history, educational programs including field trips, summer camps, and Little Aviators for children, and venue rental services for events in spaces including the Atrium (up to 290 guests), 3rd Floor Mezzanine (up to 49 guests), Conference Room (up to 49 guests), and outdoor Ramp area (300+ guests). Additional offerings include aircraft restoration activities, research archives, oral histories, and membership programs. The museum hosts special events throughout the year including Senior Thursdays, Murder Mystery at the Museum, and Girls in Aviation Day.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Indoor Exhibits
Quantifiable outcome
- Named Best Museum in Kansas
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Kansas Aviation Museum
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Kansas Aviation Museum technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Kansas Aviation Museum partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
24 partnerships are on record, tiered exclusive, preferred and minor.
- Shaken or Stirred BartendingexclusiveExclusive contract with Shaken or Stirred Bartending for bartender services at events. Contact: Pat Pelkowski, 316-681-3650. No outside bartenders or alcohol permitted.
- Scotch & SirloinpreferredPreferred caterer for venue events
- Blue Moon CateringpreferredPreferred caterer for venue events
- Olive Tree CateringpreferredPreferred caterer for venue events
- George's French BistropreferredPreferred caterer for venue events
- Bagatelle BakerypreferredPreferred bakery for venue events
- Cameo CakespreferredPreferred bakery for venue events
- Aria BakerypreferredPreferred bakery for venue events
- Cheri's BakerypreferredPreferred bakery for venue events
- Lovely Floral CompanypreferredPreferred florist for venue events
- Sydney Legg Design & LetteringpreferredPreferred vendor for hand crafted invitations
- Endless TreasurespreferredPreferred vendor for design, decor, tent and furniture rental
- Le Luci Event LightingpreferredPreferred vendor for event lighting and decor
- Epic Event RentalspreferredPreferred vendor for event and furniture rentals
- Couture Ever AfterpreferredPreferred vendor for event design and decor
- River City VisualspreferredPreferred photography and videography vendor
- Darrin Hackney PhotographypreferredPreferred photography and videography vendor
- Justin Lister PhotographypreferredPreferred photography and videography vendor
- Black Tie CelebrationspreferredPreferred vendor for live music, sound equipment and DJ services
- Kent Audio VisualpreferredPreferred vendor for sound equipment and AV services
- McClelland SoundpreferredPreferred vendor for live music and sound equipment
- Complete WeddingspreferredPreferred vendor for DJ services and entertainment
- Bank of AmericaminorProud sponsor of the Air Capital Theater
- Howeson+WhiteminorPartner credited in website footer
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Kansas Aviation Museum competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Museum of Flight: Major aviation museum in Seattle covering commercial, military, and general aviation history with restoration programs, educational offerings, and venue rentals—a direct comparable in mission and operating model.
- National Naval Aviation Museum: Naval aviation museum in Pensacola with extensive aircraft collection, restoration, and educational programming—comparable aviation-specific museum with similar revenue streams.
- New England Air Museum: Connecticut aviation museum with aircraft collection, restoration projects, and educational programming—a regional aviation museum peer.
- Frontiers of Flight Museum: Dallas-based aviation museum with exhibits, education programs, and event rentals—a comparable regional aviation museum with similar programming mix.
- Hill Aerospace Museum: Utah-based aerospace museum adjacent to Hill AFB with aircraft restoration and educational programs—comparable in mission, base adjacency, and restoration focus.
- Pima Air & Space Museum: Large aviation museum in Tucson with outdoor aircraft displays, restoration, and educational programming—an established regional peer in the same operating category.
- EAA Aviation Museum: Aviation museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin operated by EAA, focused on general and experimental aviation with restoration and education programs—a strong comparable for Kansas's general aviation focus.
- Vintage Flying Museum: Fort Worth aviation museum focused on vintage aircraft restoration and display—comparable in scale and restoration-driven operating model.
Broad incumbents
- National Air and Space Museum (Smithsonian): The preeminent U.S. aviation museum with massive collection, education programs, and venue operations. Much larger scale but serves the same aviation heritage and education mission.
Emerging players
- Mid-America Science Museum: Regional science museum with educational programming and exhibits; overlaps on STEM-education customer base and field-trip programming, though not aviation-specific.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Kansas Aviation Museum social profiles
Digital presenceKansas Aviation Museum financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kansas Aviation Museum leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Kansas Aviation Museum funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kansas Aviation Museum M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Kansas Aviation Museum
What does Kansas Aviation Museum do?
The Kansas Aviation Museum is a non-profit aviation-heritage museum located inside a historic 1935 Art Deco airport terminal in Wichita, Kansas. It preserves and displays indoor and outdoor aircraft exhibits, restores vintage aircraft in a volunteer-led restoration shop, maintains research archives of original aviation documents and blueprints, honors Kansas aviation pioneers through the Kansas Aviation Hall of Fame, and delivers educational programs including field trips, summer camps, Little Aviators, and homeschool programs. The museum also rents its terminal facilities as a venue for weddings, corporate events, and photography sessions, and operates a gift shop, membership program, and Adopt-A-Plane donor program.
Is Kansas Aviation Museum a public or private company?
Kansas Aviation Museum is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Kansas Aviation Museum founded?
Kansas Aviation Museum was founded in 1991. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Kansas Aviation Museum based?
Kansas Aviation Museum is headquartered in Wichita, United States, in the North America region.
How does Kansas Aviation Museum make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Admission Fees are the primary driver. The others are venue Rentals, memberships and Donations, gift Shop Sales and educational Programs.
Who are Kansas Aviation Museum's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Museum of Flight, National Naval Aviation Museum, New England Air Museum, Frontiers of Flight Museum, Hill Aerospace Museum, Pima Air & Space Museum, EAA Aviation Museum and Vintage Flying Museum. National Air and Space Museum (Smithsonian) is listed as a broad incumbent. Mid-America Science Museum is listed as an emerging player.
Does Kansas Aviation Museum have an API?
No public API is recorded for Kansas Aviation Museum.
What industry is Kansas Aviation Museum in?
Kansas Aviation Museum's product category is Aviation Museum. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJADAF, Specialty Museums (e.g., Maritime, Aviation, Sports, Music, Film), with a secondary code of THAJADAD, Science & Technology Museums. Its NAICS code is 712110.