MAPS Air Museum

What MAPS Air Museum does

MAPS Air Museum, legally known as the Military Aviation Preservation Society, is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) aviation museum founded in 1990 and located at 2260 International Pkwy, North Canton, Ohio, adjacent to the Akron-Canton Regional Airport. The organization operates a working museum housing 53+ aircraft spanning aviation eras from the Pioneer period (1903–1914) through the Digital Era (1980–present), including rare items such as one of only four fully refurbished B-26 Marauders globally. Operations are sustained by approximately 12 staff, nearly 1,100 dues-paying volunteer members, and an active restoration program that has invested over 13,500 volunteer worker-hours on individual aircraft projects. The museum absorbed the Ohio Military Museum in 2015, adding a permanent exhibit hall of uniforms and artifacts dating to the War of 1812.

The museum's revenue model combines multiple diversified streams: per-visitor admission fees, gift shop merchandise sales, facility rentals (Main Hangar Floor at 800 capacity, full facility at 2,000+ capacity for weddings, corporate events, and reunions), recurring membership dues, special event admissions (e.g., Veterans Day dinners at $25 per ticket), and donations managed through an agency endowment at the Akron Community Foundation plus multiple Timken family and Stark Community Foundation grants. Education and community engagement form a core strategic pillar: the American History Program delivers curriculum-aligned programming to K-12 schools; Air Academy offers a 10-week STEM aviation course for ages 10+; Scout programs serve Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, and Venture BSA Crew 1944; Civil Air Patrol Squadron OH-278 is hosted onsite; and the Military History Program records veteran oral histories in conjunction with the Library of Congress Veterans History Project.

The product surface includes flight simulators (Link Trainer C-3, TA-4J Operational Flight Trainer), the Gallery of Heroes exhibit, Medal of Honor displays honoring Ohio recipients, the Super Sabre Memorial Exhibit, the Bob Hope Room, and the Louise Timken Library & Research Center. Digital extension is provided through a YouTube channel featuring a 28-minute virtual tour, STEM instructional videos, and veteran interviews. Operational technology is limited to standard business tools (Tripleseat, PayPal, Zoom, Google Workspace) with no AI/ML capabilities. Go-to-market relies on the website, email newsletter "The Briefing," social media, recurring public events (military shows, car shows, pancake breakfasts, WWII hangar dances), and embedded institutional partnerships with regional schools, scouts, and military-adjacent organizations.

Name

MAPS Air Museum

Legal name

Military Aviation Preservation Society

Website

https://mapsairmuseum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MAPS Air Museum is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) aviation museum in North Canton, Ohio, housing 53+ aircraft and serving Northeast Ohio through admissions, facility rentals, educational programming (K-12, scouts, Air Academy), and veteran history preservation, supported by roughly 1,100 members and multiple regional foundation grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aviation Museum and Cultural Heritage Institution

NAICS

Museums (712110)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Museums (e.g., Maritime, Aviation, Sports, Music, Film) (THAJADAF)

Keywords

• Aviation museum exhibits
• Aircraft restoration services
• Educational youth programs
• Historical artifact preservation
• Event venue rentals

Headquarters

HQ city

North Canton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Admission Fees: Visitors pay admission fees to access the museum, aircraft displays, exhibits, and educational collections.
2. Membership Dues: Nearly 1,100 dues-paying members support the museum with annual membership fees. Members receive benefits including library access with check-out privileges.
3. Event Rentals: The museum generates revenue through renting facilities including the Main Hangar Floor (capacity 800), Banquet Hall (capacity 200), Conference Room (capacity 45), and full-facility rentals for weddings, business events, car shows, and reunions.
4. Gift Shop Sales: The museum operates a gift shop selling merchandise including t-shirts, sweaters, jackets, hats, models, coffee cups, toys, and keychains.
5. Special Event Admissions: The museum charges admission for special events such as the Fall 2026 Military Show ($10 per person) and Veterans Day celebrations ($25 per ticket for formal dinners).
6. Donations: The museum accepts monetary donations, endowment contributions through Akron Community Foundation, and aircraft/artifact donations. Donations support aircraft renovation, acquisition, and facility maintenance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

MAPS Air Museum (legally Military Aviation Preservation Society) operates a nonprofit aviation museum featuring 53+ aircraft and historical exhibits, offers facility rentals for events, delivers educational programs for youth and schools, and preserves veteran oral histories through partnerships with the Library of Congress. Revenue is generated through admissions, special event tickets, gift shop merchandise sales, annual membership dues, and charitable donations.

Product overview

MAPS Air Museum is a nonprofit aviation museum offering museum admission to view 53 aircraft and artifacts spanning 1903-present, facility rentals for events (hangar floor, banquet hall, conference rooms), and educational programs including Air Academy, Scouts BSA/Girl Scout programs, and Military History Program with Library of Congress partnership. The museum operates as a working museum with continuous aircraft restoration, featuring exhibits including Medal of Honor displays, Super Sabre Memorial, Ohio Military Museum, and Gallery of Heroes. Additional offerings include simulator trainers (C-3 Link Trainer, TA-4J OFT), STEM instructional videos, history presentations, speakers bureau, and Veterans Day celebrations. Revenue is generated through admissions, facility rentals, gift shop sales, special events, and member donations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Museum Admission and Tours
• Facility Rentals
• Air Academy Program
• Scouts BSA / Girl Scout Programs
• Louise Timken Library & Research Center
• Simulator Trainers (C-3 Link Trainer and TA-4J OFT)
• Military History Program
• Medal of Honor Displays
• Super Sabre Memorial Exhibit
• Ohio Military Museum
• Gallery of Heroes
• Aircraft Collection and Restoration
• STEM Instructional Videos and Teacher Resources
• Gift Shop
• American History Program
• Veterans Day Celebration

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 13,500 volunteer worker-hours invested in B-26 Marauder restoration alone
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and moderate.

• Ohio Military Museum (OMM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015OMM merged into MAPS in late 2015 to ensure preservation of its contents. OMM's uniforms and artifacts from conflicts dating back to War of 1812 are now displayed in the Ohio Military Museum exhibit hall on the 2nd floor of MAPS.
• Veterans History Project - Library of CongresscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMAPS Military History Program operates in conjunction with the Veterans History Project from the United States Library of Congress, recording veteran oral histories for archival preservation.
• Civil Air Patrol - Akron-Canton Composite Squadron OH-278coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAP squadron is locally housed at MAPS Air Museum. Focuses on cadet programs including character development, leadership, emergency services, physical fitness, and aerospace activities. MAPS provides meeting location.
• M.A.R.C GroupmoderateOthersProvides aircraft through indefinite loan agreements as one of the sources for MAPS's aircraft collection alongside private collections, McKinley Museum, and U.S. Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force.
• U.S. Military BranchesmoderateOthersU.S. Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force provide aircraft through indefinite loan agreements to support MAPS's mission of preserving military aviation history.
• Venture BSA - Crew 1944moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerMAPS sponsors Venture BSA Crew 1944 by providing meeting location, equipment parking, and paying annual charter fee. Crew assists MAPS at yearly events with parking, equipment tear-down, and other activities. Crew performs WWII reenactments as 5th Ranger Battalion.
• Super Sabre SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSociety founded in 2006 to preserve F-100 Super Sabre history. Partnered with MAPS to create permanent Super Sabre Memorial Exhibit on newly renovated second floor. Bob Dunham co-founded the society; MAPS preserves their website and materials.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum: Oregon-based museum housing military and civilian aircraft with education programs and event venue rentals—comparable nonprofit aviation museum with similar revenue diversification strategy.
• Mid-Atlantic Air Museum: Aviation museum in Reading, PA with aircraft collection, restoration projects, and events comparable to MAPS in scale and operational focus on military aviation history.
• Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum: Denver-based aviation museum housed in a former Air Force hangar with aircraft collection, education programs, and event rentals—very similar venue-rental revenue model and nonprofit structure.
• New England Air Museum: Connecticut-based aviation museum with similar-sized aircraft collection, volunteer-driven restoration, and educational programming for K-12 audiences and scouts.
• EAA Aviation Museum: Aviation museum in Oshkosh, WI focused on general and experimental aviation history with aircraft restoration programs, youth education, and event-driven visitation—directly comparable in mission and programming.
• Pima Air & Space Museum: One of the largest aerospace museums in the U.S. located in Tucson, AZ, featuring 400+ aircraft, restoration programs, and educational offerings—closely comparable in collection scope and nonprofit operational model.
• Aerospace Museum of California: Northern California aviation museum with aircraft collection, restoration programs, and STEM education for schools—directly comparable in mission and educational focus.
• National Museum of the United States Air Force: The largest military aviation museum in the world, also located in Ohio (Dayton). Operates as a free-admission military aviation museum with similar educational programming, aircraft collection, and veteran-honoring exhibits, though at materially larger scale.
• Kalamazoo Air Zoo: Michigan-based aviation and space museum featuring aircraft, flight simulators, and STEM education—directly comparable in scope, simulator offerings, and curriculum-aligned educational programming.

Broad incumbents

• Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum: The preeminent U.S. aerospace museum under the Smithsonian, operating two locations with vastly larger collections, budgets, and visitor scale. Establishes the category standard but is not a direct operating competitor given its national footprint and federal funding.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@officialmapsairmuseumchann1351
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/maps-air-museum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MAPS Air Museum