Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum Receives $1 Million Gift From AAR Corp., Its Chairman and Its Founder
May 9, 2018
The National Air and Space Museum received a $1 million gift from AAR Corp., its chairman and CEO David P. Storch and the family of its founder Ira J. Eichner. The gift supports the construction of the new Design Hangar in the transformed “How Things Fly” exhibition at the flagship building in Washington, D.C., scheduled to open in 2024. The gift will also provide funding for programming in advance of and during construction, and will expand educational opportunities to students and teachers across the country with the creation of an online teacher portal.
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“The support of AAR, David Storch and Ira Eichner’s family is crucial to expanding the footprint of our interactive space and programs by building on the success of the Design Hangar as a makerspace where visitors can create or build something with their own hands,” said Ellen Stofan, the John and Adrienne Mars Director of the National Air and Space Museum. “This gift will help fuel the passions and imaginations of the next generation of aerospace visionaries and explorers.”
In appreciation of the gift, the museum will rename the space the “AAR Design Hangar.” A previous gift from AAR Corp. and Storch funded the first iteration of the Design Hangar and the development of programming in the space. Since its opening in 2014, almost 62,000 visitors have engaged in hands-on learning experiences in core STEM topics in the Design Hangar. With a high average visit time of 30 minutes, this unique makerspace deepens visitors’ understanding of concepts in physics and engineering. The immersive activities in the exhibition motivate visitors to ask questions, make observations and collaborate with each other, making “How Things Fly” one of the museum’s most popular exhibitions.
“I am proud to build upon our continued support of this interactive exhibit designed to increase students’ awareness of and interest in aviation,” Storch said. “I have a passion for inspiring the next generation of aerospace leaders, and AAR has a keen interest in building the talent pipeline for the future of aircraft maintenance.”
The “How Things Fly” exhibition is located on the east end of the building and will be reimagined in the second major phase of the transformation project. Construction on the exhibition is scheduled to begin in 2021. For more information about how the museum is transforming all of the exhibitions and revitalizing the building, visit
https://airandspace.si.edu/reimagining-air-and-space.
The National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., is located at Sixth Street and Independence Avenue S.W. The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is located in Chantilly, Va., near Washington Dulles International Airport. Both facilities are open daily from 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25). Admission is free, but there is a $15 fee for parking at the Udvar-Hazy Center.
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About AAR
AAR is a global aftermarket solutions company that employs more than 6,000 people in over 20 countries. Based in Wood Dale, Illinois, AAR supports commercial aviation and government customers through two operating segments: Aviation Services and Expeditionary Services. AAR’s Aviation Services include inventory management; parts supply; OEM parts distribution; aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul; engineering services and component repair. AAR’s Expeditionary Services include airlift operations; mobility systems; and command and control centers in support of military and humanitarian missions. More information can be found at www.aarcorp.com.
Media contact: Daniela Pietsch, Vice President Corporate Marketing & Communications, at editor@aarcorp.com or +1 630-227-5100.
This press release contains certain statements relating to future results, which are forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on beliefs of Company management, as well as assumptions and estimates based on information currently available to the Company, and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical results or those anticipated, including those factors discussed under Item 1A, entitled “Risk Factors”, included in the Company’s Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2018. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize adversely, or should underlying assumptions or estimates prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described. These events and uncertainties are difficult or impossible to predict accurately and many are beyond the Company’s control. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events. For additional information, see the comments included in AAR’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.