Kettering Model Aircraft Collection Undergoes Conservation

Philanthropist’s hand-built replicas are being restored and readied for a new display case at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.

Meg Godlewski

Friday, March 15, 2024 at 10:00 AM ET

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Some of the model aircraft in the Kettering collection date back to the 1930s. [Courtesy: National Museum of the U.S. Air Force]

Key Takeaways:

Eugene Kettering, a founder of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, contributed his extensive collection of 624 handcrafted aircraft models, some dating back to the 1930s.
After decades on display, these delicate, one-of-a-kind wooden models required significant conservation due to material degradation, adhesives breaking down, and the presence of historical hazardous materials like lead paint.
The museum partnered with the Intermuseum Conservation Association (ICA) for the models' cleaning and repair, which will be reinstalled by summer 2025 in a new, humidity-controlled display case designed for better preservation.

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Many of us begin our aviation careers by building model aircraft— and some never stop.

That would have described the late Eugene Kettering, an engineer, philanthropist, and first chairman of the Air Force Museum Foundation. Kettering went to work at General Motors in 1930 and helped in the development of the modern diesel locomotive. He also built aircraft models on the side, and when he retired in 1960, he and his wife, Virginia, looked for philanthropic endeavors for that outlet—one was the creation of the Air Force Museum.