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, an engineer, philanthropist, and key figure in establishing the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, donated his extensive collection of 624 unique model aircraft to the museum.
Dating back to the 1930s, these delicate, predominantly wooden models, some containing lead paint, required extensive conservation efforts by the Intermuseum Conservation Association due to material degradation.
The conserved collection is being prepared for reinstallation by summer 2025 in a new, specially designed display case within Kettering Hall, featuring humidity control and optimal lighting for long-term 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.