EAA Museum Passport Program

Hello,

This is an exciting bonus for this summer..... There is a museum just outside the 90 mile ring from my house that now I have a great excuse to take the family to.  Just got the stickers in the May Sport Aviation.  However, I have a family membership for 5.  How can I get more stickers for their membership cards?

Thanks for this membership perk!

Chris Gunther

Chris, if you call or email EAA Membership Services 1-800-564-6322 or membership@eaa.org  they should be able to get you some more stickers.

Barry called for suggestions about great places to visit in the ASTC consortium.  I definitely recommend the Museum of Science & Industry in Chicago.  This is a huge, world-class instirution in general with all kinds of interesting exhibits (including a German U-Boat).   But of interest to EAA Members will be the Air & Space collections, including the Apollo 8 command module, a cutaway Boeing 727, various historic aircraft and some good interactive exhibits. 

For me the absolute highlights are two ultra, ultra rare WWII aircraft - a Mk1a Spitfire and one of only two complete surviving JU-87 Stukas in the world. 

This was in the EAA Museum for a while in the 60s and 70s, I wish we still had it. 

EAA's Founder Paul Poberezny told me the famous Stuka ace (and unrepentant Nazi) Hans Ulrich Rudel once showed up at Hales Corners just to sit in the Stuka!

This is truly an amazing perk!  We've been planning a trip to Chicago and the amount of money we'll save in museum admissions now is just unreal!  We're saving  $90 just for the 2 we originally planned on - that's like getting a free night at the hotel.    

I sincerely hope Paul didn't let him sit in it. 

We've had a couple questions as to what the "other restrictions" are in Wisconsin outside of the 90 mile rule.  Does it have to do with AirVenture time or? 

A question on the intent of this program. Say the chapter arranges a charter bus to one of these facilities, and 50 people pop in somewhere for free admission. Is that bad etiquette, or is that alright? Would making a donation to the organization we visit be appropriate in that situation as a thank you for some of the lost revenue?

I'm curious to see how strict they are with the 90 mile rule. I have just recently moved to the eastern side of Indiana, but my id still states that im from the western side of the state (which is about 40-60 miles from chicago)

@Kristy - The only Wisconsin museum that qualifies is in La Crosse.  All of the Fox Cities and Milwaukee museums that are in-network are within 90 miles of the AirVenture museum - so they are also excluded.

@Paul - I would call ahead.   There is nothing in the rules that prohibits your proposal, but perhaps a courtesy call and a small donation would be a well-received gesture.

@Jake - The 90 mile enforcement is up to the museum you are visiting.   If they want to enforce it and ask for a Driver's License, they can.   That being said, I think most museums will look at your "home museum" location in Oshkosh, WI and not ask.   That is our policy for reciprocity - if the home museum is not within 90 miles, we are not asking for residency proof.

Thanks for all the questions.   Hopefully we can get a few more success stories and "must see" museums talked about here.

Regards,

Barry