Aviation museum receives donation for expansion
December 30, 2011, 01:48 pm
The McAllister Museum of Aviation in Yakima, Washington, recently received a $5,000 donation to be used on the expansion of its display of the Yakima Clipper, a piece of local aviation history.
According to the Yakima Herald, the Clipper was a glider built by Charles McAllister, an aviation pioneer and Yakima native. The Clipper is currently on display in the Museum of Flight in Seattle, and the donation from PepsiCo and the Noel Corporation will be put towards creating a suitable display for when the Clipper is returned to Yakima. Officials at the museum in Seattle will give the 154-foot-long Clipper to the Yakima museum if a proper display is arranged.
The Clipper has a wingspan of 50 feet, and is composed of wood and fabric-covered wings. It was built in 1931 and 1932, the source reported. McAllister first used the Clipper in June 1993 while trying to break the world endurance record for gliders, flying for eight hours and 52 minutes. However, he did not beat that record because the wind died down during his flight.
Yakima news source KAPP-TV reported the 12-year-old museum plans to use the donation to build a 4,000-square-foot addition onto the front of the facility. The donation to the aviation museum was one of five $5,000 grants Pepsi gave out to organizations in the Yakima community.
Are you covered? Are you overpaying? Find out! Get a Quote Now!
| 
