Anon, I think Jeffrey Clyman would tell you that he was motivated by his love of flying to found the museum. He is a pilot and he does donate his time to fly vintage planes for the benefit of the museum.

Based on a Google search, he and his wife contribute generously to other charitable causes.

A major problem for the museum is that attendance is unlikely to ever reach the 40,000 annual visitors mark initially projected by Clyman.

According to the museum's 990s, attendance levels have remained static or even declined.

Based on numbers in the 2004 990, the museum needs to raise at least $340,000 annually just to cover rent, insurance and utility costs and that's before consideration of the recent jump in gas prices.

I noticed in the 990s that the museum does not appear to own the planes on exhibit. Does Clyman still own the planes and are they only on loan to the museum?

According to the 7/06 New York Times story about the museum, the value of the planes has increased significantly in recent years.

If the museum folded but Clyman owns the planes, Clyman will still substantially profit. His initial investment in the planes will have increased since the museum was founded.

Just as important, Clyman will have housed and maintained his investment at taxpayer expense.

I don't think Jeffrey M. Clyman's outlook on public financing is much different than Robin D. Hubbard's.

What is it with these people on the Upper East Side? Is this the kind of stuff you learn how to do in the Ivy League?

This exercise is turning out to be a lot more interesting than I initially thought it would be.

Contributions in 2002 were from a variety of sources. Speaking of which, I wonder what is the source of the Clyman family's wealth.

Of course, the big contribution in 2002 was the $200k grant from the Department of the Interior.

Pathmark contributed $10k in 2002. 

Lawrence Kadish of the First Fiscal Fund Corp. contributed $100,000 in 2002. Kadish is a very conservative real estate developer who is affiliated with the Republican Jewish Coalition, Americans For Victory Over Terrorism (Like who it isn't?), Center For Security Policy, Committee for Security and Peace in the Middle East and the American Middle East Information Network.

The ABC, Inc. Foundation contributed $10k. I haven't checked but I assume the ABC Inc. in question is ABC Carpet & Home Stores.

Rubenstein & Associates, a public relations firm, contributed $7k.

A company named M-GBC LLC contributed $25k. According to Lexis-Nexis, MGB-LLC was only formed in October 2001. The address is c/o J. Burman, 2545 Hempstead Turnpike, Suite 401, East Meadow, New York 11554. 

A Google search for M-GBC LLC turns up numerous interesting entrie for the company which appears to have something to do with supplying steam heat commercially and developing  470 acres at Enterprise Park in Calverton, formerly the Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant which was operated by Grumman Corporation and previously owned by the US Navy.

That's enough information to keep me busy for awhile.

According to the Senate lobbying database, the American Airpower Museum hired DC lobbyists, Dykema Gossett, sometime in late 2001.

According to OpenSecrets.org, Dykema Gossett gave a total of $5,500 to the Republican National Committee between November  2001 and September 2002.

As near as I can tell, the museum paid Dykema Gossett less than $10k which is a fabulous return on investment if the lobbyists assisted with the 2002 $200k grant from the Department of the Interior.

We should all get those kinds of ROI. Hmm...that's an idea. If we can't beat 'em, maybe we should join 'em.

Last entry for the day.

Jeffrey Clyman registered the American Museum at Republic Inc. in 1995. I wonder if this is the entity that owns the vintage aircraft.

NAME: AMERICAN MUSEUM AT REPUBLIC,INC.

PRIOR-NAME: AMERICAN MUSEUM FOR THE PRESERVATION OF HISTORIC AIRCRAFT

STATUS: IN GOOD STANDING (ACTIVE)

DATE OF INCORPORATION/QUALIFICATION: 03/20/1995

PURPOSE: LIVING HISTORY MUSEUM

OFFICERS:

MAILING ADDRESS: % AVIREX LTD
                 33-00 47TH AVE
                 LONG ISLAND CITY, NY 11101-0000

LOL - Do I know how to pick an earmark or what? 

ABC News is out at the American Airpower Museum today and has already interviewed three WWII women pilots. Next up were the musuem patrons boarding a vintage cargo plane, all dressed like WWII parachutists.

I have to admit that I'd like to go up in one of those planes. It looks like fun! 

From a 3/6/2006 Star-Gazette (Elmira NY) story, "Museum Sells Prized Plane" by Jeff Murray:

Eagles Discovery Center is selling one of its most prized possessions.

But museum officials say the sale of the Consolidated PBY-6A Catalina flying boat to the American Airpower Museum on Long Island will be a much greater gain than it is a loss.

In December, the Wings of Eagles Discovery Center sold its centerpiece attraction, the Boeing B-17 bomber "Fuddy Duddy," to Martin Aviation, an aircraft maintenance company based in Orange County, Calif.

The sale enabled the museum to pay off its crippling $3.1 million debt.

The transfer of the World War II-vintage PBY to the American Airpower Museum will continue the museum's trend of focusing on smaller, more economical aircraft, said Wings of Eagles Executive Director Mike Hall.

"It fits in the same category for us as the B-17, which is a tremendous expense and not something we can prudently bear when you look at expense versus reward," Hall said. "We will continue to fly our collection of smaller aircraft, which are much more affordable and more economical to operate. The American Airpower Museum is on Long Island. They have a much different market and circumstance. It's a good fit from their standpoint."

The state provided the American Airpower Museum with a $250,000 grant. The Long Island museum used that money to provide an unspecified sum of cash to the Wings of Eagles Discovery Center in exchange for the PBY Catalina and other benefits.

The sale of the PBY Catalina, which was the museum's second most popular attraction behind Fuddy Duddy, will do more than save the museum some operating costs, Hall said. It will also help the two facilities forge an alliance that they hope will mean more attractions and more visitors to the Southern Tier.

"We've been trying for the last couple of years to develop some
upstate-downstate connections. There's obviously a huge market down there," Hall said. "This is a very positive thing for us. We can't sustain flight operations with those kind of aircraft on an ongoing basis. We can share with them so we don't lose the uniqueness of seeing those assets from time to time...

Gary Lewi, executive vice president of the American Airpower Museum, echoed Hall's sentiment that the transfer of the PBY downstate, part of a reciprocal relationship between the two facilities, will be as much of a benefit to the Wings of Eagles Discovery Center as it will be to his museum...

The American Airpower Museum was also set to buy the Fuddy Duddy when it first went up for sale in 2002. A $1 million state grant helped the local museum keep its centerpiece at that time..."