Body of work

You may not be familiar with the wing because it is new; named for benefactor Thomas W. Haas, a New England pilot and business owner, the wing is a love letter to general aviation from Haas and museum curator Dorothy Cochrane, also a GA pilot. Cochrane has endeavored to tell the story of general aviation in the museum since her hiring in 1977. She has actively pursued artifacts, aircraft, and memorabilia that tell the story of GA. From Lawnchair Larry’s patio chair (Larry Walters flew to 16,000 feet in a chair attached to helium balloons in 1982) to Sean D. Tucker’s Challenger III aerobatic biplane, Jerrie Mock’s Cessna 180 that she flew around the world, and the second prototype model of the Learjet 23, the wing pays tribute to the contributions of general aviation across the past century. Collaboratively, Cochrane reached out to AOPA for photographs and videos produced by the association, which tell the multifaceted story of GA—humanitarian flights, animal rescue, firefighting aircraft, training flights, and airshows. Photography by AOPA photographers Mike Fizer and Chris Rose and video by Josh Cochran are highlights of the exhibit. “AOPA was supportive of the museum’s ‘Thomas W. Haas We All Fly’ exhibition right from the start, supplying a wide array of general aviation images taken by AOPA photographers. AOPA Pilot articles informed me of pertinent people and organizations for consideration in the exhibition as well,” said Cochrane. “In addition, we appreciate the writers and online programs that have followed our museum’s renovation.

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