Coast Guard Volunteers Work on New Exhibit at the Aviation Museum

ERMA – A group of ten volunteers from the Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City traveled to Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum (NASW) this morning to prepare a new Coast Guard Exhibit ready for its June 7, 2011 opening. The group worked to restore the museum’s HH-52A Seaguard Helicopter, which serves as the centerpiece of the new Coast Guard Exhibit area. The HH-52A helicopter is one of the museum’s aircraft that visitors are encouraged to “climb into.” In addition to the HH-52A, the exhibit also features a number of interactive displays including a flight simulator, a child-sized toy helicopter, and a number of photographs donated by friends of the museum.
The idea for this new Coast Guard Exhibit stemmed from the rich history behind the Training Center in nearby Cape May, and serves as a way for the museum to honor the men and women of the Coast Guard for their service. NASW continues to work on the new exhibit, which will officially be opened on June 7, 2011 at 7pm, following a short lecture by Captain William Kelly, the Commanding Officer of the Coast Guard Training Center in Cape May, NJ.
The Coast Guard volunteers from the air station consisted of: Pat Daniels, David Ozuna, Mark Knapp, Steven McCauley, Keith Schiaffino, Chris Ozuna, Mike Mille, Richard Ray, Lucas Vasquez-Cruz, and Tyler Schiaffino. NASW relies on volunteers year-round to act as museum guides, to repair aircraft and other equipment, for general hangar upkeep, and for events and special projects. Please call the museum if interested in volunteering, (609) 886-8787.
Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum is located in Historic Hangar No. 1 at the Cape May Airport, New Jersey. Cape May Airport was formerly Naval Air Station Wildwood, which served as a World War II dive-bomber training facility. The museum is dedicated to the 42 airmen who perished while training at Naval Air Station Wildwood between 1943 and 1945.
For more information, please call Bruce A. Fournier at (609) 886-8787 or email aviationmuseum@comcast.net or visit www.usnasw.org for further information.