HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- After nearly two years of planning and construction, the Hill Aerospace Museum is putting the finishing touches on its newest gallery, which will be called the L.S. Skaggs Gallery.
The museum has been temporarily closed the past few weeks to facilitate the coordinated movement and relocation of many aircraft and displays previously housed in the Hadley and Lindquist-Stewart Galleries and air park in preparation for a grand opening gala scheduled for April 2024.
Aaron Clark, Hill Aerospace Museum director, mentioned that the move has required detailed planning and execution, and he expressed gratitude for the incredible amount of support they are receiving from organizations outside the museum.
"If it were not for the phenomenal support, we are getting from the 388th Fighter Wing’s Crash Damaged Disabled Aircraft Recovery Team, the 309th Aircraft Maintenance Group’s Expeditionary Depot Maintenance Flight and Transportation Section, and the Utah Air National Guard’s 151st Air Refueling Wing, this herculean effort of reorganizing the aircraft would not be possible," said Clark.
"We treasure our relationships with these amazing community partners who have assisted us in implementing the museum mission for years.”
The Utah State Legislature appropriated $15 million toward construction of a third museum gallery in recent years. The 91,000 square feet hangar will allow most of the museum’s aircraft to be brought indoors while new environmental controls will better protect these national collection pieces.
This additional space will also permit the museum to expand and enrich its storyline, as its staff will complement the new gallery with additional exhibits to expound on the existing and future narratives.
The museum’s supporting private organization, Aerospace Heritage Foundation of Utah, worked with members of the legislature for several years on the possible museum expansion. In addition to the money earmarked for the project by the state, an additional $5 million was raised through private donations.
The museum is currently open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.