A changing of the guard has quietly taken place at the Port Townsend Aero Museum.

Jerry and Peggy Thuotte retired from daily operations on April 1, 2016, after 15 years of pulling the museum from its preplanning stage through construction and management to its present standing as a productive nonprofit, publicly owned, education-based operation.

The cofounders have turned operations over to Michael Payne as museum director. Payne joined the staff in 2002 and became a board member in 2004.

"I've been here for the entire process of this museum getting built. It's always kind of been the three of us on site, five days a week," Payne said of working alongside Jerry and Peggy.

The PT Aero Museum specializes in the restoration of antique aircraft, mainly tube and fabric construction. Aircraft in the collection date from 1926 to 1958. The museum opened Sept. 8, 2008 in an 18,000-square-foot building; two other buildings came later.

Jerry Thuotte was a pilot with United Airlines from 1965 to 1997, based mostly in Seattle. Peggy Thuotte was a flight attendant with United for 30 years. The couple moved to Jefferson County in 1998, already with a history of doing volunteer work with kids.

The Thuottes remain on the museum board of directors (he is president, she is secretary/treasurer), and Jerry teaches ground school one day a week.

Their plan was to advance someone from within the museum, and Payne, 54, is enthusiastic about the opportunity. The transition was initiated about 18 months ago, and it's been smooth, said Payne, who commutes by airplane from Sequim to the museum at Jefferson County International Airport, 5 miles from Port Townsend.

NEW STAFF

Payne's first step as director was to hire his replacement as primary airframe and power plant, or A&P, mechanic (licensed to work on aircraft). He feels fortunate to have reconnected with Kevin Vogel, who, as a Sequim teenager in 2002, became active at the museum. Vogel has gotten his college degree, pilot's license and A&P license, and has worked as an aircraft mechanic.

"I couldn't turn down the offer to come back to this place and pick up where Jerry left off," said Vogel, 31, who has moved to Port Townsend.

Becoming a pilot lured him to the museum, yet "the maintenance program quickly had most of my interest," Vogel said, and that interest turned into a career.

"Kevin has come full circle," Payne said. "I honestly believe that when I leave, he will be running this place. This is what this place is all about, giving kids opportunity."

Also new on staff is Doug Vogel (no relation), who is another former student and is now here as a flight instructor. Payne notes that museum students, among other things, have gone on to attend airline school and commercial flight school, work with rockets, and one is flying a Navy jet.

Otherwise, it's business as usual, with the same hours of operation and programs. More volunteer flight instructors are stepping up, noted Payne, who wants to put out the welcome mat to visitors, supporters and possible project partners.

The museum collection lists 23 aircraft and gliders, dating from 1926 to 1958. There are 18 aircraft on display, with five more in other hangars, plus another dozen or so projects that are in pieces; some of those parts being fuselages and wings. Four aircraft are used for flight training. The museum also has an extensive library and a collection of aviation art. There are about 1,000 active members, and last year, it hosted 2,500 visitors.

The museum opened with a 50-year lease on Port of Port Townsend property, with a 25-year option. After those 75 years, the port owns the land and can charge the museum association rent. Payne, thinking long term, is pondering how to proceed with the long-range capital project’s vision of adding another section of museum display.

EDUCATION

Today, there are 20 mentorship students who meet on Sundays, coming from Jefferson, Clallam, Kitsap and other counties. The age range is 13-18, with a few exceptions for younger students. Working on flying machines calls for nothing less than rapt attention. Jerry Thuotte was known for running a tight ship, and while Payne brings a softer demeanor, he is no less intent on quality and safety.

"This is a very, very serious business," Payne said. "We can only have young people here who are young adults. We can't have children here, because of the nature of the work we do."

Students learn antique aircraft restoration techniques, including fabric covering and structural repair. The shop works on its own collection and performs contract labor; engine overhauls and other speciality work is generally subcontracted.

Students work on a variety of aircraft, small jobs that take a few hours and enduring projects that require months. "The program is more about becoming a responsible young adult than it is about getting a pilot license," Payne noted.

CONTRACT WORK

The museum does not compete with the regular aviation service businesses next door, Payne said. It's rare when the museum takes on an contract client with an aircraft newer than from the late 1960s. Contract jobs do allow the museum to be financially stable, Payne noted.

One such job involving students is a 1928 Travel Air 4000. One adult volunteer has spent one day a week, for three years, working on the aircraft and sharing his skill with students. Assembly starts soon, with test flights this summer.

A more recent project has been converting a 1963 Cessna 150 tricycle landing gear conversion back to tail gear, which is how the owner flew in that plane when it was owned by his father. It's been worked on by 15 students.

Another contract job is a Piper PA 22/20 conversion from the late 1950s. It was rescued by its owner and brought to the museum, where two students cleaned it up and staff worked on mechanics. "It was a derelict" that's now on its way to being airworthy, Payne said.

FUNDRAISING

Buying and selling aircraft is one way for the museum to support itself. Finishing touches are being put on a 1968 Cessna 177 Cardinal, a four-seat aircraft with only 1,700 hours of flight time, none on the rebuilt engine. The museum purchased it from the late owner's estate; the family asked a favorable price in support of the museum's mission, Payne noted.

The Cessna 177 has a unique wing – no struts – which was ahead of its time when debuted, Payne said. The aircraft itself was underpowered, however, and it never became a true replacement for the Cessna 172. Fewer were built, and this is a low-hours original for which the museum is asking $45,000.

The general public is welcome to help the museum through paid admission; the museum is open 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday. Learn more about the mentorship and the collection by visiting the museum or checking out its website, ptaeromuseum.com.