Houstonians Take Flight: Wings and Wheels at Hobby Airport

By Shawnie Boudreaux

Now that the weather is warming up, families are getting out of the house and into the sun. Since the economy is in a slump, some are heading to free beaches and boardwalks, but others may be looking for something a little different.
That’s what Cynthia McGowan was seeking for her family when she discovered an event called Wings and Wheels while browsing a local art events page.
“I’ve lived here my whole life and never knew [the museum] was here,” McGowan said as her son John squirmed excitedly out of a nearby helicopter into his father’s waiting arms. “There’s so many fun things to do around Houston that people don’t know about.”
The Houston Municipal Air Terminal, located on the west side of William P. Hobby Airport, holds the event on the third Saturday of every month. The Houston Municipal Airport served as Houston’s primary commercial air terminal between 1940 and 1954.
The Houston Aeronautical Heritage Society began leasing the building and property in 2003, and began the journey of restoring the terminal and creating a place where Houston’s aviation history is available to educate and entertain. HAHS is a Texas non-profit organization whose mission is to restore and preserve the art-deco air terminal museum as a civil aviation museum. Although repairs are still being made, the museum has been able to open the atrium and the North and South Wings of the museum to the public.
The museum has several exhibits including: galleries featuring original artwork, photographs, models, uniforms, artifacts, documents and memorabilia from many past and existing airlines; galleries featuring vintage equipment such as air traffic controls, weather charts, radios and navigational maps; and The Children’s Dream of Flight Gallery featuring vintage toys, books and an aviation play table.
The 1940 Air Terminal Museum is currently raffling a vintage 1957 Cessna 172 as a fundraiser. There are 2,500 tickets being sold for $50 each. The winner will be announced during the July Wings and Wheels or when all the tickets have been sold. Until that time, the raffle airplane is displayed at Wings and Wheels open houses and other local airshows and fly-ins.
During Wings and Wheels, local pilots are encouraged to come enjoy the event free of charge and get the chance to show off their planes and sometimes even take an eager observer for a ride. Pilot Jeffrey Weiss loves taking first-timers up in his airplane and will never forget the looks on the faces of two cub scouts when they looked up from their lunch when he asked them if they wanted to go for a ride.
“I try to contribute to the monthly Wings and Wheels events by taking passengers up in my airplane just to expose them to the magic of flight and the beautiful city of Houston below,” said Weiss, who has been involved with the museum for 10 years and is now on the board of directors. “Houston has been very good to me, and aviation is my passion. I wanted to give back to the city, and the museum was the perfect opportunity.”
The April Wings and Wheels falls during Hobby Fest this year and people are already excited to talk about the upcoming events.
“We’ll have many, many more aircrafts; we have a live band, and the zoo mobile,” said Megan Lickliter, administrator for the museum. Aside from airplanes, vintage cars, the zoo mobile, a live band and free lunch, Hobby Fest also features raffles, door prizes, face painting,  airport rangers on horseback and numerous other activities for the public to enjoy.
Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children and lunch is free. For more information about the museum or Wings and Wheels events, call 713-454-1940 or go to www.1940airterminal.org.