PAM Timeline 1982 -1993

This timeline covers pre-Prairie Aviation Museum 1982 -1983
and PAM’s establishment in 1984 – 1993.

In the beginning:

1982

August 17

Pantagraph Release

Norman Wingler, 2007 Benjamin Lane, Bloomington, is a member of Heritage in Flight Museum, Inc. and hopes to start a Bloomington-Normal chapter of the Springfield-based organization.

If the organization ls a success, the first project will be to acquire a DC-3 airplane that was built in the late 1930s and used chiefly to carry paratroopers during World War II.

1983

First Patch

EMBLEM SIGNIFICANCE
The shield with scroll is the traditional group color emblem display fashion of the United States Air Force.

The deep blue field with nebulae, a symbol of clouds, alludes to the sky.

The golden spread wings signifies our determination to fly our display aircraft.

The silver propeller, along with the gold piped Army Air Corps emblem denotes our groups interest in historic aircraft.

The red sub-field is to honor all pilots who have given their lives in the furthering of aviation.

The green horizontal striping indicates the forests, and the even stitch rows of gold comprising the lower field the harvest producing plains of our prairie state.

The emblem bears the national colors and the Air Force colors gold and ultramarine blue.

Late 1983 - Early 1984

Fundraising

The Prairie Aviation Museum started as a stand-alone not for profit organization in 1984, as an offshoot of a Lincoln, Illinois based aviation group.

One of its primary goals was to acquire a flying piece of aviation history which soon became a DC-3.

To help the new organization get established and raise funds to acquire the DC-3, fund-raising became the focus.

PAM Members met regularly at the former Elks building in downtown Bloomington to mass produce hand-made frozen pizzas which were sold to raise money. Dances were held.

Membership drives commenced including Lifetime Memberships for larger donations. ADAA (A Day At the Airport) events were held to drive interest in local aviation and raise money.

Wreaths and poinsettias were sold, normally at Christmas time, to raise funds. It took many hours of volunteer time and labors of love, but the DC-3 was acquired.

1984

June 7th 1984

Our 1st Aircraft DC-3