FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Air Force Museum Foundation gratefully acknowledges gift
Dayton, Ohio – April 10, 2026 — The Air Force Museum Foundation, Inc., (Foundation) gratefully acknowledges a gift of nearly $11,700 from the Air Transport Command Association (ATCA).
The AFMF is the non-profit organization that raises funds and awareness in support of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force™ (NMUSAF).
The Air Transport Command was created during World War II to ferry all aircraft within the United States and to foreign destinations; to run those air routes outside the United States; and to transport personnel, materiel, and mail for the War Department. The Command was inactivated in 1948. Today’s Air Mobility Command traces its origin to Air Transport Command.
“The not-for-profit ATCA was formed in 1998 by the merger of similar organizations representing the 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 7th Ferry Groups, for the purpose of military reunions,” said the Association’s John Kinyon. “ATCA reunions were held from 2001 to 2010, and a final reunion was held in 2016.”
Kinyon explained that the funds were donated by the ATCA at the close of its operations. “As ATC veterans have gradually ‘flown west,’ it became time to wind down the ATCA. Their children, now in their 70s, very much want the ATC story to be told to a wider audience. With that in mind, the assets of the association, along with personal contributions, have been given to an ATC Fund at the Air Force Museum Foundation.”
Claire Saxon, last president of the Association, said her hope is that, “Informing members, families, and friends of our donation to the AFMF will encourage them to donate in honor of our mission and their family member’s importance in the Ferrying Group and Air Transport Command.”
Melinda Lawrence, acting CEO of the Foundation, thanked the Association for their gift. “The Air Force Museum Foundation is honored to receive this gift from the Air Transport Command Association. Stories about Air Transport Command missions, as well as current USAF Air Mobility Command operations to project combat power and humanitarian support, can be seen throughout the Museum.”
To donate to the Foundation in support of the NMUSAF, go to www.airforcemuseumfoundation.org and click on the “Donate” button.
About the Air Force Museum Foundation
The Air Force Museum Foundation, Inc., was founded in 1960 as a Section 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization “to assist the United States Air Force Museum where federal funds are not available.” Since it was chartered, it has gifted nearly $100 million in support of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force™, including the cost of constructing 94% of the one-million-square-foot Museum campus. The Foundation is not part of the Department of Defense or any of its components, and it has no government status. The use of the Roundel image in the Foundation’s logo is with the permission of the United States Air Force; endorsement by the Department of Defense or the United States Air Force in fundraising activities of the Foundation is not intended nor implied pursuant to DoDI 5535.12. For more information on the Air Force Museum Foundation, visit www.airforcemuseumfoundation.org.
About the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force
The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, is the world’s largest military aviation museum. With free admission and parking, the museum features more than 350 aerospace vehicles and missiles, and thousands of artifacts amid more than 19 acres of indoor exhibit space. Each year, visitors from around the world come to the museum. In 2023, the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force celebrated its 100th Anniversary. For more information, visit www.nationalmuseum.af.mil.
