Monarch Economic Development

We request your generous support for a project of great historical, economic, and educational significance—the establishment of a state-of-the-art Aeronautical Museum and Children’s Learning Center at the Bakersfield, CA Municipal Airport. We are committed to preserving the rich aeronautical heritage of Kern County, providing a deeper understanding of aviation's impact on our society, and fostering our youth from all backgrounds to pursue careers in aviation.

Our vision is to create an Aeronautical Museum that will serve as a hub for aviation enthusiasts, visiting pilots, students, educational organizations, tourists, and the general public. The museum will be a venue for community events and field trips. It will also become an entertainment and recreational attraction in the area, which is a disadvantaged community.

The Learning Center will focus on developing aerospace and STEM related programs and activities. There will be flight simulators for kids and adults, a library of historical and current print materials, and online information that will be available to educators and the public.

The founder and curator is Troy D. Hightower (thightower@monarchedc.org) a long-time air and space enthusiast and historian. Mr. Hightower was exposed to airplanes at a young age. By the time he was 11 years old he had read every airplane book in the library.  He learned to fly when he was 17 years old and has been flying for more than 50 years. He has worked for the airlines and at airports throughout his life. The most significant aviation related project was the role he played managing the work done to restore a Lockheed SR-71/A-12 from mothball storage condition, which included disassembly, designing and building shipping grades and shipping the aircraft in parts to the Museum of Flight in Seattle, WA where the restoration was completed and it is now on display. In addition, Mr.  Hightower was one of the original supporters that developed the Flight Test Historical Museum at Edwards Air Force Base.