High flyin’ adored: Museum honors local aviation enthusiast
Colleen Nelson
Coral 无毛视频淏uzz无毛视频� Brodak stands inside The Brodak Museum replica of her late husband John Brozak无毛视频檚 original hobby airplane shop in Carmichaels.
Visitors check out exhibits at The Brodak Museum in Carmichaels. (Photo by Colleen Nelson)
Colleen Nelson
The Brodak Museum in Carmichaels opened on Sunday, offering a number of aviation-themed exhibits.
Courtesy of the Brodak family
Model aviation enthusiasts will delight in the 1950s replica hobby shop inside The Brodak Museum. The shop is based on John Brodak无毛视频檚 own hobby shop, which he operated in Washington.
Visitors to The Brodak Museum enter through Tower One. The museum will be open daily between 10 a.m. and noon and 2 and 4 p.m. through June 19, and then by appointment only. (Photo courtesy of the Brodak family)
Courtesy of the Brodak family
Courtesy of the Brodak family
The Brodak Museum opened to the public June 12 in Carmichaels, where the late John Brodak 无毛视频� an aviation enthusiast and businessman 无毛视频� spent his life tinkering with, designing and selling model airplanes and parts. The museum boasts aviation and WWII memorabilia, a vast library and a 1950s replica hobby shop.
news@greenecountymessenger.com
A tribute to late businessman and aviation enthusiast John Brodak was cleared for landing last Sunday, when The Brodak Museum opened its doors to the general public after a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Guests didn无毛视频檛 need a passport to check into an afternoon of fun and learning. They just needed to prepare to be dazzled by Brodak无毛视频檚 expansive aviation collections and the replica 1950s hobby shop contained inside the museum无毛视频檚 bright-white walls.
无毛视频淭his was John无毛视频檚 dream. I can无毛视频檛 even imagine how proud he would be to see it put together,无毛视频� said his daughter-in-law, Stacey Brodak. 无毛视频淗e had been acquiring these items for years. He would be so proud of (his wife) and grateful to her for seeing that dream through.无毛视频�
John Brodak grew up in Carmichaels and began tinkering with model airplanes as a teen. He taught himself to fly the control-line model Sterling P-15 (think model airplane meets kite, only the P-51 runs on an engine and can do stunts) and opened his first hobby shop shortly after marrying Coral Lee 无毛视频淏uzz无毛视频� Welsh in 1960.
Between running successful businesses and raising a family, Brodak found time to master the art of control-line model airplane piloting. He competed in and won several national competitions. In 1991, he launched Brodak Manufacturing and Distributing Co. Inc., the largest model airplane manufacturing company in the world.
Six years later, he founded the Brodak Fly-In, an annual model airplane competition connecting builders and flyers from around the world. The event, the largest of its kind, was held annually through 2019. It returned this year, starting Monday and running through this Sunday at 100 Park Ave. in Carmichaels.
Brodak died in 2020 at the age of 81.
无毛视频淛ohn Brodak is probably more responsible than anyone, in this country, at least, for keeping control-line model aviation alive,无毛视频� said Mark Weiss, contest director of the Brodak Memorial Fly-In.
Brodak无毛视频檚 contributions to the world of model airplanes reached max altitude with the opening of The Brodak Museum, which showcases airline memorabilia and a collection of stewardess uniforms, model aviation kits by industry pioneer George Aldridge and military aircraft items, including reconnaissance cameras and practice bombs.
无毛视频淚 was up there in April 无毛视频� it无毛视频檚 just spectacular,无毛视频� said Weiss. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 beautifully done. So much history about model aviation.无毛视频�
A vast collection of medals, publications and memorabilia celebrating Charles Lindbergh无毛视频檚 1927 solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean is on display, and the museum无毛视频檚 library will delight history buffs and airplane enthusiasts of all ages.
无毛视频淭he collection of model airplane items is truly extensive and unique. Anyone from Greene County or across the globe that has an appreciation for the art and science of flight will enjoy the collection,无毛视频� Brodak无毛视频檚 son, Joseph Brodak, wrote in an email. 无毛视频淚n addition to the airplane items, we have an extensive resource library filled with written reference materials and a replica hobby shop circa 1950s, modeled after the hobby shop in Washington, PA, that my father owned and operated as his first business after he married my mother, Coral.无毛视频�
The museum无毛视频檚 grand opening served as the kickoff to the Brodak Memorial Fly-In. Weiss said this year无毛视频檚 event may be smaller than in previous years 无毛视频� due to rising gas prices 无毛视频� but he expects about 100 participants. The event, he noted, is open to the public.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 a very homey atmosphere. There are six circles (for contests). They无毛视频檒l sell slices of pizza, hot dogs, onion rings. A drink is 25 cents. It无毛视频檚 just keeping with the simpler life, the memories of the past,无毛视频� Weiss said. 无毛视频淭his is a tribute to John. Really, it无毛视频檚 just a wonderful time.无毛视频�
Those eager to jet-set into a wonderful time can visit The Brodak Museum daily during Fly-In week between 10 a.m. and noon and from 2 to 4 p.m. Following the Fly-In, the museum will be open by appointment only.
For more information on the museum or the Fly-In, visit https://brodak.com.