Monthly Blog Assignment September: FIRST DAY AT PLANES OF FAME / Reflection

Hello, everyone. Benny here. Similar to August's blog post, I'll be going over my initial thoughts and observations from Planes of Fame compared to what I have done or seen before. Once again, if you want a more descriptive paragraph about my mentorship duties, please refer to my Mentorship Log (9/20/14). Other than that, let's get started.

Reaffirming my previous preconceptions, most of the volunteer staff at Planes of Fame is around 50-70 years old. Most of them come from either military or aviation backgrounds and have been volunteering at the museum long past the 6 month requirement. Also reaffirming my blog post from last month, the exhibits at Planes of Fame are not as interactive as those in the California Science Center and not as visitor safe (I heard from one of the volunteers at the brake room how a boy scout, despite the opposition of the scout master, went under the wing of an aircraft and bruised his head on the wing) whereas the Science Center focuses on interactive exhibits and whose aircraft based artifacts are either suspended beyond visitors' hands or heavily encased and or closed of by heavy plastic or railing. For the work policy, as a cleaner, my job isn't heavily enforced as my responsibilities are knowing how to correctly clean an aircraft, however unlike the Science Center, since most of the aircraft at Planes of Fame are flyable and fatalities have occurred, the museum has a very strict safety policy with safety officers patrolling the campus.

Unlike the science center, where I had to utilize a lot of my skills that I learned from iPoly as guest services, as I was a cleaner I only had to use my social skills when interacting with a few visitors and coordinate / work together with fellow staff.

Well with this I will end my monthly blog. There are unique challenges that I must now face in both museums, Planes of Fame as a cleaner in a under-funded museum that pursuits in keeping history alive and as guest services at a highly interactive heavily-funded museum. These unique challenges over time will allow to explore more aspects of a museum then if I were to stick with one. Well with that I bid a far well. Until next time, take care everyone.