Glenn L. Martin Aviation Museum, Baltimore, Maryland

On a chilly day last winter, I took my children to Baltimore's Glenn L. Martin Aviation Museum. It was a bit hard to find because it's inside a hangar at a working state airport. We asked around and found it near some general aviation offices.

The museum is small. The first thing I noticed was that every available space is plastered with photographs and exhibits. By the time I figured out which walls were dedicated to the history of Martin's aircraft manufacturing business and which focused on Maryland aviation, a museum volunteer had greeted us and offered to show us around.

I've never had a museum tour like this before, or since. The gentleman knew something about every photograph, every artifact and every Maryland astronaut. He showed us around the museum, pointing out a series of photos documenting the Glenn L. Martin Aircraft Company's role in World War II aircraft production. Martin built B-26's, B-29's - including the "Enola Gay" - and many other well-known military planes. On the commercial side, Martin's claim to fame is equally strong; Martin built the China Clipper, Martin 2-O-2's and the workhorse 4-O-4's.

I especially enjoyed the exhibits devoted to Maryland astronauts. We saw toys the astronauts played with as children, school papers, awards and medals. Our helpful guide told us that some of the Maryland astronauts have participated in the museum's monthly guest speaker program.

Although we haven't yet been able to attend one of these talks, I'd definitely like to. Each month the museum hosts a guest speaker from the world of aviation. They've invited authors, scientists and aviators to share their experiences with the museum's guests.

The museum's real treasure isn't in the building, though. We got back into our car and followed our guide out onto the aircraft operating area. We turned a corner and saw, lined up on the tarmac, 11 airplanes. My son practically fell out the window of our van. He walked up and down the tarmac with our camera (did I mention it was freezing that day?) and took pictures until the camera ran out of memory space. The lineup included two Martin RB-57A Canberras and a 4-O-4. I later learned that the museum scours the country in search of Martin aircraft to rescue and rehabilitate for display.

I'd love to go back on a warm day and walk around each plane. I also would love to see the museum achieve its big dream, construction of a new building to protect and display these airplanes. It's a little depressing to see them outdoors, exposed to Maryland's unpredictable weather. (We get snow, hail, rain, wind and blasting heat, none of which are good for museum-quality aircraft.)

The dedicated volunteers who run this museum possess encyclopedic knowledge of Martin's life and business accomplishments as well as of Martin aircraft and Maryland aviation. They have a huge collection of photographs and documents that they willingly make available to researchers. It's pretty amazing to realize that the entire operation is run by volunteers who love aviation and want to share their enthusiasm. Clearly, there's a lot more to the Glenn L. Martin Aviation Museum than meets the eye.