The Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins Georgia announced the release of its first iPhone app, available immediately for free in the Apple App Store. The app enables users to listen to audio information for 20 of the museum’s more than 90 aircraft exhibits, and to explore additional information using Wikipedia and Youtube links.
“We wanted an app that could provide an exciting and informative audio experience for our visitors here at the museum as well as wet the appetites of iPhone users who may not have had the chance to visit us yet,” commented Director of Marketing Bob Dubiel. “In addition, the Museum of Aviation is a major outreach arm for both the Air Force and the Warner Robins Community. Our free iPhone App will become a major new tool in our marketing efforts as well as enhancing our visitors experiences in new and exciting ways. We feel that VenuLex’s Museum Mobile platform accomplishes both objectives beautifully, and best of all it is offered as a free service for museums, providing a win- win partnership for our museum and VenuLex.”
“It’s like a digital coffee table book for the museum,” Dubiel continued, “One dynamic aspect is our connection to YouTube. Now a visitor can look at the U-2 reconnaissance plane in our gallery and later link directly to a video of a pilot basically wearing a spacesuit as he boards the U-2 and flies to the edge of outer-space. You can literally see the curvature of the earth. It’s pretty cool.” 20 of the museum’s aircraft, ranging from WWII bombers to helicopters, have links directly to such videos. “A lot of YouTube material is already easily available and we just needed to get to it quickly. Eventually we’ll include more of our own footage; but this app got us going really fast.”
The app vendor, VenuLex, recognized museums as a unique space for smart-phone in early 2010. “We began discussions in late 2010 with museums from around Georgia,” said Venulex Director of Marketing Frank DeFilippis. “Executives at the Tellus Museum in Cartersville were especially helpful in opening doors. Our beta release will include museums spanning the northern half of the state. The Museum of Aviation is our first release; and other beta museums will soon follow.”
Museum of Aviation, P.O. Box 2469, Warner Robins, GA 31099
www.museumofaviation.org