Two recent aviation exhibitions were created utilizing a portion of the extensive collection of airline memorabilia from the estate of the late Frank J. Lichtanski, former General Manager/CEO of Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST) for over 25 years.

An avid collector of all transit-related memorabilia, Frank began collecting at the age of 8. His first airplane flight alone was from Santa Barbara to San Francisco at the age of 12. From that time on, he catalogued nearly every flight he had taken on an airline, which numbered many as he was an extensive traveler who visited more than 180 transit systems in over 30 countries during his lifetime. He was active in other transit organizations such as CTA, CalTIP, APTA, TAMC, and TCRP. Frank was one of the original members of the Airliner Association and the Bay Area Airline Historical Society.

From his collection of 768 books on the subject of transportation, 142 airline-related books are now permanently housed at the San Francisco Airport Commission Aviation Library & Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum. The facility, with its focus on commercial aviation and emphasis on the Pacific, provides a unique repository and study center for scholars, the aviation community, and the traveling public. The museum is open Sunday through Friday and closed Saturdays and holidays with free admission.

Locally, a small sampling of Frank’s aviation memorabilia, themed The History of Aviation, is on display at the Monterey Peninsula Airport. The display is located in the Administration wing of the airport while the main exhibition area is under construction. The collection will be on display through the middle of November.