Wichita ? You can adopt a child, a pet, even a stretch of highway. Why not an airplane?

Under the Adopt-a-Plane program that began this week at the Kansas Aviation Museum, organizations are asked to adopt one of the museum’s planes, spruce it up and keep it in top shape for exhibit. In return, the museum will display information about the organization.

The museum, which is housed in the original Wichita Municipal Airport terminal, benefits in two ways, according to Teresa Day, the museum’s special events coordinator.

The outside help to keep the planes in shape will free museum volunteers to work on other projects, and the program will help build relationships between the museum and the community.

“We don’t have a lot of money. We can’t afford to go out there and do much as we’d like,” Day said. “This way, groups can have fun and keep their planes looking good for visitors.”

Ten airplanes were in the adoption pool initially, but by Tuesday, the pool had shrunk to eight. Employees from the Goodrich Corp. in Wichita adopted a 1958 Cessna-built T-37B Air Force training jet. And Professional Insurance Management adopted a Cessna 0-2B Skymaster.

Among the other planes up for adoption at the museum are a Beechcraft U-8 Queen Air, a Republic F-84F Thunderjet and a Boeing 737.

They are part of Phase One of the adoption program, Day said. As for Phase Two, she isn’t quite sure what that will be.

“We have a lot of planes that need restoration; we have vintage planes that are literally in pieces,” she said. “I don’t know if we’ll move into that.

The T-37B that was adopted by Goodrich was modified as jet trainer in 1960, then restored by Cessna and donated to the museum in 1994. Goodrich employee Wade Cargile said he liked the plane immediately.

“We like the history of it, for one thing,” he said. “I wanted to make sure everybody had some say, but I was trying to steer them in this direction.”

He and his 12-person crew started work on the plane as soon as they picked it out, hosing it down and wiping it clean.

Cargile said they will donate company and personal time to take care of the plane.