Three decades after aircraft engine machinist Abraham Megerdichian died in 1983, family members opened a locked crate he’d made himself.
They were surprised to find a collection of exquisitely small sculptures he’d crafted from parts and pieces salvaged from his decades working for General Electric’s aerospace division at plants in Lynn and Everett, Mass.
A rocking chair with ottoman. A vacuum cleaner. A bassinet. An old-fashioned stove complete with bucket and shovel for the ashes. All were tiny—and all were made from metal that might otherwise have gone into enormous GE jet engines on commercial and military aircraft all around the globe.
The contrast between his father’s work on some of the world’s most powerful aircraft engines and his hobby of creating tiny art objects was beguiling to Abraham’s son Robert and daughter-in-law Becky.
In the past few years, they’ve committed themselves to the mission of having Abraham’s work recognized as that of an artist unknown during the time he was active.
Learn more about the extraordinary double life of aircraft engine machinist and metal sculptor Abraham Megerdichian on Thursday, March 13 at 7 p.m. at the Aviation Museum of N.H., 27 Navigator Road, Londonderry, N.H.
The program is titled ‘They Were Almost Jet Engines: The Miniature Sculptures of GE Machinist Abe Megerdician.’ It’s part of the Aviation Museum’s ‘Exploring Aviation’ lecture series. Admission is $10 per person; Aviation Museum members are admitted free.
Abraham Megerdichian was a World War II veteran and career machinist at the General Electric Corp. who specialized in the fabrication of aircraft engine parts.
His hobby of creating small objects out of scrap metal wasn’t unknown to the family. As far back as the 1960s, Abe produced intricately detailed everyday objects, which he presented to his family as gifts for holidays.
His hobby became a passion as his level of craftsmanship grew. At the time of his passing, Abe left behind hundreds of objects.
Abe Megerdichian was born in Massachusetts in 1923 to Armenian immigrants from Turkey. Upon graduation from Rindge Technical School in Cambridge, Mass., Abraham enlisted in the U.S. Navy, served in the Pacific as a ship’s cook and occasional gunner, returned to Cambridge and found employment with GE. The machine skills he learned at school and in the military guided him as a machinist throughout his career.
His son and the program’s presenter, Robert Megerdichian, studied nonprofit management at Worcester State University in Massachusetts. He hopes to one day open the Megerdichian Museum to feature Abraham’s art.
‘They Almost Became Jet Engines’ on Thursday, March 13 starts at 7 p.m. at the Aviation Museum of N.H. and is open to the public. Admission to the event is free for Aviation Museum members and $10 per person for non-members.
The Aviation Museum, a non-profit 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization based in the 1937 art deco passenger terminal at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, is dedicated to preserving the Granite State’s rich aviation past, and also inspiring today’s students to become the aviation and aerospace pioneers of tomorrow.
The Aviation Museum of N.H. was named “Best Place to Take Kids” and “Best Place to Geek Out” in southern New Hampshire in the 2024 HippoPress Reader’s Poll.
The Aviation Museum is located at 27 Navigator Road, off Harvey Road, in Londonderry, N.H.
For more information, visit www.aviationmuseumofnh.org or call (603) 669-4877 or email ldearborn@nhahs.org. Follow the Aviation Museum on social media at www.facebook.com/nhahs.