Greater Saint Louis Air & Space Museum facts for kids

The Greater Saint Louis Air & Space Museum is a cool place where you can explore the history of flying! Its main goal is to keep old airplanes and space items safe. It also teaches people all about air and space travel.

A Special Home for History

The museum is located inside a very old building called Curtiss Wright Hangar number two. This hangar is at the St. Louis Downtown Airport in Cahokia Heights, Illinois. The hangar next to it, Hangar one, is also very old and important. Both are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means they are recognized as special historical buildings.

The Hangar's Story

The hangar was finished in March 1930. It was built at the brand new Curtiss-Stienburg airport. You can still see a special design of the Curtiss Wright company above the main door.

The first group to use Hangar 2 was the Union Electric Company from St. Louis. They used their Ford 4-AT-B airplane for company trips. They also used it to check power lines from the sky! This amazing plane is now in the National Naval Aviation Museum.

Later, the hangar became home to the East St. Louis Flying School. In 1939, Oliver Parks started his flight training here. He used the hangar for the Civilian Pilot Training Program. This program helped train many pilots. Parks College kept using the hangar for flying lessons until the mid-1990s.

How the Museum Started

The Saint Louis Air & Space Museum officially began in July 1982. It was first located at the Spirit of St. Louis Airport. Later, the museum moved to its current home in Cahokia, Illinois. That's when it found its special spot in the historic Curtiss-Wright Hangar number two.

Who Helps Run the Museum?

A team of dedicated people helps make the museum a great place. They work hard to preserve history and teach visitors. These people include the President, Vice Presidents, and other Board Members. They help guide the museum's mission and activities.

Cool Things to See

The museum has many interesting aircraft and items on display. You can learn about different types of planes and how they work.

Aircraft on Display

Here are some of the aircraft you might see:

• Schempp-Hirth Standard Austria: A type of glider, which is an aircraft without an engine.
• Bede BD-5: A very small, single-person airplane.
• Link Trainer: This isn't a real plane! It's an old machine used to teach pilots how to fly using instruments, even before they got into a real cockpit.
• Lockheed JetStar: A famous business jet, used for fast travel.
• Meyers OTW: A classic biplane, meaning it has two sets of wings.
• Mini-MAX: Another small, light airplane.

More to Explore

• List of aerospace museums