Lone Star Flight Museum facts for kids
New location of museum at Ellington Field
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| Location | Houston, Texas |
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| Type | Aviation museum |
| Founder | Robert L. Waltrip |
The Lone Star Flight Museum is an exciting aerospace museum located in Houston, Texas. It shows off more than 24 amazing historic aircraft. You can also see many items that tell the story of flight. The museum is at Ellington Airport. It covers a huge area, about 100,000 square feet (10,000 square meters). This includes its own airport space for planes. The museum used to be in Galveston. It moved to Houston to avoid damage from big storms like Hurricane Ike.
Contents
History of the Museum
The museum started in 1985 as a private collection of old airplanes. By 1990, the collection had grown a lot. Its owner decided to let the public see these cool planes. That's when the Lone Star Flight Museum was officially created. It is a non-profit group. This means it runs on donations from people who want to support it.
Dealing with Storm Damage
In 2008, Hurricane Ike caused a lot of damage to the museum. The buildings where the planes were kept got flooded. Many aircraft that couldn't be moved were damaged. Luckily, many airworthy planes were flown to safety before the storm hit. After the storm, some damaged planes were sent to other museums for repair. This event showed how important it was to move the museum to a safer place.
Moving to Houston
Because of the damage from Hurricane Ike, the museum decided to move. They chose Ellington International Airport in Houston as their new home. The museum is now working with other aviation groups. Their goal is to create a big aviation museum complex. This new location opened its doors in September 2017.
The museum also got a cool NASA Motion Base Simulator. This is a special machine that helps train pilots. It makes you feel like you are flying!
Cool Things to See
The museum has featured special displays. These have included exhibits about the September 11th attacks. They also had a display about the Women Airforce Service Pilots. These brave women flew planes during World War II.
Texas Aviation Hall of Fame
Inside the museum, you'll find the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame. This special place honors Texans who have made big contributions to aviation and space travel. Some famous people honored here include Howard Hughes and President George H. W. Bush. It's a great way to learn about Texas heroes of the sky.
Airshows and Flying Fun
The museum's collection of planes often takes part in airshows. These shows happen all over the country. The museum's aircraft fly many miles each year. They travel to different places to show off their amazing flying skills.
The museum's P-47 Thunderbolt plane flies in special USAF Heritage Flights. These flights show modern fighter jets flying with old planes from past wars. It's a way to celebrate the history of the US Air Force. It also helps encourage new people to join the Air Force.
The museum's North American B-25 Mitchell bomber also helps a special program. This program helps people learn about disabled veterans. It reminds everyone of the sacrifices veterans have made for our country.
Since 2007, the museum has offered rides in some of its historic planes. You can even take a flight in a B-17 Flying Fortress or a North American B-25 Mitchell. They also offer rides in the T-6 Texan and the PT-17 Stearman. It's a unique chance to experience history from the sky!
The museum also has a flying Douglas DC-3 airplane. This plane looks like it did when it flew for Continental Airlines. This DC-3 was built in 1940. It flew for American Airlines for seven years. Later, it joined TransTexas Airways, which became Continental Airlines. When the CEO of Continental Airlines was honored, the airline gave this plane to the museum.
Aircraft Collection
The Lone Star Flight Museum has many different types of aircraft in its collection. Here are some of them:
- Anderson Greenwood AG-14
- Beecraft Honey Bee
- Boeing N2S-3 Kaydet 7718
- Boeing N2S-5 Kaydet 38490
- Cessna 172E Skyhawk – This plane was changed to a T-41 model.
- Cessna L-19 Bird Dog
- Culver Dart GC
- Douglas A-24B Banshee 42-54682 – It is painted to look like an SBD.
- Douglas DC-3 2213
- Fairchild F-24 – This plane is on loan to the museum.
- Fairchild PT-19 Cornell
- General Atomics MQ-1B Predator
- General Motors TBM Avenger 53575 – This plane was damaged by Hurricane Ike in 2008.
- Howard 250
- Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star 51-6953
- Luscombe T8F – This plane is on loan to the museum.
- North American B-25J Mitchell 44-86734
- North American SNJ-5 Texan 85053
- Piper L-4 Grasshopper – This plane is on loan to the museum.
- Piper L-4H Grasshopper
- Piper PA-39 Twin Comanche
- Sikorsky S-76A
- Vought F4U-5N Corsair 121881
- Vultee BT-13 Valiant
See also
In Spanish: Museo Lone Star Flight para niños
- North American aviation halls of fame
