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 aviation museum located in Houston, Texas. It shows off more than 24 amazing aircraft that are important to history. You can also see many cool items related to how people learned to fly.
The museum is at Ellington Airport. It has a huge space, about 100,000 square feet, which even includes its own airport ramp! The museum used to be in Galveston. It moved to Houston to stay safe 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, there were so many planes that the owner decided to share them with everyone. That's when the Lone Star Flight Museum was created. It's a non-profit group, which means it runs on donations from people who want to support it.
Hurricane Ike's Impact
In 2008, a powerful storm called Hurricane Ike hit the area. The museum was badly damaged. Water flooded the hangars and the Hall of Fame. Many planes that couldn't be flown away were damaged. Some of these included a Consolidated PBY-5A and a Lockheed PV-2D.
Luckily, many airworthy planes were flown to safety before the storm. These included a B-17, B-25, and a DC-3. Some damaged planes were later sent to other museums for repair or display. For example, a PBY-5A went to the Pima Air & Space Museum.
Moving to Houston
After the hurricane, the museum decided to move to Ellington International Airport in Houston. This new location would be safer from future storms. The museum worked with other aviation groups to create a big aviation complex.
In 2014, the museum received money to help rebuild. They started building at the new location in November 2015. The new museum was ready to open in September 2017.
The museum also acquired a special flight simulator from Texas A&M University. This simulator used to be used by NASA! Over the years, the museum has traded and sold some planes. They also added new ones to their collection.
Museum Exhibits
The museum has featured special displays on important events. These include exhibits about the September 11th attacks. They also had an exhibit 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 flying and space travel. Some famous people in the Hall of Fame include Howard Hughes, Alan Bean (an astronaut), and President George H. W. Bush.
Airshows and Flights
The museum's planes often take part in airshows all over the country. Before 2005, the museum's aircraft flew more than 40,000 miles each year! They traveled to different air demonstrations.
The museum's P-47 Thunderbolt used to fly in special USAF Heritage Flights. These flights show modern fighter jets flying alongside old planes from World War II and other wars. It's a way to show the history of US Air Force power.
The museum's North American B-25 Mitchell also worked with the Disabled American Veterans program. This program helps people remember the sacrifices veterans have made.
In 2007, the museum started offering rides in some of its historic planes. Visitors could fly in planes like the B-17 Flying Fortress and the T-6 Texan.
The museum also has a Douglas DC-3 that can fly. It's painted to look like a plane from Continental Airlines. This DC-3 was built in 1940 and flew for American Airlines for seven years. It was later given to the museum by Continental Airlines.
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
- Cessna L-19 Bird Dog
- Culver Dart GC
- Douglas DC-3 2213
- Fairchild F-24
- Fairchild PT-19 Cornell
- General Atomics MQ-1B Predator
- General Motors TBM Avenger 53575
- Howard 250
- Luscombe T8F
- North American B-25J Mitchell 44-86734
- North American SNJ-5 Texan 85053
- Piper L-4 Grasshopper
- 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
