New England Air Museum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
New England Air Museum

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Former name	Bradley Air Museum
Established	1959 (1959)
Location	Windsor Locks, Connecticut
Type	Aviation museum
Founder	Robert Beh Frank Greene Harvey Lippincott Vernon Muse

The New England Air Museum (NEAM) is a cool place in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, right next to Bradley International Airport. It's a museum all about planes and space!

It has three big buildings called hangars where you can see amazing aircraft. These planes range from some of the very first flying machines to super-fast jets! You'll also find engines and other cool flight gear.

Some of the most special aircraft you can see are:

• the Silas Brooks balloon basket – This is the oldest American-built aircraft still around!
• the Sikorsky VS-44A – It's the only American-made, four-engine flying boat left that used to fly across oceans.
• the Goodyear ZNPK-28 Blimp Control Car – This is one of only two K-class blimp control cars left in the whole world.

The museum also has a huge library. It's filled with thousands of aviation books, magazines, manuals, and photos. This helps people learn even more about flying!

The main goal of the New England Air Museum is to share the exciting story of aviation. It shows how smart people made flying possible and how it changed our lives forever.

The Museum's Story

The museum started because a group of people from Pratt & Whitney wanted to save an old biplane. They formed the Connecticut Aeronautical Historical Association in 1959. Even though that first plane was later lost in a fire, the group kept going. Their first display building, a giant inflatable dome, was put up in 1967.

In 1979, a big tornado hit the museum's outdoor location. It destroyed many things. But the museum bounced back! The first modern building was built in 1981. Since then, they have added more buildings. These include hangars for fixing planes, storing them, and showing military aircraft.

The museum got a big makeover in 2017. They added special viewing areas called mezzanines in two hangars. This lets you see the planes from above! New heating, air conditioning, and bright LED lights were also installed.

In June 2023, the museum opened a new exhibit about the Tuskegee Airmen. These were brave African American pilots who fought in World War II. The museum also got money to build a recording studio. A new curator, who helps manage the collections, joined the team in July 2023.

In early 2024, the museum shared plans for an exciting new hangar. It will be very large, about 35,000 square feet! This new building will have a Challenger Learning Center and a digital dome. The dome will be used as a planetarium, where you can explore space.

What You Can See at the Museum

Inside the main exhibition hangar, you can see many different aircraft.

The museum has many cool exhibits. You can learn about the history of Sikorsky Aircraft, which makes helicopters. There are also computer flight simulators where you can pretend to fly a plane! A special memorial honors the 58th Bombardment Wing. Its main display is a restored B-29A bomber.

Other exhibits teach you about early French aviation and the brave Tuskegee Airmen. You can also learn about the Kosciuszko Squadron and amazing New England Women in Aviation. The 57th Fighter Group also has its own display.

Aircraft on Display

This is a B-29 Superfortress, a famous bomber from World War II.

Planes Being Fixed

Planes in Storage

More Places to Explore

• List of aviation museums