Spirit of Flight Center facts for kids
| Established | 2005 |
|---|---|
| Location | Nampa, ID |
| Type | Aviation |
The Spirit of Flight Center (SOF) is a special museum in Nampa, ID. It is run by the Spirit of Flight Foundation, a group that helps people learn about airplanes. The museum was started by Gordon R. Page. It shows off cool airplanes and items from aviation history, mostly from 1935 to 1975. This includes both military planes and regular planes.
One amazing plane you can see there is a Messerschmitt Bf 109 F fighter jet from Russia. There is also a life-size bronze statue of the famous pilot Amelia Earhart. The Spirit of Flight Center is located right at the Nampa Municipal Airport. This means pilots can even fly their own planes directly to the museum!
The museum works with a group called Warbird Recovery. They show aircraft and other items that have been found and fixed up. A TV show called Chasing Planes was even filmed at the Spirit of Flight Center, showing off its collection.
Why the Spirit of Flight Center Exists
The Spirit of Flight Center was created to find, fix, keep, and show aviation history. They do this to honor all American veterans and pilots. They also want to teach everyone how important airplanes are. A big goal is to inspire young people like you to learn about and get involved in aviation, both old and new.
In 2009, the museum loaned a special Learjet 24D plane to Redstone College in Denver. This helped students there learn more about aviation careers.
In 2019, the Spirit of Flight Center started focusing on its "History on the Road" program. This program takes parts of their amazing collection to bigger events. They also added "Living History Flight Experiences." These experiences let people get closer to aviation history.
Warbird Recovery: Finding Old Planes
The Spirit of Flight Center has a special program called Warbird Recovery. This program finds and fixes rare and historic military aircraft from all over the world. The program began in 1993. They found parts of U.S. and Japanese military planes in Russia. These parts were brought back to the U.S. and restored. You can read all about these adventures in a book called Warbird Recovery.
Other Aviation Museums Nearby
If you love airplanes, here are some other museums in Idaho and Colorado you might like:
- Warhawk Air Museum, Nampa, ID
- CAF Rocky Mountain Wing Museum, Grand Junction, CO
- Colorado Aviation Historical Society Old Lowry AFB Campus, Denver, CO
- Peterson Air and Space Museum Peterson AFB, Colorado Springs, CO
- Pueblo Historical Aircraft Society Pueblo Airport, Pueblo, CO
- Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum Pueblo Airport, Pueblo, CO
- Vintage Aero Flying Museum Platte Valley Airpark, Hudson, CO
- Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum Old Lowry AFB Campus, Denver, CO
- The National Museum of World War II Aviation Colorado Springs, CO
