Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum facts for kids
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| Former name | The Lowry Heritage Museum (1984-1994) |
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| Established | 1 December 1994 |
| Location | 7711 E. Academy Blvd Denver, Colorado, U.S. Lowry Campus (formerly Lowry Air Force Base) |
| Type | Aerospace museum |
| Collections | Lowry Air Force Base history Colorado aerospace history |
| Public transit access | Regional Transportation District |
| Nearest parking | On-site (no charge) |
The Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum (also called WOTR) is a cool place to visit in Denver, Colorado, United States. It's located on what used to be the Lowry Air Force Base. The museum keeps alive the history of Lowry Air Force Base, showing what it was like from 1938 to 1994. It has lots of old items, records, and a special library for research.
Contents
Discovering the Museum's History
From 1937 to 1994, Lowry Air Force Base was a big training center. It helped more than 1.1 million military members learn important skills. These skills ranged from fixing weapons to taking photos. This training helped the country during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Cold War. Lowry Air Force Base was one of Colorado's biggest employers in the 1980s. About 10,000 military and civilian people worked there.
In 1994, the United States Air Force gave Hangar 1 to a group of volunteers. These volunteers then started the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum. The museum has a huge space, over 182,000 square feet. It also has 50 aircraft that were built between 1939 and 1990.
In 1997, the Colorado State Legislature passed a special law. This law made Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum Colorado's official air and space museum. It also became the home of the Colorado Aviation Historical Society's Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame.
Museum Locations and Spaces
The museum has a second location called "Exploration of Flight." This is a 15-acre campus found at Centennial Airport. This spot focuses on the future of aviation and space. It has galleries and exhibits that look at new ideas and technologies.
Exciting Exhibits to Explore
The museum has many interesting exhibits for you to see:
- A model of the Space Station Freedom command module. This was built by Martin Marietta. It includes the CASIS' Science in Space Exhibit about the ISS.
- Displays about U.S. NASA Astronauts who have connections to Colorado.
- A collection of aircraft engines, including both propeller and jet engines.
- A collection of nuclear weapons on display.
- The Aviator Uniform Collection Exhibit Room, showing different pilot uniforms.
- The Cold War Exhibit, teaching about this important time in history.
- The History of Avionics Exhibit Room, showing how aircraft electronics have changed.
- The Colorado Air National Guard Heritage Exhibit Room. This includes exhibits about Buckley Field and Buckley Air Force Base.
- The Colorado Aviation Historical Society's Heritage Hall. This features the Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame.
- A memorial for Rocky Mountain Airways Flight 217.
- Cockpits from former United Airlines DC-10 and Boeing 727-200 planes.
- A Lucasfilm X-Wing Starfighter. This is a 3/4 scale model built to promote the Star Wars films in 1997.
- MaxFlight: A cool 360° full-motion flight simulator where you can feel like you're flying.
Amazing Aircraft Collection
The museum has a large collection of aircraft. These include military planes, civilian planes, and even spacecraft!
Military Aircraft
Here are some of the military aircraft you can see:
- Beechcraft UC-45 Expeditor 42-37496
- Boeing GB-52B Stratofortress 52-0005
- Cessna U-3 57-5894
- Convair F-102A Delta Dagger 56-0984
- Douglas B-18A Bolo 39-25
- General Dynamics FB-111A 68-0287
- Grumman F-14A Tomcat 159829
- Lockheed F-104C Starfighter 56-0910
- Lockheed T-33A 56-1710
- LTV A-7D Corsair II 73-0996 "Speedwell"
- Martin EB-57E Canberra 55-4293
- McDonnell F-101B Voodoo 58-0271
- McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II 66-0286 "Julie"
- North American F-86H Sabre 53-1308
- North American F-100D Super Sabre 56-3417
- Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler
- Republic F-105D Thunderchief 60-0508
- Republic RF-84K Thunderflash 52-7266
- Rockwell B-1A 74-0160
- Schweizer TG-4 92-1541
Civilian Aircraft
Here are some of the civilian aircraft in the collection:
- Aerospatiale AS316 Alouette III
- Alexander Eaglerock
- Adam M-309 (No. N309A)
- Aviat Special (No. N15JB)
- Ball-Bartoe Jetwing
- Christen Eagle II (No. N6LA)
- HL-20 Personnel Launch System on loan
- Learjet 24 (No. N241JA)
- Murray Model T homebuilt helicopter, the first to register in Colorado (No. N7222)
- Piper J3C-65 Cub (No. N42427)
- Rand Robinson KR-1 (No. N60BV)
- Schweizer SGS 1-24 Brigadoon, on loan from National Soaring Museum (No. N91888)
- Sky Star Aircraft Corp Kitfox
- Aerosport Woody Pusher (No. N393EA)
Spacecraft and Space Items
- McDonnell Apollo Boilerplate BP-1101A (No. 101), on loan from Smithsonian. This was used by NASA to test landings for the Apollo program.
- HL-20 Personnel Launch System "Dream Chaser" on loan.
- Centaur Upper Stage.
Exciting Educational Programs
Wings Over the Rockies offers many programs to help students learn.
Wings Aerospace Pathways
This program teaches middle and high school students about aviation and engineering. They get to do hands-on activities related to STEM.
Pilot Pathway
- Young Eagles: This program, created by the Experimental Aircraft Association, lets students aged 8 to 17 take their first free ride in an airplane.
- Ground School Workshop: This offers basic pilot training.
- Flight Training Scholarships: The James C. Ray Foundation provides scholarships for Colorado students aged 15 to 18.
Drone Pilot Pathway
- This includes an introduction to flying drones.
- It also offers training to earn a Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate. This certificate allows you to fly drones for commercial purposes. Field training is also available.
Teacher Flight Program
This program encourages STEM teachers in Colorado. They can become "Teacher Envoys" and get a free 20-minute flight.
Technical Research Library
The museum has a library with over 15,000 books about aviation and aerospace. It also has 800 books on ballooning, aviation, and space in different languages. You can find many documents about Lowry Air Force Base history, including over 1,000 digital photos. The library also has old airline schedules, magazines, and rare NASA documents.
"Behind the Wings" TV Show
The museum also produces a TV show called "Behind the Wings." It airs on Rocky Mountain PBS. The show teaches viewers about the history, new ideas, and future of aviation.
Other Places to Explore
- CAF Rocky Mountain Wing Museum, Grand Junction, Colorado
- Colorado Aviation Historical Society, Denver, Colorado
- Peterson Air and Space Museum, Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Pueblo Historical Aircraft Society, Pueblo, Colorado
- Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum, Pueblo, Colorado
- Spirit of Flight Center, Lafayette, Colorado
- Vintage Aero Flying Museum, Hudson, Colorado
- Related lists
- List of aerospace museums
