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 explore planes and space! It's located in Denver, Colorado, at the old Lowry Air Force Base. The museum keeps alive the history of Lowry Air Force Base, which was active from 1938 to 1994. You can find its history in the museum's collections, old records, and research library.
Contents
Discovering the Museum's History
From 1937 to 1994, Lowry Air Force Base was a big training center. It helped train over 1.1 million military members. They learned many skills, from fixing weapons to photography. This training helped the country during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Cold War.
In 1994, the United States Air Force gave Hangar 1 to a group of volunteers. These volunteers then created the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum. The museum has a huge space, over 182,000 square feet, and is home to about 50 aircraft. These planes date from 1939 all the way to 1990.
In 1997, the state of Colorado officially named Wings Over the Rockies as Colorado's air and space museum. It also became the home of the Colorado Aviation Historical Society's Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame.
Museum Locations
The museum has a second location called "Exploration of Flight." It's a 15-acre campus at Centennial Airport. This spot focuses on the future of aviation and space. It has new galleries and exhibits for you to explore.
Awesome Exhibits to See
The museum has many exciting exhibits! You can see:
- A model of the Space Station Freedom command module. It was built by Martin Marietta. It includes the Science in Space Exhibit from CASIS, showing what it's like on the ISS.
- Information about U.S. NASA Astronauts who have connections to Colorado.
- A collection of aircraft engines, both propeller and jet engines.
- An exhibit about nuclear weapons.
- The Aviator Uniform Collection Room, showing different pilot uniforms.
- The Cold War Exhibit, teaching about this important time in history.
- The History of Avionics Exhibit Room, about airplane electronics.
- The Colorado Air National Guard Heritage Exhibit Room. It includes displays about Buckley Field and Buckley Air Force Base.
- The Colorado Aviation Historical Society's Heritage Hall. This is where you'll find the Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame.
- A memorial for Rocky Mountain Airways Flight 217.
- The cockpits from former United Airlines DC-10 and Boeing 727-200 planes.
- A Lucasfilm X-Wing Starfighter. This is a 3/4 size model made to promote the Star Wars movies in 1997.
- MaxFlight: a cool simulator that moves 360 degrees, making you feel like you're flying!
Amazing Aircraft Collection
The museum has a large collection of real aircraft.
Military Aircraft
Here are some of the military planes you can see:
- Beechcraft UC-45 Expeditor
- Boeing GB-52B Stratofortress
- Cessna U-3
- Convair F-102A Delta Dagger
- Douglas B-18A Bolo
- General Dynamics FB-111A
- Grumman F-14A Tomcat
- Lockheed F-104C Starfighter
- Lockheed T-33A
- LTV A-7D Corsair II "Speedwell"
- Martin EB-57E Canberra
- McDonnell F-101B Voodoo
- McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II "Julie"
- North American F-86H Sabre
- North American F-100D Super Sabre
- Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler
- Republic F-105D Thunderchief
- Republic RF-84K Thunderflash
- Rockwell B-1A
- Schweizer TG-4
Civilian Aircraft
The museum also has civilian planes, like:
- Aerospatiale AS316 Alouette III (a helicopter)
- Alexander Eaglerock
- Adam M-309
- Aviat Special
- Ball-Bartoe Jetwing
- Christen Eagle II
- HL-20 Personnel Launch System (on loan)
- Learjet 24
- Murray Model T homebuilt helicopter (the first registered in Colorado)
- Piper J3C-65 Cub
- Rand Robinson KR-1
- Schweizer SGS 1-24 Brigadoon (on loan from National Soaring Museum)
- Sky Star Aircraft Corp Kitfox
- Aerosport Woody Pusher
Space Exploration Items
You can also see items related to space travel:
- McDonnell Apollo Boilerplate BP-1101A (on loan from the Smithsonian)
- HL-20 Personnel Launch System "Dream Chaser" (on loan)
- Centaur Upper Stage (part of a rocket)
Exciting Programs and Activities
Wings Over the Rockies offers many programs, especially for students!
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: This includes the Young Eagles program, which gives students aged 8 to 17 their first free airplane ride! There's also a ground school workshop to learn basic pilot training. Scholarships for flight training are available for Colorado students aged 15 to 18.
- Drone Pilot Pathway: Learn to fly drones! This course includes an introduction to drone flight. You can also get training to earn a Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate. This certificate lets you fly drones for commercial purposes.
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 many documents about the history of Lowry Air Force Base. You can find over 1,000 digital photos of the base there. The library also has old airline tables, magazines, and rare NASA documents.
"Behind the Wings" TV Show
The museum even has its own television 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 Cool Aviation Places
If you like Wings Over the Rockies, you might also enjoy these places:
- CAF Rocky Mountain Wing Museum, in Grand Junction, Colorado
- Colorado Aviation Historical Society, in Denver, Colorado
- Peterson Air and Space Museum, in Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Pueblo Historical Aircraft Society, in Pueblo, Colorado
- Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum, in Pueblo, Colorado
- Spirit of Flight Center, in Lafayette, Colorado
- Vintage Aero Flying Museum, in Hudson, Colorado
- Related lists
- List of aerospace museums
