Former name | The Lowry Heritage Museum (1984-1994) |
---|---|
Established | 1 December 1994 |
Location | 7711 E. Academy Blvd Denver, Colorado, U.S. Lowry Campus (formerly Lowry Air Force Base) |
Coordinates | 39°43′16″N104°53′45″W / 39.7210°N 104.8957°W |
Type | Aerospace museum |
Collections | Lowry Air Force Base history Colorado aerospace history |
CEO | John L. Barry, Maj Gen, USAF (Ret) |
Curator | Chuck Stout |
Public transit access | Regional Transportation District |
Nearest parking | On-site (no charge) |
Website | wingsmuseum |
The Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum (WOTR) is located on the former Lowry Air Force Base in Denver, Colorado, United States. The museum preserves the history of Lowry AFB's operations from 1938 to 1994 in its collections, archives, and research library.
From 1937 to 1994 Lowry Air Force Base, located on the eastern edge of Denver, was primarily a technical training center. It graduated more than 1.1 million enlisted members and officers in skills ranging from armament to photography, aiding the country's war efforts in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Cold War. From the 1980s Lowry Air Force Base remained one of Colorado's largest employers, with approximately 10,000 military and civilian men and women, providing an economic impact approaching $1 billion annually.[ citation needed ]
In 1994, the United States Air Force transferred Hangar 1 to a group of volunteers, who established Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum. The Museum includes more than 182,000 square feet of hangar space and 50 aircraft dating from 1939 to 1990.[ citation needed ]
In 1997, the Colorado State Legislature passed House Bill 1269 that made Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum Colorado's official air and space museum, [1] and the site of the Colorado Aviation Historical Society's Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame.
After eight years, the museum's CEO, John Barry, announced his retirement in June 2021. [2]
"Exploration of Flight" is a 15-acre (6.1 ha) campus located at Centennial Airport that serves as the second location of Wings Over the Rockies. [3] It houses future-focused aviation and space galleries and exhibits.
Wings Aerospace Pathways offers instruction to middle and high school students on aviation and engineering through hands-on aerospace-themed STEM experiences. [34]
The Teacher Flight Program encourages STEM Colorado teachers to become Teacher Envoys and provides a free, 20-minute flight. [38]
The Technical Research Library contains over 15,000 book titles on aviation and aerospace and 800 titles covering ballooning, aviation and aerospace in English and other languages. Extensive documents about Lowry Air Force Base history include over 1,000 digital photos of the base. The library also has vintage airline tables, seat magazines and a collection of rare NASA documents.
The museum produces a television show, "Behind the Wings", that airs on Rocky Mountain PBS. It teaches museum visitors and viewers about the history, innovation and future of aviation. [39] [40]
The Northrop T-38 Talon is a two-seat, twinjet supersonic jet trainer designed and produced by the American aircraft manufacturer Northrop Corporation. It was the world's first supersonic trainer as well as the most produced.
The Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum is an independent, 501(c)(3) non-profit, aviation museum in McMinnville, Oregon. Its exhibits include the Hughes H-4 Hercules and more than fifty military and civilian aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), and spacecraft. The museum complex includes four main buildings: the original aviation exhibit hall, a large screen digital theater, a second exhibit hall focused on space technology, and a water park.
Joseph Albert Walker was an American World War II pilot, experimental physicist, NASA test pilot, and astronaut who was the first person to fly an airplane to space. He was one of twelve pilots who flew the North American X-15, an experimental spaceplane jointly operated by the Air Force and NASA.
The Canadair CF-104 Starfighter is a modified version of the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter supersonic fighter aircraft built in Canada by Canadair under licence. It was primarily used as a ground attack aircraft, despite being designed as an interceptor. It served with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and later the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) until it was replaced by the McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet in 1987.
The Alexander Eaglerock was a biplane produced in the United States in the 1920s by Alexander Aircraft Company of Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Stanley Aviation is an aerospace company started by Robert M Stanley, the aviation pioneer, in Buffalo, New York in 1948. The company has since acquired several other companies and has been most recently acquired by Eaton Corporation.
The Colorado Aviation Historical Society (CAHS) is located at the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum Old Lowry AFB Campus, Denver, CO and was founded in 1966. The Society acquires, restores, preserves and provides for public display, aircraft and other objects, documents, items and things of present or historical interest or value in connection with the development and history of aviation in the State of Colorado. CAHS hosts many aviation events and participates in many of Colorado's air shows and fly-ins. The Society has regular membership meetings and publishes a quarterly history journal. The Society owns an Alexander Eaglerock Model 24 Long Wings airplane which is on display at the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum. The Society also owns a Steen Skybolt aerobatic biplane which is on display at the Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum Pueblo Airport, Pueblo, CO.
Peterson Air and Space Museum is an aviation museum located at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado Springs, Colorado focused on the history of the Air Defense Command, Aerospace Defense Command and Air Force Space Command.
The Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum is a non-profit aviation museum located in Southern Colorado. It was founded in the mid-1970s by former Pueblo City Manager Fred Weisbrod. The museum is made up of two hangars that were built in 2005 and 2011. The hangars house several of the museum's aircraft along with thousands of artifacts dating from World War I to modern day. PWAM is home to the International B-24 Memorial Museum and the Southern Colorado Space Museum and Learning Center. There are several historic military vehicles in the museum's collection, many of which are still in operational condition. The museum is located six miles east of Pueblo, Colorado on US Highway 50 at the Pueblo Memorial Airport, occupying space on what was the Pueblo Army Air Base during World War II. It is managed and maintained by the Pueblo Historical Aircraft Society.
Vintage Aero Flying Museum (VAFM), formally LaFayette Escadrille Flying Museum, is Colorado's international aviation museum at Platte Valley Airpark, 4 miles (6.4 km) northwest of Hudson, Colorado and 40 miles (64 km) northeast of Denver, Colorado.
The Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame was established by the Colorado Aviation Historical Society (CAHS) in Denver, Colorado, US, on November 11, 1969, for the State of Colorado. The original and first ten Colorado aviation pioneers were inducted into the Hall on that date. Guest speaker for the event was author Ernest K. Gann. The Hall of Fame is part of the Society's Heritage Hall in the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum, Denver, Colorado.
The Aerospace Museum of California is a private non-profit aviation museum located in North Highlands, California, outside of Sacramento, California, on the grounds of the former McClellan Air Force Base.
The Hangar Flight Museum, formerly known as the Aero Space Museum of Calgary, is a museum located south of Calgary International Airport in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
The Spirit of Flight Center (SOF), is operated by the non-profit Spirit of Flight Foundation, a 501(C)(3) organization based in Nampa, ID. The Spirit of Flight collection, founded by Gordon R. Page, displays limited exhibits on modern and historic aviation, and features aviation history from 1935 to 1975, both military and general aviation. Featured is a Messerschmitt Bf 109 F fighter from Russia. Also on display at SOF is a full-size bronze statue of Amelia Earhart. SOF is located in Nampa, ID at the Nampa Municipal Airport which allows for pilots to fly in to the facility.
Walter J. Boyne was a United States Air Force officer, Command Pilot, combat veteran, aviation historian, and author of more than 50 books and over 1,000 magazine articles. He was a director of the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution and a Chairman of the National Aeronautic Association.
CAF Rocky Mountain Wing (RMW) Museum is one of 75 local detachments of the national Commemorative Air Force (CAF) non-profit aviation association dedicated to Honoring American Military Aviation through Flight, Exhibit and Remembrance.