New England Air Museum facts for kids
Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
Established | 1959 |
---|---|
Location | Windsor Locks, Connecticut |
Type | Aviation museum |
The New England Air Museum (NEAM) is an aerospace museum located adjacent to Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, U.S.A.. The museum consists of three display hangars with additional storage and restoration hangars. It's collections include aircraft ranging from early flying machines to supersonic jets, as well as engines, and other pieces of flight-related equipment. Significant aircraft include the Silas Brooks balloon basket - the oldest surviving American-built aircraft, the Sikorsky VS-44A - the sole remaining American-built commercial trans-oceanic four-engine flying boat, the Goodyear ZNPK-28 Blimp Control Car - one of only two surviving K-class control cars in the world.
Exhibits include the history of Sikorsky Aircraft, computer-based flight simulators, and the 58th Bombardment Wing Memorial with the centerpiece being a restored B-29A. Additionally, there are exhibits on early French aviation, the Tuskegee Airmen, the Kosciuszko Squadron, and the 57th Fighter Group.
The museum library has approximately 6,000 aviation books, approximately 20,000 periodicals, approximately 10,000 technical manuals, approximately 21,000 photographs, nearly 8,000 slides, over 200 pieces of artwork, over 1,200 prints, and approximately 500 engineering drawing and blueprints.
History
In 1981, the first current building was built after a tornado destroyed the museum's previous location by Route 75 in 1979. The museum has since added a restoration hangar in 1989, a storage building in 1991, a military hangar in 1992, a 58th Bomb Wing Hangar in 2003, and a storage hangar in 2010.
In 2017 work was begun on major improvements at the museum. The $1.9 million project aims to enhance the visitor experience. The project will create lofty mezzanines in two of the massive aircraft hangars, which will provide vistas over the museum's aircraft collections. The renovations were unveiled on 13 September 2017.
Mission
The mission of the New England Air Museum is "committed to presenting the story of aviation, the human genius that made it possible and the profound effects that it has had on the way in which we live".
Aircraft on display
- AeroVelo Atlas – Partial section
- Bell AH-1S Cobra
- Bell UH-1B Iroquois 62-02550
- Blériot XI
- Boeing B-29A Superfortress 44-61975 Jack’s Hack
- Chanute Herring Glider – Replica
- Chance Vought XF4U-4 Corsair 80759
- Curtiss Model D – Replica
- de Havilland C-7 Caribou 62-4188
- Doman LZ-5
- Douglas A-3B Skywarrior 142246
- Douglas A-26C Invader 43-22499 Reida Rae
- Douglas F4D-1 Skyray 134836
- Goodyear ZNP-K blimp control car
- Gee Bee Model R replica
- Grumman E-1B Tracer 147217
- Eastern FM-2 Wildcat 74120
- Grumman F6F-5K Hellcat 79192
- Grumman HU-16E Albatross 7228
- Heath LNB-4 Parasol
- Kaman HH-43F Huskie
- Kaman K-16B
- Kaman K-225 N401A
- Kaman SH-2F Seasprite 161905
- Laird LC-DW 300 'Solution'
- Lazor-Rautenstrauch LR-1A
- Lockheed TV-2 Shooting Star 138048
- Lockheed Model 10-A Electra 1052
- Lockheed F-104C Starfighter 56-901
- Marcoux-Bromberg R-3 Special
- Martin RB-57A Canberra 52-1488
- McDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom II 66-0269
- Nixon Special
- North American B-25H Mitchell 43-4999 Dog Daze
- North American F-100A Super Sabre 52-5761
- North American P-51D Mustang 44-72400 – Racer configuration
- Northrop F-89J Scorpion 52-1896
- Pioneer Flightstar MC
- Piper J3C-65 Cub
- Pratt-Read LNE-1
- Republic P-47D Thunderbolt 45-49458 Norma
- Republic RC-3 Seabee
- Rutan Quickie
- Sikorsky R-4B Hoverfly 43-46503
- Doman LZ-1A 43-45480
- Sikorsky S-39B
- Sikorsky S-51 9602
- Sikorsky LH-34D Seabat 145717
- Sikorsky XH-39
- Sikorsky HH-52A Seaguard 1428
- Sikorsky CH-54B Tarhe 69-18465
- Sikorsky VS-44A Excambian
Under restoration
- Burnelli CBY-3 Loadmaster
- Douglas DC-3
- Fairchild-Republic A-10A Thunderbolt II
- Kaman HOK-1