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Event Series Event Series: Soar into Summer Fun with Airplanes

Soar into Summer Fun with Airplanes

June 22, 2019 @ 10:00 am - August 16, 2019 @ 4:00 pm

Soar into Summer Fun with Airplanes — educational and fun day activities offered all summer long for CT kids at the New England Air Museum. Family fun activities to “aviate” minds all summer long! Hands-on day activities like straw rocket competition, LEGO contests, aero modeling workshop.

Soar into Summer Fun with Airplanes daily activities include:

Open Cockpit Experiences 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Climb inside real aircraft cockpits and experience the view from the pilot’s seat!
Build & Fly Challenges 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
From kites to parachutes, straw rockets to gliders, test your skills with a new challenge each week:
Propeller Week
June 22-30:  Climb inside a World War II era propeller plane and create a pinwheel propeller to take home.
Wing Week
July 1-7:  Uncover the history of airplane wings and build your own “flying wing” foam glider to take home
Glider Week
July 8-14: Discover the history of glider flight and build a straw glider to take home.
Space Week
July 15-21: Learn about local connections to NASA spacesuits and create a marshmallow constellation to take home.
Apollo 11 50th Anniversary Celebration
July 20: Jet Week
July 22-28: Climb aboard a Mach 1 supersonic jet and create an origami jet to take home.
Engine Week
July 29-August 4:  Learn about local connections to the history of airplane engines and create and launch a “jet” balloon to take home.
Helicopter Week
August 5-11: Climb aboard a Connecticut built search and rescue helicopter and build a paper helicopter to take home.
Blimps, Balloons, and Airships Week Week
August 12-16: Uncover the history of lighter than air aircraft and create a mini balloon basket to take home.
August 17:  National Aviation Day Open Cockpit
Flight Science Demonstrations 11:30 a.m. & 1:30 p.m.
Discover the principles of flight through interactive demonstrations for aviators of all ages.
Soaring Story Time 10:15 a.m. daily
Visitors ages 6 and under are invited to join us for a story and hands-on activity with a different aerospace theme each week.
Additional activities include Flight Simulators, Aircraft Quest Scavenger Hunts, Kidsport: The Kids Only exhibit, and three exhibit hangars filled with over eighty historic aircraft. The Flight Sim Spot allows visitors to use state-of-the-art simulators using real cockpit controls.
Activities are included with the price of admission on the day of your visit except where noted. Each day docents will be on hand to provide information and to interact with the visitors.

The New England Air Museum is the largest aviation museum in New England and is a private, non-profit educational institution that was organized in 1959. Three larger hangars and an outdoor display contain more than 80 aircraft with permanent exhibits that include the oldest surviving aircraft in the U.S. – the 1870 Silas M. Brooks Balloon Basket, as well as an S-39 Amphibian plane – the first aircraft built in Connecticut by aviation pioneer Igor Sikorsky. Featured year-round are many historical aircraft and exhibits including a focus on World War II’s Tuskegee Airmen, and a display about Amelia Earhart alongside a Lockheed Model 10 Electra – the same type of plane flown by the female aviator. The Air Museum is dedicated to preserving and presenting historically significant aircraft and related artifacts, engaging visitors through high-quality exhibits helping them to understand aviation technology and history and inspiring students through innovative and hands-on educational programs. It is owned and operated by the Connecticut Aeronautical Historical Association and is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, with four full-time employees, 18 part-time employees, and more than 175 volunteers. The New England Air Museum is located on 36 Perimeter Road (off Route 75) on the North end of the Bradley International Airport airfield in Windsor Locks, Conn. It is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week, and features a large gift shop. For more information, www.neam.org or (860) 623-3305 or Facebook at New England Air Museum.