Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum, Denver, CO - Museum

When it comes to aircraft and aviation, it would be very hard to beat the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum in Denver, CO. This large museum has a great collection of aircraft and space items, and is a must-see museum if you love military aircraft.

The museum opened its doors in 1994, and focuses on aviation history and space technology. The location for the museum could not be better - it is an old WWII hangar with 150,000 square feet that was on the former Lowry AFB.

The highlight of the museum is their B-1 Lancer. This variable sweep wing supersonic bomber is the earlier version of the one currently used by the air Force. There is only one other place in the United States where this plane can be seen (the SAC Museum in Nebraska).

As you first go to the museum, the first thing that you will see is the massive B-52 bomber that is located just outside of the hanger. Some other aircraft that you can see is the rare B-18A Bolo, the Century Series fighters, a RF-84K Thunderflash Parasite, an Alexander Eaglerock, and more. Altogether there are about three dozen aircraft and other space vehicles. Some other planes include the A-7D Corsair, the F100D Super Saber, the Voodoo, the F102A Dagger, the F104C Starfighter, the F111A Aardvaark, and many more.

When it comes to space, the museum has displays that are both historic, present, and future. There is a space station module, an Apollo command module replica, a part of the Titan IV rocket, and more. Some exhibits are also interactive.

A number of exhibits are also present that focus on particular aspects of air and space. Some of these are in the classrooms of the hanger. You can see exhibits covering The Science of Flight, The History of Avionics, The Colorado Aviation Historical Society Heritage Hall, The Lowry Room which is a collection of photos and memorabilia of the Lowry base. A Timeline of Technology exhibit covers the history of flight.

An unusual addition to the museum is a Star Wars X-Wing fighter. Harrison Ford was recently honored at the museum for his promotional work of aviation and space. Ford is a spokesperson for the EAA Young Eagles.

A number of activities take place at the museum. This is attractive to people of all ages. One of these is the Annual Aeromodeling Expo. Here, there are models of many different R/C aircraft, including some helicopters, and possibly a blimp. Tours of the B-52 may also be given.

Courses and training are also given at the museum. There are several programs available, and these can be for just an hour or two, or a whole week camp program. Some teacher's programs are also available that uses aviation to stir up students interest in math and science.

Tours of the museum are also available for groups and students. This can include time in the simulator, too. A gift shop offers reproductions of paintings, many books, and more. A research library is also available for research. It has more than 10,000 volumes, more than 500 videos and DVD's, and much more.

The Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum in Denver, CO is open Monday through Saturday from 10 AM to 5 PM. It is open on Sundays from 12 PM until 5 PM, and is closed on many holidays.