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On Exhibit
1911 Model B Flight Simulator
Fly over the historic College Park Airport in our interactive exhibit. Cockpit hand controls and state-of-the-art visuals make our simulator the ultimate Wright Brothers experience. Regular museum admission, plus $1 per person, per three minute 'ride'.
Wilbur Wright's Hangar
At the end of the entry hallway, prior to entering the main gallery of the museum, is an animatronic Wilbur Wright housed in a scaled-down replica of the 1909 aircraft hangar constructed on the field here in College Park. In the hangar is a period bunk on loan from the U.S. Army Quartermaster Museum, representing the sleeping arrangements of the enlisted men detailed to College Park as airplane mechanics. Also on loan to the museum from the Smithsonian are various Wright brothers objects: Orville Wright's stop watch, ribs from a Wright aeroplane, medals, a launch trolley, and other tools representative of those used at the newly founded College Park Airfield.
Air Mail Exhibit
The centerpiece of the Air Mail Exhibit is a restored 1916 Curtiss "Jenny" on loan from the U.S. Army. Standing next to the plane is a mannequin of pilot Max Miller who made the first postal airmail flight on August 12, 1918, from College Park to Philadelphia, terminating in New York. Set up next to Max is a reproduction air mail dispatch board from 1919. A flight simulator titled "Flying the Mail" lets visitors try their hand at being an airmail pilot. Film footage courtesy of the National Air and Space Museum from May 15, 1918 features President and Mrs. Woodrow Wilson at the inaugural flight of the Army Air Mail trials. Nearby tabletop cases display objects and historic materials from the lives of Max Miller, Benjamin Lipsner, and others.
Tabletop cases
The museum gallery contains several tabletop cases, which display objects related to the history of College Park Airport.
Airmail: located on the main gallery floor, near the Curtiss "Jenny" aircraft, this small exhibit displays objects relating to the postal air mail service and air mail pilots.
Berliner: located on the main gallery floor, this small exhibit details the work of Emile and Henry Berliner, from the invention of the gramophone, through their experiments with vertical flight, to the founding of ERCO.
ERCO/Fred Weick: located on the main gallery floor, this small exhibit details the founding of ERCO, the creation of the Ercoupe, and Fred Weick's work as an engineer for the company and the designer of the Ercoupe.
Victrola: located in a small case on the gallery floor is a 1911 Victrola VIII, manufactured under the patent held by inventor Emile Berliner.
Archaeology: located in the third small gallery, this small exhibit details the 1980, 1987, and 1992 archaeological surveys and excavations done on the grounds of the College Park Airport. On display are artifacts recovered from those activities.
Berliner Exhibit
The centerpiece of the Berliner Exhibit is the Berliner Helicopter No. 5 on loan to the Museum from the National Air and Space Museum. In addition to detailed text panels, a monitor with film footage courtesy of the National Air and Space Museum and the UCLA film archive shows several versions of the Berliner Helicopter at College Park Airport ca. 1922-25. A nearby tabletop exhibit case details the work of father and son, from the invention of the gramophone, through their experiments with vertical flight, to the founding of ERCO.
Air Derby/Brinckerhoff Exhibit
Featuring a tableau representing an air race at College Park Airport during its management by George Brinckerhoff, this exhibit encompasses several aircraft, including the Monocoupe 110. On a grandstand decorated with flag bunting and showcasing replica trophies, stands an announcer mannequin. On the side of the grandstand is a spectator mannequin. Nearby is a red and white checkered pylon ready to be rounded by the racing aircraft.
First Small Gallery
Upon entering the main gallery, there are three smaller sub-galleries located along the right side of the larger gallery. The first of these features exhibits on the early military and civilian activities at the field and a partial replica of the 1910 Rex Smith hangar. Also in this gallery is a mannequin representing Bernetta Miller, the fifth licensed female pilot in the U.S., who flew for the Moisant Company here at College Park. In the center of the gallery is an airmail postcard "stamping station" and an area to create airplane rubbings.
Second Small Gallery
This gallery is titled "Experimentation" and features most of the museum's hands-on activities. Located in this room are puzzles, toys, paper airplanes, a computer flight simulator, and machine illustrating Bernoulli's law with different sized balls. Visitors can listen to the conversations of local air traffic controllers and pilots and learn to turn a propeller. A wind tunnel, built in the museum's restoration facility, illustrates the movement of air over a wing.
Third Small Gallery
The "Golden Age of Aviation" is celebrated in the third small gallery. In addition to case exhibits featuring the Brinckerhoff era at College Park, there are exhibits on the development of blind flying and WASPs "breaking the gender code." In the center of the gallery are monitors showing "Witness to History at College Park Airport," a film of oral histories, and "College Park Airport: The Early Years," a documentary produced for the museum. On the wall in the back corner is an animated description of the Bureau of Standards' development of Radio Navigation Aids here at College Park.
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Current Exhibits
Temporary Exhibits
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College Park Aviation Museum, 1985 Corporal Frank Scott Drive, College Park, MD 20740 |
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Snoopy as the World War I Flying Ace