Virginia Air & Space Center
Looking Forward, Looking Back at Jet Speed
Since opening in April 1992 the Virginia Air & Space Center has been informing and entertaining visitors. The facility on the Hampton waterfront, the visitor center for NASA Langley Research Center and Langley Air Force Base, is visually striking with its immense glassed exhibit space soaring skyward. It is a highly successful design that conveys a sense of space so appropriate for the museum’s themes.
The self-guided tour begins in a large open space where an array of small models traces the evolution of the airplane from its earliest days. Full-size airplanes hang suspended from the ceiling. Many of the planes hanging in the enclosed space had to be brought in before the final walls were put in place.
The suspended planes include a prototype YF-16 Fighting Falcon like the Air Force precision Thunderbirds fly, Another exhibited aircraft is a F-4E Phantom II that saw combat in Vietnam. Schleiche ASW-12 Glider, and an applications technology Satellite 6 as well as eight other planes. These can be seen from several levels; you can even look down on them from a gantry that crosses high above the museum’s ground floor. The gantry also provides a birds-eye view of the Apollo 12 Command Module that has pride of place on the main floor.
The aviation gallery has replaced the Hampton Roads History exhibit. A new Hampton History Museum has been built across the street in downtown Hampton. A 300-seat IMAX theater on the ground floor with a giant five-story projection screen and 16,000 watts of wrap-around sound are both entertaining and educational.
Space research has been conducted at NASA Langley Research Center since 1917---early strides and future goals are encompassed in the gallery. Achievements are recognized with items like the moon rock, the Viking orbiter and lander and the space shuttle exhibit. Interactive displays let you play at being an “astronaut for a minute.” There is also a simulated space launch. Other topics covered include rockets, satellites, aerospace research exhibits and the role of space in science fiction. Level three has an observation gantry for an overview of the hanging exhibits and an observation deck for a panoramic view of the Hampton Harbor.
The center is open during the summer from Monday through Wednesday 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., Thursday through Sunday until 7:00 P.M. Winter hours are Monday through Sunday 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Admission is charged to the exhibits and the IMAX performances. You should allow at least 3-4 hours to explore the museum and additional time to see the feature length movies in the IMAX theatre.
Directly across the street from the museum is the 1920 Hampton Carousel. This antique merry-go-round delights young and old with its colorfully painted horses and chariots. The 48 hand-carved horses are fine examples of a vanishing American folk art. The pavilion still has the original mirrors it had when it was delivered in 1921 to Hampton’s Buckroe Beach Amusement Park. When the park closed in 1985, the city purchased and restored the carousel. The carousel operates on a regular schedule from April through October. Call 747 727-0900 for an operating schedule. Tickets are $1 a ride. Tip: The same tickets are only 50 cents when purchased with a Virginia Air & Space Center Ticket. Directions: Take I-64 east from the Richmond area to Exit 267, Settlers Landing Road. This will take you to downtown Hampton. The Virginia Air and Space Center is on the left. Parking is available across from the center.
Reader Discovery: “The Center regularly provides lectures by prominent scientists. We caught one on the exploration of Mars. It was really timely and exciting with all the recent Mars space activity. This series is free. We just called the museum for the schedule.” C. Gibson, Charleston, S.C.
LATE NEWS From the Virginia Air & Space Center
New gallery now open
Nearly one hundred years ago, history was made on a sandy beach in North Carolina. As the country celebrates the centennial of flight, the Virginia Air & Space Center commemorates the anniversary with its new one-million-cubic-foot Adventures in Flight gallery, opening November 8, 2003. This new state-of-the-art, interactive gallery is the largest expansion in the museum's history and cost $6.4 million to create. New exhibits in the gallery will not only feature the Wright Brothers' First Flight but will highlight Hampton Roads' significant role in commercial, general and military aviation.
Visitors will take an aviation adventure from the origins of flight to the future of
flight with a variety of hands-on, one-of-a-kind exhibits and simulators that can transform anyone into a pilot for the day! Families will come face-to-face with a replica of the 1903 Wright Flyer and can experiment with flight in the Wright Brothers Bicycle Shop. Several interactives from the Bishop's Toy Flyer to the Wing Warping display convey the story of two brothers who made history in 1903. Guests who want a taste of bam storming antics can "wing walk" on a recreated Curtiss Jenny and experience a fanciful flight through 100 years of aviation milestones.
An AirTran Airways DC-9 dominates the main gallery and invites visitors to step aboard and sit at the controls of a Boeing 717 Glass Cockpit Flight Simulator.
Those who prefer to stay on the ground can become an air traffic controller and practice talking in A TC slang.
An air traffic control tower display features a real-time data electronic map of North America showing all aircraft in flight. Little travelers will enjoy discovering what happens to their luggage on a trip at the Day in the Life of Your Luggage interactive. The Air Power Over Hampton Roads area relates the story of Hampton Roads’ rich air force heritage. Guests can ride in a World War II bomber with a B-24 motion simulator, climb into the cockpit of an F/A-22, and test their flight skills with aptitude tests based on real air force exams.
Little Wings, an exciting new play area, will allow young aviators to build a plane, create their own airport, experiment with a hot air balloon and climb into a cockpit to investigate flight. Worn-out aviators, including mom and dad, can rest in the clouds in a very unique seating area.
Admission to the new Adventures in Flight gallery is included in regular exhib admission. Exhibit admission is $7.50 for adults, $6.50 for seniors (65 plus), military and NASA personnel, and $5.50 for children (ages 3 to 11). A combination ticket for exhibits and IMAX admission is also available. The Center is open Monday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. The Virginia Air & Space Center is located at 600 Settlers Landing Road in beautiful Downtown Hampton. Visit the website at www.vasc.org
Origins of Flight/Wright Brothers
1. Hot Air Balloon: Includes graphic rail and interpretive text on the origins of flight and man’s quest to fly prior to the Wright Brothers. The Hot Air Balloon interactive illustrates the use of lighter-than-air craft, or dirigibles, from the late 1700s to the Wright Brothers’ First Flight as man’s only means to become airborne. Guests can control the amount of hot air that fills the balloon through a control panel, sending it all the way to the third floor of the museum.
2. The Bishop’s Toy Flyer: This hands-on propeller interactive demonstrates the phenomena that interested the young Wright brothers in flight. The Toy Flyer is an interactive copy of a helicopter type flying toy like the one given to the brothers by their father. The Toy Flyer is mounted in a clear glass tube so the visitor can easily spin the propeller and observe the flight of the toy.
3. Wing-Warping: The Wing-Warping interactive gives a hands-on demonstration of the secret to turning an aircraft in flight. The exhibit allows visitors to twist a small model 1903 Wright Flyer to recreate Wilbur’s discovery of wing-warping with the inner-tube box. A larger model of the Wright Flyer mounted on the adjacent wall reacts as visitors twist, imitating the principle of lateral control.
4. Wind Tunnel: Includes a reproduction model of the Wright Brothers Wind Tunnel, as well as, a working Wind Tunnel model and Bicycle Lift Tester all housed in the Wright Brothers Bicycle Shop. Visitors can experiment with the scientific method when they recreate the same experiments that the Wright Brothers performed in their Bicycle Shop, from testing different airfoils using the wind tunnel to creating lift with the bicycle.
5. Wright Brothers Propulsion: This hands-on component illustrates the differences between early aviation pioneers’ propeller designs using very different propeller designs mounted in clear tubes. Visitors can launch the propellers and compare the efficiency of the design as they rise and fall.
6. Replica 1903 Wright Flyer: Commissioned by the Virginia Air & Space Center and built by Arizona Models in 97 days, the replica 1903 Wright Flyer was the first flyer in the United States to be completed for the Centennial of Flight. An accurate reproduction of the first powered airplane the replica is within 21 lbs. of the original Wright Flyer.
A Century of Flight/ The Golden Age
1. JN-4 Curtiss Jenny Century of Flight Theater: Affectionately known as the “Jenny,” the Curtiss JN-4 was one of the most famous aircraft of early aviation. Initially a training aircraft for military pilots, the Jenny became a favorite of
barnstormers during the post-war period. The “Jenny” Theater takes visitors back to the Roaring 20s to experience an exhilarating barnstorming ride first-hand. The experience begins with a mini-theater that looks, smells and feels like a 1920s rural barn turned temporary airplane hanger. Guests can climb aboard the wings to wing-walk like daredevils of the day or make themselves comfortable on mock-hay bales as this hi-tech ride film whisks visitors into the wild, blue yonder without leaving the ground. This unforgettable experience features wind, motion and a film takes visitors through a century of flight..
2. Propulsion – Propellers vs. Jet Engines
This hands-on exhibit features two components where visitors can compare two types of aircraft propulsion. One component demonstrates the use of piston engine-driven propellers, while the other demonstrates the principle of jet propulsion. Graphic rails interpret how each principle works.
Military Aviation/Air Power Over Hampton Roads
1. B-24 Simulator-Visitors are transported to World War II Europe with the B-24 Simulator. A ride experience unlike any other, this historically accurate re-creation of a B-24 bombing mission combines thrilling motion programming with incredible details of actual combat flights. Beginning with a pre-ride experience, visitors are informed of the impending dangers of the mission they are about to undertake as the anticipation builds. Next families climb aboard and brace for the challenges that lie ahead from bad weather to enemy fighters, as they experience the sound and feel of a true bombing mission. As the B-24 returns home for a safe landing, families will have a real sense of what B-24 crews experienced sixty years ago.
2. B-24 exhibit-The B-24 exhibit also includes an actual nose-section of a B-24, a description of the importance of World War II Nose Art, and an interactive component on the crew of a bomber, presenting personal stories and detailed job functions. Users can click on individual crewmembers to find out more about their jobs, their relationships with other crewmembers, their experiences in war and their camaraderie.
3. Tuskegee Trailblazers- This exhibit recognizes and honors the first black aviators to break the race barrier in the U.S. Army Air Corps. The exhibit features a detailed interpretation of the Tuskegee Airmen story, as well as a 1/3 scale model of the Airmen’s aircraft the P-51B-Mustang, known to some as the best fighter developed by the United States during World War II. A personal story monitor is also included, giving guests an intimate look at the Tuskegee Airmen.
4. Women Get Their Wings- An interpretive display describes the role of women in the war effort from working on assembly lines, to the infamous WASPs who ran cargo missions cross-country.
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