Visiting the College Park Aviation Museum. The College Park Aviation Museum, located in College Park, Maryland is an affiliate of the Smithsonian. The museum offers something for everyone who is interested in aviation history.
The museum sits on the grounds of the longest continuously operating airport in College Park. The airport was founded in 1909 when Wilbur Wright of the Wright Brothers traveled there to give flight instruction to the very first military aviators. The airport is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Visitors to the museum will find a number of historic and reproduction aircraft of the kind that once graces the airfield. In addition, they can also find a number of hands on activities and interpretive areas.
Some of the popular aircraft that visitors will be able to see are the Wright Model B reproduction, 1932 Monocoupe, the 110 1936 Taylor J-2 "Cub", and the 1941 Boeing A75N1/PT-17 "Stearman."
Guests at the College Park Aviation Museum will also find a number of other interesting exhibits.
They can see a scaled down version of Wilbur Wright’s hangar, including some of the Wright Brothers’ personal effects. See Orville Wright’s watch, pieces of one of the Wright airplanes, medals and more.
The Airmail exhibit contains a restored 1916 Curtiss "Jenny." The plane is on loan from the U.S. Army and standing next to the exhibit is a mannequin of Max Miller, the pilot who made the very first airmail drop in 1918.
After entering the main gallery, guests will see that there are several smaller galleries as well. These sub-galleries are located on the right side of the main gallery.
The first small gallery features artifacts and exhibits that showcase the early history of the field, including a mannequin of Bernetta Miller, the fifth licensed female pilot in the United States. The second small gallery has a number of hands on activities including puzzles, toys, a computer flight simulator and much more. It is a fun place for kids of all ages. The third small gallery celebrates what they call the "Golden Age of Aviation."
The museum has a number of changing exhibits as well, including a variety of new programs. This means that you can keep coming back to the museum and see something different every time.
To find out more about the museum and all that it has to offer, you can visit their website at collegeparkaviationmuseum.com. The museum is open daily from 10AM to 5PM. Admission for adults is $4, for seniors $3, for children and students $2, and children under 2 are free.
1985 Corporal Frank Scott Dr
College Park, Maryland 20740
Phone: 301-864-6029
Fax: 301-927-6472