Historic Aircraft
View 37 historic aircraft, including one of the largest collections of airworthy
Wright Brothers reproduction aircraft in the world. Other planes include the
1936 Vultee V1-A Special (once owned by William Randolph Hearst); the spectacular SR-71 Blackbird spy plane; and the F-14 Tomcat as featured in the movie “Top Gun.” Click here to view and download pdf of Historic Aircraft Guide.

Forces of Flight
Forces of Flight, a collection of interactive exhibits, explains how differential pressure creates lift. Others demonstrate how to control direction of a plane as well as how lift, thrust and drag work. These exhibits demonstrate the science behind flight as well as the history of flight. Explore the Forces of Flight: lift, thrust, weight and drag. Study Bernoulli's Principle. Take the controls of the Wind Trainer and climb inside a Piper Cub!  Virginia Science SOLs: 1.2, 2.1, 4.2, PS.6, PS.10, PH.4, PH.5, PH.7

Piper Cub
“The Piper Cub is our first, full-size aircraft that you can climb inside and move the controls,” says Virginia Aviation Museum Executive Director Mike Boehme. “It’s the perfect complement to our Kids Ready Room and pedal planes. Along with the Piper Club, we have a Wind Trainer, a flight simulator that uses a wind tunnel and a Piper Cub model. It allows you to fly the model in the breeze created by the tunnel’s fans. We also have a spin tunnel which demonstrates an aircraft in a flat spin — one of the most difficult spins from which to recover.

World War II Aviation Diorama
Fourteen displays illustrate the importance of American aviation, the technological challenges provided by the Axis, the contribution of the Tuskegee Airmen, the Woman's Airforce Service Pilots, and other critical chapters in the battle of the skies.
Virginia History and Social Science SOLs: 6.5, 6.6, 6.8, 6.9, 6.11, 9.10, 11.11

Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame
Honoring the men and women who brought Virginia aviation to the forefront of aeronautics. Virginia History and Social Science SOL: VS.9

Power Plant Exhibit
See a variety of engines that illustrate different approaches to the problem of keeping aircraft flying. Learn the advantages and disadvantages of rotary engines versus radial engines, water-cooled engines versus air-cooled engines, and jet engines versus reciprocating engines. Virginia Science SOL: PS.10

Flight Simulators
Enjoy flying one of our flight simulators as you experience the exhilaration of flight. Watch the big screen flight simulator in action or experience full-motion simulation in our XJ-5 simulator...been upside down lately?

Kids Ready Room and Pedal Planes
Even the youngest member of your family can enjoy the magic of aviation in our Kids Ready Room with hands-on activities, and kids aviation books, movies, stories, and puzzles. Keep a smile on their face as they pilot their very own pedal plane.

Choose from:
C’mon Geese is the amazing true story about how one man realized his childhood dream of flying with geese in an ultralight aircraft he designed and built. Get a bird's eye view of a flock of Canada geese as they soar over woods and fields. This 15-minute film is appropriate for preschool-aged children.

Aeronautical Oddities. Historic newsreels showcase the successes and failures of early aviation oddities, including a windmill plane, flying barrel, spindle plane, potato bug, tailless airplane, aerobike, sky-car, rocket glider and more. This 15-minute film is appropriate for children in grades K–5.

Taking Flight. Stories of Modern Virginia Aviation traces the rich aviation history in the Commonwealth from WWII to today.  This 53-minute film is for grades 5 and up.