Summer Activities Let Visitors Soar at New England Air Museum

Need some structure for these hot summer days with the kids? Guests in town and you need to get out of the house?

The is right down the road, and even if you’ve been there before to see the 80 different aircraft on display, this summer one-day workshops and special activities each day make each visit brand new.

“It’s a surprise experience,” said Museum Director Mike Speciale. “Even if you don’t think you like airplanes, we have some great exhibits.”

Speciale said the museum hired additional educational docents this summer to add personal interaction and more education to each visitor’s experience.

“We have a lot of people out on the floor everyday meeting and working with our visitors,” he explained. “They like interaction on the floor from a person and we like to offer someone to work with you while you are doing the acitivites.” 

A variety of activities for kids ages 8 and up are offered Monday though Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Kids have the chance to experience build and fly challenge activities, flight science demonstrations, stories under a wing and the chance to sit in the cockpit of an aircraft.

In addition, the museum will premiere its Flight Sim Experience, a high-tech flight simulation program and there are special Fun Friday events like meeting the pilots and crew of Hartford Hospital’s Life Star on July 17 and watching nature’s original aviators - Horizon Wings bird show on July 20.

Speciale said the museum is enjoying the success of new programming and saw a 50 percent increase in attendance in June. More than 6,500 guests enjoyed one of the world's most outstanding collections of historic aviation artifacts: more than 80 aircraft and an extensive collection of engines, instruments, aircraft parts, uniforms and personal memorabilia.

The following is a schedule of the Summer 2012 at the New England Air Museum One-Day Workshops which require special registration:

Take Flight at Ground School – Thursday, July 12, 9:00-3:00, for ages 10 and up Learn the principles of airplane flight, build and fly your own model glider, and test your skills using the Museum’s flight simulators. Bring a bagged lunch. Cost is $30 ($20 for museum members). Registration deadline is July 5.

Engineering Design Challenge – Wednesday, July 25, 9:00-3:00, for ages 8 and up In teams, you will design and build an air transportation system for the future using LEGO bricks. Bring a bagged lunch. Cost is $30 ($20 for museum members). Registration deadline is July 18.

Women Fly 100 Years and You can too! – Wednesday, August 1, 9:00-3:00, for ages 8 and up. Discover the history of women in aviation and meet a mentor. Includes an introduction to the cockpit and time on the Museum’s flight simulators. Bring a bagged lunch. Cost is $30 ($20 for museum members). Registration deadline is July 25.

Become a Mathemagician– Tuesday, August 7, 9:00-2:00, for ages 8 and up Improve mental math skills and amaze your friends and teachers with newfound tricks and confidence. Bring a bagged lunch. Cost is $25 ($15 for museum members). Pre-requisite: know multiplication tables for 1-12. Registration deadline is July 31.

History Day 2013 – Turning Points in History, Tuesday, August 21, 9:00-3:00, for students entering grades 6 and up. Prepare for History Day 2013 by discovering the many resources of the New England Air Museum and historical events in aviation that changed the course of history. Bring a bagged lunch. Cost is $30 ($20 for museum members). Registration deadline is August 14.

A minimum number of registrations is required for each workshop. Failure to meet this number could lead to cancellation of the workshop. In the event that this happens, registrants will be notified one week in advance. 

Call the Museum at (860) 623-3305 for information on the workshops or visit the Museum’s website www.neam.org.  The New England Air Museum is located on the perimeter road off Rte. 75 by in Windsor Locks, Conn.

Admission: Adults 12 & up $11.00, Children 4-11 $6.50, 3 & under free, Seniors 65 & Up $10.00. Please note, some area libraries offer free or discount passes to the museum. At the Suffield , two adults cost $5.00 each and two children are free. 

Hours: Open 7 days a week, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.