Roaring into Orbit

Apollo Cabinet Within the past years, we have celebrated the 50th anniversary of two major milestone of the space program: the first landing of man on the moon, Apollo 11, and the rescue of three astronauts on an aborted mission to the moon, Apollo 13. To place men on the moon required a very large…

Women in Aerospace

The Women in Aerospace Exhibit and accompanying school visit curriculum allows students to learn about the accomplishments and careers of the women profiled. Gender stereotypes often dissuade women from pursuing their interests in the subject areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Visitors are invited to question stereotypes about the capabilities of women in…

Lockheed YO-3A Quiet Star

The Lockheed YO-3A “Quiet Star” is a single-engined, propeller-driven monoplane that was developed for battlefield observation during the Vietnam War. It was designed to be as quiet as possible, and was intended to observe troop movements in near-silence during hours of darkness. The YO-3A was not armed The YO-3A was designed to a U.S. Army…

Northrop NV-144 UAV

Flight Proven NV-144 provides Low Risk Airframe for Reconnaissance and Target Payloads A three-year Northrop development program validated the aerodynamics, propulsion, and controllability of the NV-144. Now the Navy, Marines, and Air Force can use this flight-proven vehicle to minimize technical risks in obtaining a common reconnaissance and target unmanned aeronautical vehicle. By adapting payloads…

Teledyne Ryan AQM-34K Firebee

Teledyne Ryan AQM-34K The AQM-34K was a night reconnaissance version of the Firebee series of targets drones and RPVs (Remotely Piloted Vehicles) and was one of the most successful and versatile unmanned aircraft developed at the time. It was equipped with an infrared strobe and Doppler radar. It had the short wings of the original…

Link Trainer Model C-3 1942

The link trainer pictured is a 1942 Model C-3, the term Link Trainer, also known as the “blue box,” is commonly used to refer to a series of flight simulators produced between the early 1930s and early 1950s by Edwin Albert Link, based on technology he pioneered in 1929 at his family’s business in Binghamton,…

BD-5 Sport Plane

The BD-5 Sport Plane was designed by Jim Bede, assisted by Bert Rutan, in the early 1970’s. It was an experimental homebuilt kit, single seat high performance aircraft. It is a low wing pusher propeller configuration. Design features include all-metal construction, mechanical retractable landing gear, detachable wings, and wrist action side stick control as used…