Winter Break Activities at New England Air Museum

Press Release:

The New England Air Museum will hold activities for the whole family between February 16^th and 20^th. The Museum’s Flight Sim Spot will be open each of these days between 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. The Flight Sim Spot allows visitors to use state-of-the-art simulators using real cockpit controls.

On both Monday, February 16th, and Tuesday February 17th the museum will host a LEGO Contest for children. Step into a room full of LEGO and create a “SPACE EXPLORATION” flying machine.” The program is for ages 3-12 and will run from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm. Prizes will be awarded for each category: ages 3 to 5, 6 to 8 & 9 to 12.

On Wednesday, February 18th, there will be an Aero Modeling Workshop. This program runs from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm on a first-come, first-served basis, and will take about an hour and a half to complete. Children ages 8 – 14 can build and fly their own models. All children must be accompanied by an adult. There is a $5.00 cost for the kit.

Thursday, February 19^th, will be an Open Cockpit day. The Museum will host its famous Open Cockpit program with up to 8 aircraft to be open including helicopters, an airliner, a jet fighter and a WWII aircraft. All cockpits will close at 4:00 pm.

Friday, February 20^th, will be the Straw Rocket Competition. Visitors will design a rocket built around a drinking straw that will fly to a specified target using a compressed air launcher.

Activities are included with the price of admission on the day of your visit except where noted. Each day docents will be on hand to provide information and to interact with the visitors.

The Museum will be open from 10:00 am to 5 pm. Admission is $12 for ages 12 and up, $11 for seniors 65 and up and $6.50 for ages 4 to 11. Children under 3 are admitted free. For more information, visit www.neam.org or call (860) 623-3305.

The New England Air Museum is the largest aviation museum in New England and is a private, non-profit educational institution that was organized in 1959. Three larger hangars and an outdoor display contain more than 80 aircraft with permanent exhibits that include the oldest surviving aircraft in the U.S. – the 1870 Silas M. Brooks Balloon Basket, as well as an S-39 Amphibian plane – the first aircraft built in Connecticut by aviation pioneer Igor Sikorsky. Featured year-round are many historical aircraft and exhibits including a focus on World War II’s Tuskegee Airmen, and a display about Amelia Earhart alongside a Lockheed Model 10 Electra – the same type of plane flown by the female aviator. The Air Museum is dedicated to preserving and presenting historically significant aircraft and related artifacts, engaging visitors through high-quality exhibits helping them to understand aviation technology and history and inspiring students through innovative and hands-on educational programs. It is owned and operated by the Connecticut Aeronautical Historical Association and is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, with four full-time employees, 18 part-time employees, and more than 175 volunteers. The New England Air Museum is located on 36 Perimeter Road (off Route 75) on the North end of the Bradley International Airport airfield in Windsor Locks, Conn. It is open from 10 am to 5 pm, seven days a week, and features a large gift shop. For more information, www.neam.org or (860) 623-3305 or Facebook at New England Air Museum.