Tulsa Air and Space Museum
Encyclopedia
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, USA. It is located in the northwest corner of the Tulsa International Airport
Tulsa International Airport
Tulsa International Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located five miles northeast of downtown Tulsa, a city in Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States. It was originally named Tulsa Municipal Airport, when the city acquired it in 1929...
property. Visitors to the museum can explore 19000 square feet (1,765.2 m²) of exhibits highlighting Tulsa's aviation history. Historic exhibits, hands-on activities, and vintage aircraft are featured. A full-dome planetarium, added in 2006, offers a variety of educational and entertaining shows throughout the year. The museum also has educational facilities for school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
visits, summer camps, and Scout groups. The museum is one of five partner museums in the Oklahoma Museum Network
Oklahoma Museum Network
The Oklahoma Museum Network funded by the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation is a statewide collaboration of five partner museums in the U.S. state of Oklahoma working together to provide hands-on discovery learning and science resources to families, students and educators across the state.Network...
.
Tulsa Air & Space Museum Exhibits
Duncan A. McIntyre
On August 22, 1919, Duncan A. McIntyre,an early aviator and native of New Zealand, stopped in Tulsa, Oklahoma to visit an old army buddy. Originally intending to stay a short while on his way to Spokane, Washington, McIntyre decided that Tulsa was fertile ground for establishing an aviation business...
. The next exhibit is highlighted by a scale replica of Tulsa's original art deco airport terminal, originally designed by Leon Senter. The terminal's original cast iron door frames, cornerstone, terra cotta decoration and ornate art deco sconces are presented inside the exhibit, along with historic documents and photographs. The Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
survivors' exhibit presents historic American and Japanese artifacts from World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, along with an interactive touch-screen that allows visitors to listen to Oklahoma survivors of the Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
attacks share their experiences.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
exhibit also highlights Tulsa's contributions to the war, with presentations on the Spartan Aircraft Company
Spartan Aircraft Company
The Spartan Aircraft Company was an American aircraft manufacturing company formerly known as Mid-Continent Aircraft Company and reorganized under the Spartan name in 1928 by oil baron William G. Skelly in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The manufacturing plant was on Sheridan Avenue near the Tulsa Municipal...
, the Spartan College of Aviation and Technology
Spartan School of Aeronautics
Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology is a private college in Tulsa, Oklahoma that offers training in aviation and aircraft maintenance. Originally established to augment sales of Spartan Aircraft Company, it outlived its parent company and continues to train pilots and mechanics into the...
and the Douglas Bomber Plant. A commercial aviation exhibit presents historic uniforms, documents, and photos from American Airlines
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
, Trans World Airlines
Trans World Airlines
Trans World Airlines was an American airline that existed from 1925 until it was bought out by and merged with American Airlines in 2001. It was a major domestic airline in the United States and the main U.S.-based competitor of Pan American World Airways on intercontinental routes from 1946...
and other commercial carriers. American Airlines
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
gets special attention due to the presence in Tulsa of the largest private aircraft maintenance base in the world, owned and operated by American. The space exhibit presents information on Tulsa's participation in the manned and unmanned space programs, beginning with the first Peaceful Uses of Space Conference held in Tulsa on May 26, 1961. Oklahoma astronauts are honored, while visitors have the opportunity to operate a mockup of the Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
's robotic arm.
Present in Hangar One are several historic aircraft. Worthy of mention is one of the only surviving Spartan C-2 aircraft, one of two surviving Rockwell Ranger 2000
Rockwell Ranger 2000
|-See also:...
's, a Spartan NP-1 and an F-14 Tomcat
F-14 Tomcat
The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental program following the collapse of the F-111B project...
.
Collections
Douglas Aircraft Company
The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer, based in Long Beach, California. It was founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas, Sr. and later merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell Douglas...
centered around Air Force Plant #3 is housed in the archives. The majority of those documents are from 1941–1945 and 1953-1960. The collection also includes historic documents and photos from the Tulsa International Airport
Tulsa International Airport
Tulsa International Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located five miles northeast of downtown Tulsa, a city in Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States. It was originally named Tulsa Municipal Airport, when the city acquired it in 1929...
archives. The photos collected by former airport manager Charles Short
Charles Short
Charles W. "Charlie" Short was the first airport manager at the Tulsa Municipal Airport . In the right place at the right time, Short was working for oil baron William G. Skelly when Skelly and others signed a "stud horse note" that provided the financing needed to acquire land and construct the...
are also stored in the archives, and include photos of Will Rogers
Will Rogers
William "Will" Penn Adair Rogers was an American cowboy, comedian, humorist, social commentator, vaudeville performer, film actor, and one of the world's best-known celebrities in the 1920s and 1930s....
, Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.Lindbergh, a 25-year-old U.S...
, Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart
Amelia Mary Earhart was a noted American aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first woman to receive the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for becoming the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean...
, Wiley Post
Wiley Post
Wiley Hardeman Post was a famed American aviator, the first pilot to fly solo around the world. Also known for his work in high altitude flying, Post helped develop one of the first pressure suits. His Lockheed Vega aircraft, the Winnie Mae, was on display at the National Air and Space Museum's...
, C.R. Smith and William Skelly
William Skelly
William Grove Skelly , often known as Bill or William G. Skelly, was an entrepreneur who made a fortune in the oil business. Born in Erie, Pennsylvania, he moved to Kansas in 1916, then to Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1919, where he founded Skelly Oil Company. By 1923, his company was one of the strongest...
.
Planetarium
The James E. Bertelsmeyer Planetarium opened at the Tulsa Air and Space Museum in May 2006. The planetarium uses 360-degree full dome technology, and features a 50 ft diameter dome. The planetarium offers full-dome digital shows as well as traditional star shows. Shows that have played at TASM's planetarium include Astronaut, Oasis in Space and Infinity Express. Currently the Planetarium shows Secret of the Cardboard Rocket, Big, and Extreme Planets. The planetarium is open Tuesday-Saturday, 11:00 AM– 4:00 PM and Sunday 2:00 PM– 4:00 PM.External links
- Museum website
- Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium on TravelOK.com Official travel and tourism website for the State of Oklahoma