MAY
Wells Fargo Free First Thursday
Thursday, May 3, 5 to 9 p.m.
Once a month, the Museum stays open late – and admission is free. Enjoy the Museum’s Great Gallery, Personal Courage Wing, Red Barn and more from 5 to 9 p.m., courtesy of Wells Fargo. Museum Store and Wings Café will also remain open for the extended hours on this night.
Family Activity
Bank of America Weekend Family Workshop: Apollo Program – Splashdown!
Saturdays and Sundays
May 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 26, 27, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Be a part of an Apollo astronaut recovery mission. Make your own space capsule then reenact a re-entry and splashdown!
Family Event
Space Day
May 3, 5 to 9 p.m.
Space Day is an internationally recognized, educational event held on the first Friday in May. The Museum celebrates during its Free First Thursday on May 3 from 5 to 9 p.m. The Museum’s education department will present a variety of fun, space-related activities.
Lecture
“Flying the Friendly Skies of Saturn’s Largest Moon”
Saturday, May 5, 2 p.m.
Dr. Jason W. Barnes is part of a team that is developing a NASA proposal to fly a robotic airplane on Saturn’s large moon Titan with a mission called Aerial Vehicle for In-situ and Airborne Titan Reconnaissance (AVIATR). Barnes will lecture about this project and the peculiar challenges of flight in the Titanian atmosphere. Barnes will also talk about the NASA selection process for similar projects.
Barnes is an Associate Professor of Physics at the University of Idaho and studies the physics of planets and planetary systems. He uses NASA spacecraft data to study planets that orbit stars other than the Sun (extrasolar planets) and the composition and nature of the surface of Saturn’s moon Titan.
Special Lectures and Aircraft Tours
“Boeing B-17 Ground School”
Saturday and Sunday, May 19-20, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Museum B-17 experts and pilots will conduct an original, 2-day course in the history, design, construction, operation and performance of the Boeing B-17 bomber. Weekend sessions include detailed briefings about the aircraft, combat mission flight planning and the way the bomber was used in World War II. The course features personal tours inside of the Museum’s Flying Fortress led by veteran B-17 crew members and the Museum’s restoration team, and the course includes a flight in the Experimental Aircraft Association’s B-17, Aluminum Overcast. Registration is limited to 20, fee is $750. The sessions will take place in a classroom setting and in the Museum’s B-17F, Boeing Bee.
Aircraft Fly-In Event
Aluminum Overcast: The EAA B-17 Bomber Tours and Rides
Thursday, May 24 through Monday, May 28
The Seattle-born bomber played an important role in World War II and aviation history. For several days in May, the Museum will be the proud host of the Experimental Aircraft Association’s popular B-17, Aluminum Overcast. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Corps in May 1945, Aluminum Overcast was too late to see action in World War II. Sold for $750 as military surplus, the airplane served as a cargo hauler, an aerial mapping platform and in pest control. Now, Aluminum Overcast carries the wartime colors of the 398th Bomb Group, serving as a living tribute to World War II aviation.
Museum visitors can tour, or even fly aboard this historic aircraft. For costs, reservations and more information, please call the EAA at 1-800-359-6217 or visit www.b17.org.
Media flights are available on May 21.
Armed Forces Day Events
Armed Forces Day Aircraft, Boat and Vehicle Display
Saturday, May 19, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Museum of Flight will observe Armed Forces Day with a public display of assets from the various branches of the Armed Forces. Vehicles on view to include Chinook, Blackhawk, Dolphin and Kiowa helicopters and a RB-S Harbor Patrol Boat.
Armed Forces Day Presentation with Rear Admiral Peter A. Gumataotao
Saturday, May 19, 11 a.m. to Noon
“The Lives of Active Duty Military Personnel”
Rear Admiral Peter A. Gumataotao, Commander of the USS Nimitz Strike Group, will help the Museum of Flight observe Armed Forces Day with an insight into the lives of men and women who serve in today’s U.S. Military.
Armed Forces Day Flag Raising Ceremony
Saturday, May 19, Noon to 12:40 p.m.
In observance of Armed Forces Day, the Air Force Association, the Navy League of the United States and the Association of the United States Army are donating flags of the five branches and the POW/MIA flag which will ceremoniously raised on flag poles in front of the Museum’s main entrance.
Aircraft Fly-In Event
Cascade War Birds Fly-In
Saturday, May 26, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Join the Museum on Memorial Day weekend for the annual Cascade Warbirds Fly-In on Saturday, May 26 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visitors can view a wide variety of beautifully restored vintage military aircraft representing several nations’ armed forces from World War II through the Vietnam conflict. Operating under the motto “keep ’em flying,” the Cascade Warbirds work to preserve history by maintaining important military aircraft. Planes such as a North American T-28 Trojan, DeHavilland DHC-1 Chipmunk, Cessna O-2 Skymaster and a Douglas AD-4 Skyraider will participate in the fly-in. In addition, the pilot/owners of these planes will be on-hand to answer questions and share their enthusiasm for these vintage warbirds. The Cascade Warbirds is an affiliate squadron of the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Warbirds of America organization.
New Exhibit
Opening Ceremony for Bell UH-1H “Huey” Helicopter Exhibit
Saturday, May 26, 11 a.m.
Following a lengthy restoration, the Museum’s Vietnam veteran Bell UH-1H “Huey” helicopter takes a place of honor in the Great Gallery. This new, permanent exhibit will be officially opened during a brief ceremony near the exhibit. The ceremony is open to the public, and will be attended by members of the helicopter’s restoration team, Museum officials, Vietnam War veterans and members of local military and law enforcement agencies. Speakers include Museum President and CEO Doug King and Medal of Honor recipient retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Patrick Brady. During the Vietnam War Brady served with the Medical Service Corps, flying Huey air ambulance helicopters. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for piloting four extremely dangerous rescue flights in Vietnam on Jan. 6, 1968.
The Museum’s UH-1H Iroquois was delivered to the U.S. military in Vietnam in early 1970. It saw service during the war and long after, until it was retired in 1994. The Museum obtained the aircraft from King County.
Family Event
Memorial Day Weekend Programs
Sunday, May 27, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Memorial Day Weekend activities continue with a concert directed by the renowned musician and orchestra leader, Fred Radke, followed by a lecture and autograph session with author and Medal of Honor recipient retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Patrick Brady. Awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroics as an air ambulance helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War, Brady will talk about the role of the Huey helicopter in Vietnam. His book, “Dead Men Flying,” is about his experiences during the war.
1:30 p.m. -University of Washington Studio Jazz Band, directed by Fred Radke.
30-minute concert.
2:00 p.m. – “Role of the Huey in Vietnam,” a 45-minute lecture by Gen. Patrick Brady, followed by audience Q&A. Program begins with a pledge of allegiance to the flag.
3:00 p.m. – Gen. Brady will autograph his book, “Dead Men Flying,” in Museum Lobby.
Family Event
Memorial Day Programs
Monday, May 28, Noon to 2 p.m.
The Museum of Flight honors military service with patriotic music and ceremonies on Memorial Day, May 28. Veterans and active U.S. Military personnel receive free admission to the Museum with identification. The Boeing Employees Concert Band will set the stage by performing patriotic music, beginning at noon. At 1 p.m. Museum President and CEO Doug King will preside over a ceremony with City of Tukwila Mayor Jim Haggerton. The ceremony’s keynote speaker is author and Medal of Honor recipient retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Patrick Brady.
Blue Star Museums Program Begins at The Museum of Flight – Active Military Receive Free Admission for the Summer
Blue Star Museums is a partnership among Blue Star Families, the National Endowment for the Arts, and more than 1,000 museums in all 50 states that will offer free admission to active military personnel and their families from Memorial Day, May 28, 2011, through Labor Day, September 3, 2011. Veterans admitted free to The Museum of Flight on Memorial Day and Veterans Day only (unless otherwise specified).
For more information about Blue Star Museums, see:
http://www.nea.gov/national/bluestarmuseums/index_ongoing.php
The Museum of Flight is located at 9404 E. Marginal Way S., Seattle, Exit 158 off Interstate 5 on Boeing Field half-way between downtown Seattle and Sea-Tac Airport. The Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $17 for adults, $14 for seniors 65 and older, $13 for active military, $9 for youth 5 to 17, and free for children under 5. Group rates are available. Admission on the first Thursday of the month is free from 5 to 9 p.m. courtesy of Wells Fargo. For general Museum information, please call 206-764-5720 or visit museumofflight.org