by The Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum is located in the spacious Hangar 1 of the former Lowry Air Force Base in eastern Denver, and boasts more than 100,000 square feet of iconic aircraft, space vehicles, artifacts, and military uniforms.
Besides the special exhibition on Snoopy and the Red Baron that I was happy to see, the museum covers the history of flight from the Wright Brothers until the distant future (as you’ll see below).
A recently opened Wright Brothers Exhibit includes a full-scale model of their 1902 glider on which they worked out the aerodynamics and control systems of flight, along with other artifacts such as a propeller built for the Wright Company’s 1915 Model K seaplane that was later signed by Orville Wright.
The museum’s Wright Flyer simulator demonstrates how difficult it was to actually managing flight in their original flyer. This was a nice complement to our visit to Kitty Hawk last year.
The museum hosts the only public display of an Incom T-65 X-Wing Starfighter, with a working R2D2 onboard.
The X-Wing is one of the versatile Rebel Alliance Starfighters that assisted the rebels in defeating Imperial forces at the “Death Star.” Known for its exceptional combat performance, it was a favorite of both Rebel and New Republic pilots.
This model carried deflector shields, a hyperdrive, an R2 astromech for repairs and navigation, and a full complement of proton torpedoes.
