We offer several different types of Field Trip Programs to allow students to experience all the Museum has to offer.
60 - 90 Minutes
Hangar Tours
A version of the general tour offered to Museum guests, tailored with age appropriate content for your school group. This private tour features a selection of WWI, WWII, and Korean era planes, as well as hangars and structures around the Museum airfield. Some of the SOLs that can be addressed by this tour include Social Studies: K.1, K.2, K.3, 2.1, 3.1, USII.1, USII.5, USII.7, WHII.1, WHII.10, WHII.11, VUS.1, VUS.11
STEM Exploration Tours
These tours connect with in-classroom programming integrating science and history into the tour experience using thematic storytelling. Middle school and High School Exploration Tours include a primary source historical investigation.
Untold Stories in Aviation
Discover some of the men and women who shaped the course of history during World War II through their contributions to life on the front and at home. Explore the P-51 Mustang that the all-Black Tuskegee Airmen flew, learn about Rosie the Riveter and see the planes that women helped to build and fly, and hear the story of the daring female Russian pilots who became known as the Night Witches on the Eastern Front. VSOLs: Social Studies: 3.1, USII.1, WHII.1, WHII.10, WHII.11, VUS.1, VUS.11
Innovation and Transformation
This STEM focused tour weaves history and science together as students trace the innovation and key design changes throughout early aviation. From the Wright Brothers’ flyer to the biplanes that dominated the skies in the early 1900s to the fighters that transformed World War II, students will learn the principles of flight as they explore how war and technological advancements went hand in hand. VSOLs: Science: 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2 Social Studies: 3.1, USII.1, USII.5, USII.6, USII.7, WHII.1, WHII.11, VUS.1, VUS.8, VUS.9, WG.1
Victory Through Flight
Discover the role that aviation played in transforming warfare in World War II. Learn how aviation led to Allied victories at the Battle of Britain, the Battle of Midway, and D-Day in the shadows of the planes that flew in each battle. This tour explores the impact of aviation on military strategy as well as the impact on the home fronts. VSOLs: Social Studies: USII.1, USII.5, USII.6, USII.7, WHII.1, WHII.11, VUS.1, VUS.8, VUS.9, WG.1
How to Train a Dinosaur
Take a stroll with your students through our dinosaur park as our Educators assist students in learning the differences between Dinosaurs and Pterosaurs, herbivore and carnivore, and the different types of camouflage and habitats. VSOLs: Science: K-1, K-6, K-7, 1.1, 1.5, 2.1, 2.5, 3.1, 3.5
Speciality Tours
Our world class collection of aircraft serves as the perfect backdrop for specialized programs. Tour experiences can be developed to cater to specific educator needs. We have provided specialty content focusing on the Art of Aviation, and Aerodynamics as well as crafting tour experiences to look at the Russian Revolution and other facets of world history. Our Fighter Factory team has also welcomed tours emphasizing the skills needed to keep our World War II collection flying!
Add-On to Your Tour Experience with a Learning Lab
Add-On to your tour experience with a Hands-on learning opportunity led by Museum educators. Designed for students of all ages, these Learning Labs give you the flexibility to tailor your experience at the Museum with focus areas like Cryptology, Aerodynamics and the Forces of Flight.
Will It Fly?
Master the forces of flight through a series of experiments that demonstrate how planes fly through the air. Activities include making and testing airfoils in a wind tunnel experiment, testing thrust and drag, and creating paper airplanes to test in various experiments. VSOLs: Science: 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, PH.3, PH.5, PH.6
Parachute Palooza
Explore the impact of weight, gravity, and drag in a race to design a parachute to safely help a paratrooper land on the ground. Students will work through the engineering and design process to create and test a successful parachute prototype. VSOLs: Science: PH.1, PH.3, PH.4, PH.5, PH.6, 5.1, 6.1, 6.2
Aeronautical Engineering
Does wing shape and size impact flight? Students become aeronautical engineers as they work through the engineering process to answer these questions as they design their own foam glider to test in various experiments. VSOLs: Science: 6.1, 6.2, PH.1, PH.3, PH.5, PH.6
Code Breaker
Students learn how to be World War II cryptologists by solving various ciphers, and learning secret codes. They will analyze the inner workings of the Enigma Machine and learn Morse Code. VSOLs: English: 5.1, 6.1, 6.3, 7.1, 7.3, 8.1, 8.3, 10.1, 11.1, 12.1 Social Studies: VUS.1, VUS.11, WHII.1, WHII.10, WHII.11
It’s Made of Armor!
Students will use their engineering skills to develop the perfect “armor” to protect precious cargo from a long drop, after learning about the importance of armor and track vehicles. VSOLs: Science: PH.4, PH.5, PH.6 Social Studies: WHII.8, WHII.10,WHII.11
Can Dinosaurs Fly?
Students experiment with camouflage design to assist in learning the importance of blending into their habitat. Discover dinosaur and plant fossils in a fossil dig that develops skills in understanding living systems on Earth. Students design their own fossil to take home and share with their families. VSOLs: Science: K-1, K-6, K-7, 1.1, 1.5, 2.1, 2.5, 3.1, 3.5
Field Trip Requirements & Rules
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