FRONTIERS OF FLIGHT MUSEUM INC

We educate, motivate and inspire all ages in North Texas by presenting aviation and space flight history and innovation through our comprehensive exhibits, collections, programming and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) curriculum. The Museum is committed to preserving and expanding the University of Texas at Dallas’ History of Aviation Collection, and jointly preserving and expanding the Frontiers of Flight Museum’s own collection. The Museum recognizes and promotes the contributions of aviation and aerospace to the community.

The Museum is housed in a 100,000-square-foot facility, conveniently located just north of downtown Dallas on Lemmon Avenue at the southeast side of Dallas Love Field Airport. It introduces visitors of all ages – from the avid aviation buff to a child on the first visit – to the rich diversity of aviation and space flight history. These are the stories of the men and women who went higher, faster, farther, and first in aviation and space flight.

More than 100,000 people visit annually, including families, school and youth groups, seniors, and travelers from around the world. The Museum provides free admission to veterans for special programs throughout the year, and active-duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

HISTORY
The Frontiers of Flight Museum was founded in 1988. Its co-founders, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and business leaders Jan Collmer and Bill Cooper shared a vision for creating and sponsoring educational programs that focused upon science, math and technology using an aviation theme.

The Museum was originally housed in the Dallas Love Field terminal. In 2002 a Texas Department of Transportation grant and capital campaign enabled the construction of the current 100,000 square foot facility, which opened in June 2004. Since that time the Museum has continued to expand and improve its exhibits and STEM educational programs each year.

EXHIBITS
Our significant collection includes more than 30 aircraft and space vehicles with 35,000 supporting artifacts including flight gear, aircraft equipment and components, photographs, documents, and other flight-related memorabilia. Early biplanes, historically important military and general aviation aircraft, the World War II Gallery, the unique history of Southwest Airlines, numerous commercial airline artifacts, and one-of-a-kind aerospace treasures such as the actual radio operator’s chair from the doomed Hindenburg airship, the Vought V-173 “Flying Pancake,” and the Apollo 7 command module can all be seen as you tour through the Museum. The Museum’s partnership with local, regional, and national organizations including the Smithsonian Institution and the University of Texas at Dallas gives us access to additional world-class artifacts and archives and major traveling exhibits.

Special programs and events are offered monthly such as the Wings of Freedom Tour with WWII planes; Moon Day which is an annual Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM)-focused, space-themed public event; during Engineers Week and Spring Break; and on holidays and historically important days including D-Day anniversary, Patriot’s Day, and Veteran’s Day.

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
We offer classes for all ages throughout the year, designed to excite the imagination in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) through spacecraft design, aerodynamics, model-building, space survival and other disciplines. These include school group tours with education programs tied to Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) requirements, the popular Aviation & Space Camp summer programs for children in grades 1-12, after-school and weekend programs, and outreach programs. Almost 10,000 children participate in the Museum’s education programs each year.

The Living History/Oral History Program features highly knowledgeable volunteers that tell the stories of prominent personalities in aviation history. These talented performers, dressed in authentic clothing with appropriate presentation materials, portray Jimmy Doolittle, Orville Wright, Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, Amelia Earhart, Admiral Charles Rosendahl, Wiley Post, Charles Lindbergh and others. This program is conducted in the Museum and as an outreach program to schools, libraries, children’s centers and other locations.

Outreach programs have been significantly expanded in the past few years to reach more under-served children. Two important additions include the Flight School Summer Camp at Dallas Executive Airport and the Young Women's STEM Leadership Initiative. The Flight School at Dallas Executive Airport serves more than 100 children each year. The Young Women's STEM Leadership Initiative is serving more than 2,700 girls. Both program’s participants are primarily low-income and either Hispanic or African-American.