Wings Over the Rockies in Denver, Colorado

Wings Over the Rockies is a museum that no airplane enthusiast will want to miss when visiting Denver. Found just six miles from Downtown Denver, this fantastic museum is full of flying machines that range from bombers to spacecrafts, and visitors will even get to examine a prop from the movie Star Wars. You never know what you might see at this Denver space museum, as the collection is always growing, and when possible, waiting until the second Saturday of the month to drop by is recommended. Also known as Demo Cockpit Day at the museum, the second Saturday of the month is when guests will have the chance to sit in the cockpits of some of the planes.

The Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum occupies a large hangar in Denver's historic Lowry District. Inside the 150,000-square-foot hangar are more than 40 immaculately restored airplanes and spacecraft for visitors to enjoy. Fighter jets, bombers, and gliders figure among the exhibits, and there's also a 1955 Workhorse Helicopter that visitors can take a close look at. Most of the aircraft that are on display at Wings Over the Rockies are relatively old, and highlights include a 1926 Eaglerock and a 1938 B-18A Bolo. The former was a state-of-the-art bi-plane when it was unveiled in the mid-20s, and visitors might be interested to know that it was built in nearby Englewood. The company that built the Eaglerock was the world's largest aircraft aircraft manufacturer between the years of 1926 and 1931.

As for the 1938 B-18A Bolo, it is a rare, Army green-colored beauty that was designed for bombing and reconnaissance missions. Among other things, B-18A Bolos such as this one were used to patrol the waters of the Panama Canal and to defend the contested lands of Alaska during WWII. When it comes to the planes that are on display at this fantastic Denver space museum, other highlights include a 1964 Starfighter and a 1975 Tomcat. Both of these fighters were able to fly twice as fast as the speed of sound, and as is true of all the other planes, they were among the best of the best during their heydays.

As the name implies, the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum doesn't only offer exhibits that revolve around airplanes. The museum also provides insight into space and rocketry, and interactive exhibits are in place for visitors to enjoy. Among the space-related exhibits figure an Apollo Command Module that was used by NASA for training purposes and a part of a Titan IV rocket. The Titan IV rockets were mostly employed in National Defense missions, helping to get certain payloads into orbit.

When Wings Over the Rockies visitors aren't checking out the planes and the space exhibits during a visit, they can enjoy everything else that the museum has to offer. Other exhibits include the Colorado Aviation Heritage exhibit and the Timeline of Technology exhibit. The former takes a look at the history of aviation in Colorado, while the latter revolves around chronological history of aviation on the whole. Fantastic exhibits aren't the only things that you can enjoy at this Denver space museum. A number of special events are held here throughout the year, including the Aeromodeling Expo in February, and it's possible to use the venue for things like corporate parties and other kinds of private events.

For those who are interested in adding the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum to their Denver vacation itinerary, the hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. If you want to get the full experience at Wings Over the Rockies, a guided tour is recommended. The more complete tours at this excellent Denver space museum can see you hanging out in a flight simulator or building a balsa wood plane, among other things.

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