Exhibitions

Learn about America's first swept-wing jet fighter, the F-86 Sabre, and its arch rival, the Soviet MiG-15. You'll also find out how helicopters came into their own during these conflicts.

Nation of Speed recounts our desire to become the fastest on land, sea, air, and space in the pursuit of commerce, power, and prestige.

One World Connected tells the story of how taking to the skies and stars fostered two momentous changes in everyday life: the ease in making connections across vast distances and a new perspective of Earth as humanity’s home.

The Wright brothers inaugurated the aerial age with their historic first flights at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903. The influence of their invention is beyond measure. The transport by air of goods and people, quickly and over great distances, and the military applications of flight technology have had vast economic, geopolitical, and cultural impact around the globe. The Wrights helped fashion a radically new world.
 

Learn how rocketry got a boost in the 20th century, altering warfare and taking humans into space.

Learn about the broad range of science performed by vehicles that travel into the Earth's atmosphere and beyond. The relatively young field of space science ranges from Earth observation to planetary exploration to astronomy and astrophysics.

Thomas W. Haas We All Fly celebrates the breadth and depth of general aviation and its deep impact on society. This gallery explores the many facets of general aviation, from sport to business to humanitarian, and introduces the variety of careers available in aviation.

The new World War I: The Birth of Military Aviation exhibition uses fascinating artifacts and the distinctive sights and sounds of early combat aircraft to tell the story of how remarkable people adapted the new technology of the airplane to warfare and changed how the world fights and flies.

While the German Luftwaffe demonstrated early successes in the use of airpower during World War II, and spurred many technological advancements, faulty military strategy and mismanagement of aircraft development programs ultimately led to its downfall.

In the 1920s and 30s, aviation pioneers pushed boundaries and blazed new trails in the air. The Barron Hilton Pioneers of Flight exhibition celebrates this pivotal era of aviation with a vibrant new space.