Hear the wind at Kitty Hawk. Walk on the wing of a biplane. Become immersed in the history Of aviation - and get a glimpse of the future of Henry Ford Museum.After years of planning and construction, matched by dynamic innovation and creativity, the walls that surround the Heroes of the Sky exhibit in Henry Ford Museum will come down to reveal The Henry Ford's next step in its transformation as America's Greatest History Attraction. Heroes of the Sky, an expansive new exhibit that brings to life the stories of early flight, shapes the future of Henry Ford Museum. Visitors not only will experience the history of aviation - they will experience history in the making, as Henry Ford Museum launches an exhibit that is extraordinary in size and scope both for its content and its meaning to the American Experience.
"Heroes of the Sky promises to launch not only a new generation of exhibits at The Henry Ford, but to set a new standard in the field," said Nancy E. Rogers, director of the National Endowment for the Humanities in Washington, D.C.Heroes of the Sky, which takes up a tenth of the Museum's space, has gained national recognition for the way it will bring to life the stories of early flight through interactive, sensory detail. This revolutionary 43,000square-foot exhibit represents the first 36 years of aviation's history, while paving the way for future experiences at Henry Ford Museum.
A FLIGHT THROUGH TIME
"Heroes of the Sky is different in the way the stories are told," said Bob Casey, Curator of Transportation for The Henry Ford. "We tried to make this more interactive, and when I say interactive, I don't mean just with buttons to push and cranks to turn. People will be using more of their senses than just sight and reading. There are many ways we attempt to draw visitors into stories. This is an outstanding collection, as a number of the airplanes are unique or nearly one of a kind."Heroes of the Sky opens in time to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Orville and Wilbur Wright's flight at Kitty Hawk in 1903.
Just as the Wright Brothers' flight launched the world into a new era in aviation, the exhibit's Wright Brothers First Flight Gallery appropriately is the center of five themed areas. Set in front of delicately painted murals, each area encourages visitors to use their senses - whether it's sitting in the stands and listening to spectators at a barnstorming show, or feeling the wind on their face as they "walk" on the wing of a biplane.
"We tried to put the environmental setting in a larger context," explained Tina Glengary, who works in the Experience Design department at The Henry Ford. "The name of the exhibit, Heroes of the Sky, stems from the fact that we chose to tell these stories by focusing on the particular individuals who either flew the planes, designed them or were the entrepreneurs. We're telling the larger story through the individual stories of the people.
We were talking to visitors and they told us they wanted stories of adventure," Glengary said. "They wanted to feel the sensation of early flight, including those stories. This exhibit does that and more. The sections of the exhibit are separated thematically, rather than by time period, to best tell the stories."
"The Museum started working on the exhibit around 1998. Heroes of the Sky was developed in conjunction with Academy Studios in Novato, California. There are 15 aircraft in the exhibit. Most of the airplanes in the exhibit have been in the Museum's collection for years - but were never displayed the dramatic way they are in Heroes of Sky. The Wright Flyer is brand new to The Henry Ford, and the DC-3 sat outside behind the Museum for nearly 25 years, just waiting for its turn to be part of an extraordinary exhibit like Heroes of the Sky".
DC-3 ENTRYWAY
A giant DC-3 aircraft hovers overhead as visitors step back in time and into the exhibit. They walk I20 feet - the actual distance of the Wright Brothers' first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina., in 1903and toward the First Flight Gallery. Built in 1939, the DC-3 plane was the first aircraft to demonstrate the profitability of passenger air travel."When acquired the plane in 1974, it had flown more miles than any other aircraft in the world," Casey said. "That record has since been broken by another DC-3. This was the first plane that was able to carry passengers and cargo and make a profit."
The plane, which has a 95-foot wingspan, logged more than 12 million miles of travel when it was operated by North Central Airlines.
FIRST FLIGHT GALLERY
After following the 120-foot line on the floor, visitors will be led into the First Flight Gallery. The sounds of the wind and ocean waves at Kitty Hawk echo in the background as visitors can see a full scale replica of the first Wright Flyer. Orville and Wilbur mannequins accompany the exhibit.The Wright Flyer replica is a working model that was built in 1978 by Wright Brothers enthusiast Ken Kellett to celebrate the 75th anniversary of flight. The replica flew at Kitty Hawk and is made of wood and fabric.
The Wright Flyer is the center of the exhibit, letting visitors branch off in various directions to see the other themed areas.
BARNSTORMERS
With the sounds of a country carnival in the background, visitors will walk into an air show, where barnstormers perform daring air acrobatics and wing walking. Visitors can take a seat on the bleachers and listen to spectators from several generations talk about the show.A 1915 Laird biplane and a 1917 Curtiss "Canuck" hover above the Barnstormers section, telling the stories of early air daredevils Lincoln Beachey and Katherine Stinson. After learning about the act of barnstorming, visitors are invited to try it for themselves - by walking on the wing of a biplane. They'll feel the wind blow in their face while they look down on the twisting, turning earth below.
"It feels as though you're a wing walker in a show." Casey said.
ENTREPRENEURS
A 1927 Boeing 40, a 1928 Ford Trimotor, a 1939 Douglas DC-3 and a 1926 Ford Flivver are the focus of this section, which examines how people made money from aviation.Through interactive exhibits, visitors will learn how pilots risked their lives to deliver the mail via the sky, and how Henry Ford's Trimotor helped to reassure the public about the safety of air travel. The Trimotor was the first successful all-metal aircraft and was used by Admiral Richard Byrd in his travels to the South Pole.
The Boeing 40 carried two passengers and I, 000 pounds of mail and was one of 24 planes built for transcontinental service between Chicago and San Francisco.
In this section, visitors can try Henry Ford's radio beacon system and visit three simulated passenger compartments to see what it was like to fly in the Boeing 40, Ford Trimotor and DC-3.
EXPLORERS
A 1926 Fokker Trimotor - the plane Admiral Richard Byrd flew to the North Pole - sits on a block of ice at the center of the Explorers area. Visitors will feel as if they're in Norway, as three figures huddle near a campfire to discuss Byrd's expedition.The plane is named Josephine Ford because Edsel Ford, Josephine's father, helped to finance Byrd's flights.
After learning about Byrd's flight to the North Pole - and hearing some of the controversy about whether he actually made the trip - visitors head to the "Bundle Up" shack, where they can try on the gear that Byrd would have worn to stay warm.
INVENTORS
Visitors will feel as if they stepped into a workshop, surrounded by the 1909 Bleriot XI, 1931 Pitcairn Autogiro and 1939 VoughtSikorsky VS300 Helicopter. The Pitcairn Autogiro was used by The Detroit News to take aerial photographs and probably caused more news than it actually reported. The VS300 was the first single-rotor helicopter in the United States."This was the first successful helicopter in the United States, and some claim in the world," Casey said. "It became the model for most future helicopters. It was donated to us in 1943, and Igor Sikorsky landed it on our front lawn as part of the demonstration that is something you could only do with a helicopter."
In this section of the exhibit, visitors can do some inventing of their own - by creating and testing their own paper airplanes in a special flight testing area.
RECORD BREAKERS
A 1920 Dayton-Wright monoplane, 1927 Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis replica, 1927 Stinson Detroiter monoplane and 1929 Lockheed Vega take Center stage in the Record Breakers section of Heroes of the Sky. The Record Breakers area looks into the stories of the people who risked their lives to be the first to take flight in a new direction. "The Dayton-Wright was one of the earliest aircraft with retractable landing gear," Casey said. "It was very advanced for its day, very smooth and streamlined. Although it didn't do particularly well in racing, it incorporated many ideas that were adopted for future airplanes."Visitors can enter the Record Breakers Object Theater to find out about Amelia Earhart's successes in a Vega, watch the Stinson Detroiter battle a thunderstorm and witness the Spirit of St. Louis land after a 30-hour trip across the Atlantic Ocean. The stories are told by a dramatic multimedia presentation in which the planes are lighted to accompany the historic film.
BEING A PART OF THE TRANSFORMATION
Be a part of aviation history - and the history of Henry Ford Museum - when Heroes of the Sky opens September 18. This extraordinary exhibit is yet another step in The Henry Ford's transformation as America's Greatest History Attraction and takes flight as just one of the many exhibits that will continue to shape our future. Just as there are no other history attractions like The Henry Ford, there are no other exhibits like Heroes of the Sky.
