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Embark on a memorable aviation journey - a tour of the Frontiers of Flight Museum. During your experience, you will bridge several lifetimes starting with the pioneers who realized their earliest dreams of flying; identifying with the aviators of the 20's and 30's, known as the "Golden Age of Flight"; understanding the sacrifices of the fliers of World War II; and progressing to the jet and rocket age of today. By virtue of these chronicles of time, you will also find a new appreciation for the role the Dallas/Fort Worth area (known today as the Aviation Capital of the World) has played in the unfolding global aviation story.

At the Frontiers of Flight Museum you will see, hear, and touch some of the rare artifacts that have contributed to this exciting history. On display is a World War I Sopwith "Pup" biplane along with hundreds of models, uniforms, decorations, engines and propellers. You will long remember your "Flight Thru Time".

One of the most unique displays is the "Lighter Than Air" collection. The great silver giants of that era with their graceful proportions are still a source of amazement to us today. The LZ-129 "Hindenburg" was 803.8 feet long (nearly the size of the "Queen Mary") and was filled with 7 million cubic feet of hydrogen. It carried 50 passengers and 50-60 crew members, plus freight across the Atlantic. It made the crossing 37 times nonstop before an airliner managed the task. Crossing time from Frankfurt, Germany to Lakehurst, NJ was three days and two nights at a cruising speed of 77 mph.

Our artifacts from the "Hindenburg" include the largest unburned piece (radioman's chair) that survived the fiery crash at Naval Air Station Lakehurst on May 6, 1937. Also, in the collection is a china service from the "Graf Zeppelin I", structural components and fittings from the U.S. Navy airship "Akron", and propellers from the U.S.S. "Shenandoah", and "Los Angeles".

The Dallas/Fort Worth area played a vital role in the aviation phase of World War II. You will see displayed more than 200 aircraft models representing nations involved in this conflict along with the uniforms of the

men and women who flew them. A special exhibit commemorates the RAF No. 1 British Flying Training School in Terrell, Texas, where 2,000 British fighter pilots were trained. Dallas Love Field was the base for the 5th Ferrying Wing, including the 601st Women's Army Service Pilots (WASP). These gallant women flew all types of aircraft including the B-24 "Liberator", manufactured at Consolidated's Fort Worth plant, the P-51 "Mustang" manufactured at the North American plant at Grand Prairie, and the P-38 "Lightning" which was modified at Dallas Love Field's Lockheed Mod Center.

American air power emerged from World War II as a dominant force, both militarily and commercially.

We ended the war flying the P-51 "Mustang" aircraft at a maximum speed of 450 mph. Barely 15 years later, our SR-71 "Blackbird" was cruising at 2,100 mph. You will be witness to the dramatic progression through artifacts including an early jet engine and a rocket powered ejection seat from the F-4 "Phantom". Commercially, many of our airlines ended the war flying DC-3's which carried 21 passengers at 165 mph. Twenty-six years later, we were spanning the Atlantic Ocean in the "Concord" at 1,450 mph. The full range of the airliner development is presented vividly though large-scale cutaway models, airline posters and other memorabilia.

Your "Flight Thru Time" concludes with a close-up look at the challenges of space and our first step toward the stars with the most complex aircraft ever assembled, the reusable "Space Shuttle" Orbiter. Its weight is equal to more than twelve Boeing 747 jumbo jets. It is thrust into orbit 100 miles above the earth at 17,000 mph. All of this has occurred in less than 80 years since the Wright brothers first flew their biplane 120 feet at 7 mph!

Please join us for a journey through the Frontiers of Flight Museum soon!

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Mission Statement

Create and sponsor educational programs for school and public groups in order to educate, motivate and inspire the next generation.
Preserve the University of Texas at Dallas' History of Aviation Collection and expand the FOFM collection.
Recognize and promote the contributions of aviation and aerospace to the community.
Focus on Events and Personalities which have pushed the "frontier of aviation"
Develop the Museum to become a resource of national significance.

History

The Frontiers of Flight Museum was founded in November, 1988, by Kay Bailey Hutchison, Jan Collmer, and William E. Cooper. Their initial intent was to exhibit at Dallas Love Field the priceless artifacts, documents and photographs of the History of Aviation Collection donated to The University of Texas at Dallas by the legendary aviation historian George E. Haddaway. Since 1988, the Museum has added to the Collection extensive artifacts dealing with the history of aviation from earliest days through today's modern military, commercial and aerospace vehicles.
In 1993, the George E. Haddaway Medal for Achievement in Aviation was created in honor of this renowned collector and aviation historian. Regional and national contributors to the field of aviation have been chosen to receive this prestigious award.