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| About Iowa Aviation Museum |
The History of Aviation Comes to Life
Aviation is barely in its second hundred years and yet, so much progress has been made in that time. It has gone from a mere 12 second flight in a powered glider to spending several months revolving around the world in a space station.
A visit to the Iowa Aviation Museum in Greenfield, Iowa, will take you back in time to see how early aviation began. You will see early gliders which were used to teach young people to fly and gained altitude by being pulled down a hill with a car or a horse. You will hear stories of aviators who were courageous enough to try things no one had ever tried before such as an endurance record of 27 days in an airplane, just going in a figure 8 above the airport. You will see the history of flight on display at the museum.
Since 1990, the Iowa Aviation Museum has been sharing beautiful antique aircraft, exciting stories of early aviators and aviation memorabilia with thousands of visitors. There are fifteen examples of aircraft on display. Look inside the cockpit and try to visualize what it would have been like to fly in those days. One aircraft, a 1941 Aetna-Timm, is the only one left of the six built. Another, a 1928 Curtiss Robin, is the oldest aircraft of this kind to still exist. Yet another, a 1931 Kari Keen, one of only 32 built in Sioux City, Iowa by the Kari Keen trunk company.
The museum is home to the Iowa Aviation Hall of Fame. Over 60 Iowans have been inducted because of their contributions to aviation. Their stories are varied and interesting. These men and women include the first flight attendant, the first pilot to fly Mach 3, the pilot who taught Amelia Earhart to fly, twelve Iowa Tuskegee Airmen, the first to fly a passenger across the Atlantic Ocean and the first person to fly off the deck of a ship. These stories and many more may be heard while visiting the Hall of Fame.
The museum holds two fly-ins each year. The last Saturday in January is the ever popular “Chili Fly-in,” where hot chili (including buffalo chili!) is served on a (usually) cold day. Tours of the museum are given and lots of amicable conversation is shared. On the last Sunday in August the “Wings Fly-In” is held. An omelet breakfast, museum tours, and airplane rides are just some of the day’s festivities. Both events are fun for the whole family.
The Iowa Aviation Museum is located one mile north and one mile east of Greenfield, Iowa at the Greenfield Municipal Airport. Museum hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday hours are 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. October 1st to April 30th and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 1st to September 30th. Groups are welcome, although reservations are appreciated. A small admission fee is charged.
For more information, call 641-343-7184, email aviation@iowatelecom.net or check our web site at www.flyingmuseum.com.
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