Aviation Heritage Park & Museum’s annual Open Cockpit returns Saturday, October 10, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., rain or shine!
Admission and all Open Cockpit activities are free. Food will be available for purchase from Drop It Like It’s Tot.
Here’s our weather plan: In dry weather, outdoor cockpit viewing will proceed as planned. If it rains, the park’s cockpits will remain closed, and all STEAM activities, including those from the Butler County STEAM Bus, will move inside the museum. The indoor NASA T-38 will be open for visitors to sit in, and drones, Spheros, and flight simulators will be available rain or shine.
EXPLORE THE AIRCRAFT IN THE PARK
Weather permitting, viewing platforms will give aviation enthusiasts, aspiring pilots, families, and local history fans a pilot’s-eye view of the F-4 Phantom II, F-111 Aardvark, Grumman F9F Panther, T-33 Shooting Star, Sikorsky SH-3H Sea King known as Marine One, and Bell UH-1P Huey.
Because these aircraft are on loan from government agencies, visitors may look inside but cannot enter them. Knowledgeable docents, many of them pilots, will explain the aircraft, answer questions, and share the stories of the men and women who flew them.
Visitors can also see AHP&M’s F-105F Thunderchief, better known as the “Thud,” as it awaits restoration. Its cockpit will not be open for viewing.
NEW THIS YEAR: MORE HANDS-ON FUN
Explore aviation through Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math with hands-on activities from the Butler County STEAM Bus. The bus will be outside the museum in dry weather; if it rains, its activities will move indoors.
Visitors can explore drone technology, try Sphero programmable robots, and experience flight simulators inside the museum. For those with flight knowledge or experience, the Gleim flight simulator offers another opportunity to put their skills to work.
TAKE THE PILOT’S SEAT IN A NASA T-38
Rain or shine, visitors are invited to climb into the cockpit of Northrop T-38 Talon #901 and take the pilot’s seat inside the museum. The T-38 is the only aircraft available for visitors to sit in during Open Cockpit.
AHP&M’s T-38 honors Bowling Green native and NASA astronaut Terry Wilcutt. T-38 aircraft have trained generations of NASA astronauts, including every astronaut who walked on the moon. The history of #901 includes members of the original Mercury Seven: Scott Carpenter, L. Gordon Cooper, Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Donald “Deke” Slayton, John Glenn, Walter Schirra, and Alan Shepard.
During Open Cockpit, you can sit in that historic seat, too.
While you’re inside, discover the history of aviation heroism in south central Kentucky. Learn about local heroes at the Distinguished Aviators display, visit the Thunderbirds exhibit, explore the Hall of Heroes, and head upstairs to see the River Rats exhibit honoring aviators who served in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.
COME HUNGRY
Drop It Like It’s Tot will be outside the museum throughout the event with tater tots, hot dogs, drinks, and other food available for purchase.
Bring the family, meet the pilots and docents, explore aviation technology, and take your seat in the NASA T-38. We’ll see you Saturday, rain or shine!