Spirit of Flight Center
Encyclopedia
The Spirit of Flight Center (SOF) is a non-profit 501(C)(3) museum in Erie, Colorado
that is displaying limited exhibits on modern and historic aviation, from Colorado's aviation history to a Messerschmitt
Bf109-F
fighter from Russia. Also on display at SOF is a full size bronze statue of Amelia Earhart
. SOF is located at the Erie Municipal Airport near Denver, Colorado
which allows for pilots to fly to the facility.
The Spirit of Flight Center is associated with Air Assets International and exhibits aircraft and artifacts which have been recovered by Warbird Recovery.
.
In 2009, SOF placed a record setting Learjet 24D on long term loan to Redstone College of Denver to help students advance their aviation careers.
recovery and restoration
of rare and historic military aircraft
. In 1993, the program started by finding parts of U.S. and Japanese military aircraft in Russia which were recovered and brought to the U.S.. A book called Warbird Recovery is available that tells the story.
Erie, Colorado
Erie is a Statutory Town in Boulder and Weld counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. The estimated population according to the 2010 US Census is 18,135 and was recorded as 6,291 at the 2000 census. The Town of Erie is located just west of I-25 for easy access to I-70, Denver International Airport...
that is displaying limited exhibits on modern and historic aviation, from Colorado's aviation history to a Messerschmitt
Messerschmitt
Messerschmitt AG was a famous German aircraft manufacturing corporation named for its chief designer, Willy Messerschmitt, and known primarily for its World War II fighter aircraft, notably the Bf 109 and Me 262...
Bf109-F
Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109, often called Me 109, was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser during the early to mid 1930s...
fighter from Russia. Also on display at SOF is a full size bronze statue of Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart
Amelia Mary Earhart was a noted American aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first woman to receive the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for becoming the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean...
. SOF is located at the Erie Municipal Airport near Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
which allows for pilots to fly to the facility.
The Spirit of Flight Center is associated with Air Assets International and exhibits aircraft and artifacts which have been recovered by Warbird Recovery.
Mission
SOF was established to acquire, restore, preserve and display aviation history to honor all American veterans and aviators, to educate the general public of the significance of aviation, and to inspire future generations to participate and learn about modern and historic aviationAviation history
The history of aviation has extended over more than two thousand years from the earliest attempts in kites and gliders to powered heavier-than-air, supersonic and hypersonic flight.The first form of man-made flying objects were kites...
.
In 2009, SOF placed a record setting Learjet 24D on long term loan to Redstone College of Denver to help students advance their aviation careers.
Warbird Recovery
The Spirit of Flight Center has an aircraft recovery program for internationalInternational
----International mostly means something that involves more than one country. The term international as a word means involvement of, interaction between or encompassing more than one nation, or generally beyond national boundaries...
recovery and restoration
Vehicle restoration
Vehicle restoration is the process of restoring a vehicle that is either partially scrapped or otherwise life expired back to its original working condition. Automotive restoration can be applied to many different eras of automobile. Heritage railways and railway museums aim to restore and operate...
of rare and historic military aircraft
Military aircraft
A military aircraft is any fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft that is operated by a legal or insurrectionary armed service of any type. Military aircraft can be either combat or non-combat:...
. In 1993, the program started by finding parts of U.S. and Japanese military aircraft in Russia which were recovered and brought to the U.S.. A book called Warbird Recovery is available that tells the story.
Other Colorado museums
- CAF Rocky Mountain Wing MuseumCAF Rocky Mountain Wing MuseumCAF Rocky Mountain Wing Museum is one of 75 local detachments of the national Commemorative Air Force non-profit aviation association dedicated to Honoring American Military Aviation through Flight, Exhibit and Remembrance....
, Grand Junction, CO - Colorado Aviation Historical SocietyColorado Aviation Historical SocietyThe Colorado Aviation Historical Society is located in Denver, Colorado and founded in 1966. CAHS home is at Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum...
Old Lowry AFB Campus, Denver, CO - Peterson Air and Space MuseumPeterson Air and Space MuseumPeterson Air and Space Museum is located inside Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Access to the museum is limited due to security concerns, so tour groups should contact the museum curator...
Peterson AFB, Colorado Springs, CO - Pueblo Historical Aircraft SocietyPueblo Historical Aircraft SocietyThe Pueblo Historical Aircraft Society , Pueblo, Colorado hosts a large collections of military aircraft in Colorado, USA through the operation of the Weisbrod Museum and the International B-24 Memorial Museum ,together as the Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum.The Society is a volunteer group of...
Pueblo Airport, Pueblo, CO - Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft MuseumPueblo Weisbrod Aircraft MuseumThe Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum is a combination of the Weisbrod Museum and the International B-24 Memorial Museum, designed to honor the men and women who served during World War II with emphasis on the Pueblo Army Air Base and the B-24 Liberator bomber...
Pueblo Airport, Pueblo, CO - Vintage Aero Flying MuseumVintage Aero Flying MuseumVintage Aero Flying Museum , formally LaFayette1 Escadrille Flying Museum, is Colorado's international aviation museum at Platte Valley Airpark, 4 miles north-west of Hudson, Colorado and 40 miles north-east of Denver, Colorado....
Platte Valley Airpark, Hudson, CO - Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space MuseumWings Over the Rockies Air and Space MuseumThe Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum is located on the former grounds of Lowry Air Force Base in Denver, Colorado. The museum, which opened in 1994, is housed in the Hangar #1 built in 1939. The museum preserves the history of Lowry AFB's operations from 1938 to 1994 in its...
Old Lowry AFB Campus, Denver, CO
External links
- Spirit of Flight Center Official Site
- Warbird Recovery Official Site
- Air Assets International Official Site