Helmerich Exhibit Hall

The Helmerich Exhibit Hall provides an exciting educational experience with being jam packed with static aircraft on display, aircraft you can hop into and play with the controls, interactives to learn basic aerospace principles, a tour of the MD-80, and more!

TASM’s exhibit hall inspires curiosity seekers to explore our universe and discover the wonders of Earth. Here is a sneak peek into what we have to offer!

Spartan Executive

Grumman F-14A Tomcat

Brought to the Museum by two Oklahomans, Eric Benson of Sallisaw and Senator James Inhofe of Tulsa. TASM’s F-14A Tomcat is painted in the squadron colors of VF-41 “The Black Aces.”  Listed on the nose are the names of Oklahomans who were pilots or crew members of the Tomcat, a gold star indicating those who were killed in action or during training.

American Airlines MD-80

We have great news! The MD-80 Theater Experience has re-opened. Once you have boarded the aircraft with one of our volunteers, you will be able to gather in the coach section for an introduction to the MD-80. Next, you will enjoy the comfort of the first class section seats while our multiscreen video presentation takes you through the history of flight, explores the vast opportunities in the aviation industry, and showcases the aerospace educational opportunities in Oklahoma. Once the show is over, you will have the opportunity to view the cockpit before exiting the aircraft through the forward doors.

Weather permitting, the current MD-80 Theater Experience schedule is every hour on the hour staring at 11:00 am, with the last show starting at 3:00 pm.

Get your free boarding passes for the MD-80 Theater Experience at the volunteer desk in the museum. Seating is limited to 24 guests per show.

Ray Booker Flight Lab

The Ray Booker Flight Lab is reopened with limited capacity. Open from 11am-4pm, with last admittance at 3:30pm. The flight lab includes everything you need to feel, and train, like a pilot- from yoke to throttle!

$5: 30 minutes of free play time. Members free.

Ages 12 and up only, all youth must be accompanied by an adult.

The Tulsamerican B-24 Exhibit

As part of President Roosevelt’s “Arsenal of Democracy” to aid WWII efforts,  Tulsa was selected as the new location of a Douglas plant.  Employees of the Douglas-Tulsa plant bought enough war bonds to cover the cost of the last B-24 built in Tulsa, and so dubbed it The Tulsamerican.  The Tulsamerican fought in Europe, it’s last mission was on December 17, 1944 where is was attacked and crashed.  It currently rests in the Adriatic Sea off the coast of Croatia.

The Flagship Tulsa Exhibit

Back around 2007 the Tulsa Air and Space Museum was made aware the classic Douglas DC-3 Flagship Tulsa had been sitting in storage in Oshkosh, WI for 20 years. The museum board partners with American Airlines and about a dozen hardworking volunteers to restore her cockpit to all its glory!

Tuskegee Legacy Exhibit

The Tuskegee Airmen were the first black aviators in the Army air corps. They were trained in Tuskegee, Alabama at the Tuskegee Institute. The Tuskegee Airmen had many firsts including the ground-breaking status of African-American combat aviator, but also served a variety of rolls including navigators, bombardiers, technicians, and leadership positions. The airmen were trained for combat missions in the western theater of WWII. Trained primarily in the cockpits of the legendary P-51 Mustang, the Tuskegee Airmen were tasked with dangerous bomber escort missions and later transitioned into independent fighter squadrons designed to attack the enemy head on. They painted the tail of their aircrafts red which created a distinct and recognizable color in the heat of battle. This was also the reason for the nickname “Redtails” which has since been associated with the Tuskegee Airmen. They excelled in every area of combat aviation and disproved many racist stereotypes that African Americans could be successful in the air corps.

 

Funding for Phase I of this exhibition provided by Oklahoma Humanities, The Ed Darby Foundation, Allen and Barbara Smallwood and The Bernard and Marcy Robinowitz Family Fund

Rockwell Ranger 2000

The Ranger is a well-loved aircraft by all ages! Designed by Rockwell for the Joint Primary Training Systems (JPATS) competition, the Ranger was built in Germany in conjunction with Messerschmitt, Bolkow and Blohm. Unfortunately, the Ranger was not selected but found her home here at TASM! Climb into the cockpit and feel the thrill of being a pilot!

Tulsa Municipal Airport Terminal

In 1930, Tulsa’s Municipal Airport was the busiest airport in the world due to the oil boom.  Tulsa’s wood and tarpaper shack was inadequate, plans were made to replace it with a modern terminal building.  This exhibit is a recreation of the art deco airport terminal completed in 1931, walk through the original door frames just like aviation greats Will Rogers, Amelia Earhart and Wiley Post did in the 30’s.

Shuttle Simulator

The Tulsa Air and Space Museum shuttle simulator is a fully interactive exhibit designed to recreate the unique aeronautical experience astronauts have when landing a space shuttle. The simulator can host two individuals as they attempt a landing scenario. Test your ability to glide on to the runaway for a successful landing. Visitors will not only be able to practice their pilot skills on the simulator but also will learn about Oklahoma’s incredible heritage within the shuttle program including those who flew on shuttle missions and the countless individuals who helped design this amazing craft.

Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU)

The Manned Maneuvering Unit Simulator is one of TASM’s newest exhibits. Constructed with the help of the University of Tulsa and Cymstar, the MMU allows visitors to experience the weightlessness of a zero-gravity environment while navigating obstacles. Modeled after the original MMU used by Astronaut Bruce McCandless II in 1984, visitors will learn about one of NASA’s most daring creations and its unique capabilities as an untethered space vehicle.

Bernoulli's Principle

This interactive exhibit is perfect for the little ones! Learn the forces of flight with Bernoulli’s principle by stacking balls in the air. How many can you stack?

Build-Your-Own-Aircraft Simulator

This touch screen interactive gives you missions for your own aircraft to complete! Do you have cargo to carry? Is speed the name of you game? See what it takes to engineer an aircraft and what factors can affect flight and more.

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