Interactive gallery to receive £25,000 upgrade
The Royal Air Force Museum is pleased to announce it has received a grant from the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust for the purpose of upgrading its interactive gallery for children.
The grant comes soon after the Charitable Trust supported the successful upgrade of the interactive gallery at the Museum’s Cosford site earlier this year, which refurbished the older exhibits and also added updated ones.
Between July and September 2012 Aeronauts will be transformed, widening the range and number of visitors able to take part in activities. The revamp will also create a new teaching space for school visits to the Museum.
The upgrade will create a new interactive activity area for younger visitors and families and allow the Museum to develop advanced scientific information displays for older visitors.
New exhibitions will include a balance machine to test pilot aptitude, an ultrasonic radar table and lifesized model aircraft for younger children to explore.
The Aeronauts Interactive Gallery in London was opened in 1998 by members of the popular BBC Children’s show ‘Blue Peter’. It currently contains over thirty ‘hands on’ exhibits which teach children about the scientific aspects of flight and aircraft design.
The gallery was designed for children aged from 7 – 12 years and is popular with both school parties and the general public. It is divided into 7 fascinating areas, each focusing on a specific flight related topic. Visitors can walk through the cloud wall into a world of flying machines, experience a Dakota that flew on the D Day operation or discover whether they have the “Right Stuff” with our pilot aptitude test. Technophiles can enter the “Hangar” to learn about engineering, or feel the thrust of a propeller and propel themselves down a track. Or, daredevils who are really ready for action can take their place in the “Mission”.
Andy McGlynn, the Museum’s Head of Fundraising:
“We are delighted that the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust is supporting the transformation of the Aeronauts Gallery. These changes will improve the experience we are able to offer visitors of all ages and create exciting new ways to discover the science of flight.”
