The New England Air Museum is an aerospace museum located adjacent to Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, U.S.A.. The museum consists of three display hangars with additional storage and restoration hangars. It's collections include aircraft ranging from early flying machines to supersonic jets, as well as engines, and other pieces of flight-related equipment. Significant aircraft include the Silas Brooks balloon basket - the oldest surviving American-built aircraft, the Sikorsky VS-44A - the sole remaining American-built commercial trans-oceanic four-engine flying boat, the Goodyear ZNPK-28 Blimp Control Car - one of only two surviving K-class control cars in the world. Exhibits include the history of Sikorsky Aircraft, computer-based flight simulators, and the 58th Bombardment Wing Memorial with the centerpiece being a restored B-29A. Additionally, there are exhibits on early French aviation, the Tuskegee Airmen, the Kosciuszko Squadron, and the 57th Fighter Group. The museum library has approximately 6,000 aviation books, approximately 20,000 periodicals, approximately 10,000 technical manuals, approximately 21,000 photographs, nearly 8,000 slides, over 200 pieces of artwork, over 1,200 prints, and approximately 500 engineering drawing and blueprints. Current projects in the museum's restoration program include the only remaining Burnelli CBY-3 Loadmaster, a Douglas DC-3, a Fairchild-Republic A-10A Thunderbolt II and a Kaman HOK-1 helicopter.
History
In 1981, the first current building was built after a tornado destroyed the museum's previous location by Route 75 in 1979. The museum has since added a restoration hangar in 1989, a storage building in 1991, a military hangar in 1992, a 58th Bomb Wing Hangar in 2003, and a storage hangar in 2010. In 2017 work was begun on major improvements at the museum. The $1.9 million project aims to enhance the visitor experience. The project will create lofty mezzanines in two of the massive aircraft hangars, which will provide vistas over the museum's aircraft collections. The renovations were unveiled on 13 September 2017.
Mission
The mission of the New England Air Museum is "committed to presenting the story of aviation, the human genius that made it possible and the profound effects that it has had on the way in which we live".
