Fly Me to the Moon

This past weekend we took my little brother, who like my husband, loves anything airplanes or engineering related, to the Virginia Air and Space Museum

For a small fee of $10.50 (military rate)/person we were able to enjoy airplane and space exhibits! We saw exhibits about the Wright Brothers, WWII planes and Airforce planes from the past and present. We learned about how wind tunnels work and have changed through the years as well as how planes actually fly. Space exploration was one of the major themes at this museum too. We learned about exploring the moon's surface with robots and got first hand experience about what a space mission to Mars would be like. Let me just say, that would be a LONG time in SPACE! 

There were many hands-on exhibits that I even enjoyed because lets be honest, airplanes and space aren't my first choice topic of conversation. We took vision and reaction time tests to see if we could become pilots and we were able to fly a few flight simulations in a jet plane, airliner and a lunar landing module. My brother really enjoyed sitting in the cockpit of the DC-9 as well as trying his hand at flying the Boeing 717 flight simulation within the DC-9's first class cabin.  I personally enjoyed flying the jet simulator. I'm really great at barrel rolls!

At the end of our time there, my brother and I decided to ride the Max Flight simulator. 

Without hesitation, he wanted to be the pilot so I became the gunner. (We were able to switch during our three minute adventure). This was such a cool ride! Paul and I couldn't stop laughing as we turned upside down and right side up, spinning until we couldn't stand it. I even did the same ride a second time with my husband because I wanted to see how it would feel like to fly with him being an actual pilot. He was successful in making me sick but also another three minutes of laughter that wouldn't stop. 

Such a great way to spend an afternoon with some airplane enthusiasts! 

Till Next Time! 

Laura