Galleries & Exhibits
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For over a century, from the first flights by frail biplanes on the Hempstead Plains, to man’s walking on the Moon, Long Island has been on the leading edge of America’s aviation and space adventure.
Long Islanders have helped transform aviation from a spectator sport to a major means of commercial transportation. We have also produced a large portion of America’s aerial arsenal in time of war. The many historic flights that transpired here, and the many aviation companies that developed here, helped make aviation the integral part of our world that it is today. The Cradle of Aviation Museum is proof that our dreams can come true. But what is so astonishing is that they can come true so quickly.
Here in our new Virtual Museum section, you can browse each gallery in 360° (via Google Street View) and visit some of our exhibit pages where you'll journey through 100 years of aerospace adventure in our eight main galleries plus our Jet Gallery and Atrium - enjoy!
The Dream of Wings Gallery
Up to 1903
Ever since the beginnings of recorded history, humans have pursued the dream of flight. Mankind’s ancient dream to fly was finally realized with the first balloon flights in the late 18th century. During the 19th century, deliberate scientific experimentation with kites, gliders, airships and powered aircraft, ultimately led to the successful development of the airplane in the early years of the 20th century. Thus over the course of decades, experimenters, some of them Long Islanders, solved the basic problems of an aircraft’s shape, source of propulsion and means of control.
View the Gallery on Google Street View 360°
and visit some of the exhibit pages:
The Hempstead Plains Gallery
1904-1913
The first decade of flight after Kitty Hawk in many ways remains the most dramatic of all as brave men and women took to the air in shockingly fragile machines. By 1909 the first daring flights were made from the central area of Nassau County, then known as the Hempstead Plains. Because the flat, open landscape made a natural airfield, close to New York, the earliest aviators were drawn to the place. Thus aviation was first introduced to this area where it was to remain the focus of intense activity for the next 50 years.
View the Gallery on Google Street View 360°
and visit some of the exhibit pages:
World War One Gallery
1914-1918
During World War One, Long Island became the home of some of the largest and most important military flying fields in America. The training of hundreds of military aviators would give shape to Long Island’s aviation landscape for many years to come. The huge demand for military aircraft also made Long Island a significant center of research, testing and production - a focus that would grow through the following decades.
View the Gallery on Google Street View 360°
and visit some of the exhibit pages:
The Golden Age Gallery
1919-1939
The "Golden Age" of aviation - two magnificent decades, when flying truly came of age. Enormous technological progress was made that saw it go from being a dangerous sport to a prominent commercial business. During this exciting time, Long Island manufacturers made major contributions to aviation and they became key players in the local economy. Heroic pioneers of the sky made many historic flights to and from Long Island, but by far the most important event of the age was the epic flight of Charles Lindbergh, which revolutionized and popularized aviation like nothing else. During this colorful era, Long Island became the center of the aviation world and its people contributed to the advancement of aviation in every way possible.
View the Gallery on Google Street View 360°
and visit some of the exhibit pages:
World War Two Gallery
1940-1945
During World War Two Long Island was a crucial center of military aircraft production. These aircraft, produced in huge numbers for the Army, Navy and foreign governments, were of superior quality and had a major impact on the course of the war in all theatres. Local residents provided the manpower necessary for this massive production, and women and minorities were integrated into the workforce in large numbers for the first time. The war also had an impact on Long Island in terms of a large military presence, civilian defense and the conditions the war imposed at home.
View the Gallery on Google Street View 360°
and visit some of the exhibit pages:
The Jet Age Gallery
1946-1995
The end of World War Two brought change to the local defense industry which attempted to diversify into several new fields. The birth of the post-war jet age also saw rapid population growth in Nassau County that forced the closing of several historic airfields. At the same time, commercial airports on Long Island expanded greatly. New technology arose that revolutionized aviation including jet aircraft and helicopters, as well as the Atomic Bomb, which led to a lengthy period of tension known as the ‘Cold War’. Grumman and Republic also produced powerful new military aircraft that saw combat in three wars - and still serve today.
View the Gallery on Google Street View 360°
and visit some of the exhibit pages:
Contemporary Aviation Gallery
1995-2002
By the year 2002 roughly one out of every six people on Earth has flown. Many of them have at one time passed through one of the major airports on Long Island, among the busiest in the world. Long Island is also home to the busiest Air Traffic Control centers in the world. Private flying is still popular here, in a variety of aircraft types, as Long Island also has the busiest General Aviation airport in New York State. The aerospace industry is still a major part of the Long Island economy as well over 250 companies on Long Island produce a wide variety of parts for virtually every American aircraft that flies.
View the Gallery on Google Street View 360°
and check out the Cassutt Special:
Space Gallery
It has been, and remains, humanity’s greatest adventure - a bold leap into the darkness beyond Earth’s protective atmosphere, a daring break with the bonds of gravity that tie us to the planet. This fantastic adventure has unfolded entirely in our own time, with Sputnik, Apollo, and the Space Shuttle all wrapped into a mere quarter-century - and Long Islanders have played central roles throughout.
View the Gallery on Google Street View 360°
and visit some of the exhibit pages:
Visitor Center Atrium
The Reckson Visitor Center Atrium is the main entrance to the museum and houses a dazzling aerial "Spirit of Discovery" display of Long Island related flying machines.
View the Gallery on Google Street View 360°
and visit some of the exhibit pages:
Hangar 2 Jet Gallery
The museum's Hangar Two Jet Gallery contains a fascinating variety of Long Island related, large military and civilian aircraft. This includes a Fairchild-Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, a Grumman F-14 Tomcat, a Grumman A6-F Intruder and a record-breaking El Al Boeing 707 flight deck.
View the Gallery on Google Street View 360°
and visit some of the exhibit pages:
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