The Air Power Park is an outdoor, roadside museum in Hampton, Virginia which recognizes Hampton's role in America's early space exploration and aircraft testing. The outdoor park is open year-round, seven days a week from sunrise to sunset. Several vintage aircraft and experimental space launch vehicles from the 1950s and 1960s are displayed out of doors. The park is on a 15 acres (6.1 ha) plot and includes a children's playground.
The indoor museum at the center of the park was reopened after a 2011 renovation (with hours more limited than the outdoor part of the park). There are eight themed rooms containing over 325 models of aircraft, space craft, and nautical vessels representing all the U.S. branches of service as well as various model craft from other nations. The park also has a time capsule [1]
Indoor museum
edit- NASA Room
- United States Air Force Aviation Room- Including items highlighting nearby Langley Air Force Base's contribution to the USAF.
- General Aviation Room
- Library
- Cold War Era Room
- International Plastic Modellers' Society Room- containing periodically rotating display of local IPMS member's models.
- United States Navy Room
- United States Army Aviation Branch Room
On display
editThe following are listed as on display:[3]
- P.1127 Kestrel
- F-86L Sabre
- Mercury capsule
- A-7E Corsair II
- F-101F Voodoo
- F-89J Scorpion
- RF-4C Phantom II
- F-105D Thunderchief
- T-33A Trainer
- Jupiter IRBM
- Nike SAM
- Nike Ajax SAM
- Nike Hercules SAM
- F-100D Super Sabre
- Polaris A-2 SLBM
- Corporal IRBM
- Little Joe/Mercury, booster used in testing for the Mercury program. Launched from Wallops Flight Facility, 90 miles north.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Hampton Parks and Rec". Archived from the original on 2012-01-15.
- ^ Exact location (wikimapia.org)
- ^ Air Power Park Brochure[permanent dead link]
External links
edit- Air Power Park - City of Hampton
- RF-4c Phantom II – Aviation Enthusiast Corner
- Roadside America
- Air Power Park on Aviation Museum Locator
- wikimapia.org - satellite map view (with clickable aircraft info)