Heroes
of the Sky
Daily Activities at Heroes of the Sky
Let your imagination take off as you explore the early days of flight from a completely fresh perspective. This newly enhanced museum experience has risen to new heights with more opportunities for you to immerse yourself in stories of the sky’s earliest explorers. Discover the science and enterprise of flight through hands-on, multisensory experiences that allow you to get an inside look at the vessels that propelled the world upward.
Travel through more than 50 years of flight’s evolution as you sit inside authentically re-created fuselages of a Boeing 40, Ford Tri-Motor, Douglas DC-3 and Boeing 737. Let the replica Wright Flyer transport you to Kitty Hawk as you surround yourself with the sights and sounds of the Wright brothers' first flight. Soar through the sky on the wing of a plane in our heightened flight simulation, which puts you in the shoes of legendary wing walkers. Get inspired by those who shot for the sky when the concept of flight was just getting off the ground — and discover what’s possible when you reach higher.
Highlights
1925 Fokker F.VII Tri-Motor Airplane, "Josephine Ford," Flown Over the North Pole by Richard Byrd
Details
1925 Fokker F.VII Tri-Motor Airplane, "Josephine Ford," Flown Over the North Pole by Richard Byrd
Artifact
Airplane
Date Made
1925
Summary
Explorer Richard Byrd and pilot Floyd Bennett flew this Fokker F.VII Tri-Motor airplane toward the North Pole on May 9, 1926. Though Byrd is generally credited with reaching the pole, controversy remains. Edsel Ford financed the expedition, and Byrd acknowledged his patron by naming the plane Josephine Ford, after Ford's daughter.
Place of Creation
Object ID
26.113.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
1925 Fokker F.VII Tri-Motor Airplane, "Josephine Ford," Flown Over the North Pole by Richard Byrd
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
1939 Sikorsky VS-300A Helicopter
Artifact
Helicopter
Date Made
1939
Summary
Igor Sikorsky, as a young man in Russia, tried unsuccessfully to build a helicopter in 1909. He went on to build fixed-wing aircraft but returned to helicopters in 1938. Within three years, he had developed the first practical helicopter in the United States: the VS-300A.
Creators
Sikorsky, Igor Ivan, 1889-1972
United Aircraft Corporation. Vought-Sikorsky Aircraft Division
Place of Creation
Keywords
Object ID
43.140.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
1939 Sikorsky VS-300A Helicopter
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
Replica of the 1903 Wright Flyer
Artifact
Airplane
Date Made
2003
Summary
This copy of the 1903 Wright Flyer faithfully replicates the original aircraft. On December 17, 2003, the replica attempted to duplicate the Wright brothers' first flight at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, exactly one hundred years after that historic feat. The attempt was foiled by bad weather, though the replica flew successfully in earlier tests.
Creators
Place of Creation
Object ID
2004.121.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
Replica of the 1903 Wright Flyer
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
1931 Pitcairn-Cierva Autogiro
Artifact
Autogiro
Date Made
1931
Summary
Like an airplane, the autogiro is moved by an engine-powered propeller, but like a helicopter, lift is provided by a rotor. The rotor is not powered, and while the aircraft can land vertically, it cannot take off vertically. The Detroit News purchased this autogiro to gather news. The novel aircraft probably was better at making news!
Place of Creation
Keywords
Object ID
34.278.1
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
1931 Pitcairn-Cierva Autogiro
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
Ford Flivver Airplane #1, 1926
Artifact
Airplane
Date Made
1926
Summary
Just as he put the world on wheels with the Model T, Henry Ford hoped to give it wings with a small, affordable airplane. Three or four prototype Flivver planes were built, but Ford abandoned the project after his test pilot, Harry Brooks, died in a Flivver crash near Melbourne, Florida, in 1928.
Place of Creation
Keywords
Object ID
28.481.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
Ford Flivver Airplane #1, 1926
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
1928 Ford 4-AT-B Tri-Motor Airplane, "Floyd Bennett," Flown Over the South Pole by Richard E. Byrd
Details
1928 Ford 4-AT-B Tri-Motor Airplane, "Floyd Bennett," Flown Over the South Pole by Richard E. Byrd
Artifact
Airplane
Date Made
March 1928
Summary
The Ford Tri-Motor was the most popular airliner of the late 1920s and early 1930s. Its rugged dependability led Richard Byrd to choose a Tri-Motor for his attempt to be the first person to fly over the South Pole. On November 28-29, 1929, Byrd and a crew of three achieved that goal in this plane.
Creators
Place of Creation
Keywords
Object ID
00.240.3
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Edsel B. Ford.
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
1928 Ford 4-AT-B Tri-Motor Airplane, "Floyd Bennett," Flown Over the South Pole by Richard E. Byrd
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
Heroes of the Sky
Explore early aviation history at The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation. Discover the lives of aviation pioneers and view innovative aircraft up close as you journey through our Heroes of the Sky exhibit.
Wright Flyer Replica
A faithful reproduction of the 1903 plane the Wright brothers used for their first flight.
1928 Ford 4AT-B Tri-Motor Airplane
Richard Byrd flew over the South Pole in a Tri-Motor, the most popular airliner of the late 1920s and early 1930s.
Curtiss JN-4
The U.S. Army’s primary training aircraft in World War I, Curtiss “Jennys” were later used for barnstorming.
