As the second-largest museum in the United States Air Force, the Museum of Aviation takes students on a flight through history. Since opening in 1984, the museum has striven to inspire, educate, and preserve the most important pieces of Air Force heritage. Through its exhibitions and events, it honors and educates visitors about the historic airmen of our nation’s past.
Immersive Experiences
Exhibitions take visitors through multiple hangar bays filled with aircraft ranging from wartime fighter jets to cargo planes that carried troops overseas and reconnaissance drones used to gather critical intelligence. Over 60 aircraft reside here, each with their own unique story and purpose. The PT-17, for example, was a small plane used during WWII for training and later as a civilian crop duster. Used widely during the 1962 Cuban Crisis, the Voodoo was the world’s first supersonic photo-reconnaissance aircraft. The C-124C Globemaster II performed many cargo missions across the globe—from refugee evacuations in the Congo to resupply missions to Antarctica. Every aircraft here served a purpose, or two, and has a rich aviation history to explore.
Guided school tours are designed for students in grades 3-12 and last about two hours, helping educators feel confident they can inspire and educate students effectively. Students tour the exhibit halls, both indoors and outdoors, as they learn important history and get an up-close look at pieces of aviation heritage.
Up-Close Learning
The WWII Guided Tour & Geronimo’s Interactive Classroom takes place in the Scott Hangar and highlights women’s roles in the war, paratroopers, and the aircraft that helped win the war. An interactive classroom-like experience adds a hands-on element that better engages students. The museum can curate this tour to classroom curriculum standards with advance notice when scheduling.
The US Airpower: World War II – Present tour focuses on WWII’s impact on the state of Georgia and local contributions to wartime efforts. This tour is around 1.5 hours and is designed for grades 7-12. To best support classroom learning and curriculum standards, educators can schedule custom tours. A special add-on to any tour is the C-130 experience, which lets students step inside the Hercules fuselage. This 97-foot cargo plane supported humanitarian efforts worldwide for 47 years.
STEM Field Trip Options
The Museum of Aviation also offers STEM field trips for PreK-12th grade students, providing resources that empower educators to deliver engaging lessons.
• PreK-5th graders explore hands-on learning directly aligned with the Georgia Early Learning and Development Standards (GERD) and the Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE).
• Grades 6-10 take STEM to the next level with hands-on experiments and collaborative projects.
• Grades 9-12 have the Georgia Engineering, AI, and Robotics (GEAR) Lab that allows visiting students to work with industry-leading software designed to bridge classroom and real-life learning.
All programs provide hands-on learning for children of all ages to explore the wonders of science and aviation, helping educators foster curiosity and confidence in STEM education.
And for school groups that cannot make an in-person visit, check out their virtual tour option. Featuring in-depth views of their three hangars covering World War II, Vietnam, and the Cold War, this resource helps educators deliver comprehensive, accessible educational experiences regardless of location or circumstances.
