Texas Aviation Celebration, TSHM, Austin

The history of aviation in Texas is the story of industry innovation, record-setting achievements, gravity-defying feats and the soaring human spirit. Texas has been, and continues to be, a leader in manufacturing, hospitality, science exploration and scholarship, driving the global economy year after year with new research and billions of dollars in revenue.

The year 2010 marks the centennial of flight in Texas. Since Frenchman Louis Paulhan's first flight in Texas on February 18, 1910, Texas has been on the leading edge of aviation.

The first U.S. military flight was in March 1910 from Fort Sam Houston, beginning Texas's long tradition of military aviation. The first person to build and fly a plane in Texas was L.L. Walker Jr. in Houston, exemplifying the spirit that has driven the aviation industry in Texas ever since.

Tango Alpha Charlie: Texas Aviation Celebration tells the story of Texas aviation -- past, present, and future -- in a special exhibition that will brag on the dynamic achievements of Texas aviators, designers, manufacturers, and services.

Included in the exhibit are 5 large scale models of aircraft including an AT-6 Texan, B-24 Liberator, Southwest Airlines Lone Star One, Mooney Acclaim Type S, a Bell V-22 Osprey, and a 1/2 scale Vought F-4U-4 Corsair.

Visitors can try their hand at flying a Curtiss Jenny, an AT-6 Texan, and a Bell XV-3 tiltrotor helicopter through interactive video simulators.

There are over 120 objects in the exhibit spanning everything from Benjamin Foulois's logbook detailing his first military flights in 1910, flight suits worn by Howard Hughes and Katharine Hepburn in the 1930s, astronaut Ed White's helmet from Gemini 4, and Jeana Yeager's ponytail from when she cut her hair to reduce weight on the non-stop round-the-world flight of Voyager in 1986, to uniforms from various Texas based commercial airlines, and a non-ablative rocket engine that will change the future of space travel.

With multimedia interactivity, artifacts, original research, and hands-on experiences for all ages, this exhibition will serve as the next great chapter in the already rich story of Texas aviation. The exhibition is organized by guest curator Barbara Ganson Ph.D., a professor of aviation history.

Admission to the Museum's exhibits, including Tango Alpha Charlie: Texas Aviation Celebration (September 12, 2010 - January 9, 2011): $7 for adults, $6 for seniors/military/college students (with valid ID), $4 for youth ages 5-18, free for ages 4 and under. The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum is located at 1800 N. Congress Avenue at the corner of Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. For more information, call (512) 936-4649.