The Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum (WOTR) is located on the former Lowry Air Force Base in Denver, Colorado, United States. The museum preserves the history of Lowry AFB's operations from 1938 to 1994 in its collections, archives, and research library.

History

From 1937 to 1994 Lowry Air Force Base, located on the eastern edge of Denver, was primarily a technical training center. It graduated more than 1.1 million enlisted members and officers in skills ranging from armament to photography, aiding the country's war efforts in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Cold War. From the 1980s Lowry Air Force Base remained one of Colorado's largest employers, with approximately 10,000 military and civilian men and women, providing an economic impact approaching $1 billion annually. In 1994, the United States Air Force transferred Hangar 1 to a group of volunteers, who established Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum. The Museum includes more than 182,000 square feet of hangar space and 50 aircraft dating from 1939 to 1990. In 1997, the Colorado State Legislature passed House Bill 1269 that made Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum Colorado's official air and space museum, and the site of the Colorado Aviation Historical Society's Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame. After eight years, the museum's CEO, John Barry, announced his retirement in June 2021.

Facilities

"Exploration of Flight" is a 15 acre campus located at Centennial Airport that serves as the second location of Wings Over the Rockies. It houses future-focused aviation and space galleries and exhibits.

Exhibits

Collection

Military

Civilian

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Space

Programs

Wings Aerospace Pathways offers instruction to middle and high school students on aviation and engineering through hands-on aerospace-themed STEM experiences. The Teacher Flight Program encourages STEM Colorado teachers to become Teacher Envoys and provides a free, 20-minute flight. The Technical Research Library contains over 15,000 book titles on aviation and aerospace and 800 titles covering ballooning, aviation and aerospace in English and other languages. Extensive documents about Lowry Air Force Base history include over 1,000 digital photos of the base. The library also has vintage airline tables, seat magazines and a collection of rare NASA documents. The museum produces a television show, "Behind the Wings", that airs on Rocky Mountain PBS. It teaches museum visitors and viewers about the history, innovation and future of aviation.