By Mike Green, Content and Communications Manager, Tourism Winnipeg
Fasten your seatbelt and prepare for departure, the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada is ready to show your class that the sky’s the limit with its onsite educational experiences.
This new, $27-million, 86,000-square-foot attraction is always set for takeoff when it comes to student learning, from K to 12. It features six planes suspended from the ceiling, tons of interactive areas and aircraft, and a second-floor observation lounge and outdoor aviation plaza looking out on the Richardson International Airport to see plenty of planes taking off and landing.
Your class will feel like they bought a first-class ticket as they board so many artifacts, while the state-of-the-art facility also includes some of the most wonderous (and sometimes whacky!) aircraft to ever take to the skies –– along with some that stayed grounded, like the out of this world UFO-shaped VZ-9 Avrocar.
There’s also plenty of room on its runaway (okay, parking lot) for your bus or coach.
Here’s the flight plan:
A curriculum-based control tower
From the basics of propulsion using popular toys, to building experimental craft, designing spacesuits, and reaching for the stars with real rocket science, the museum can ensure your school curriculum shares a cruising altitude with its classroom opportunities.
Students will love all the hands-on activities, while each two-hour experience includes an in-depth tour of the whole hangar floor.
The museum’s educational programs are all captained by certified teachers too, ensuring your STEM-based lesson plan is free of turbulence.
School programming that hits the absolute ceiling
Serious young engineers, math whizzes, and sophomore scientists will all appreciate how the museum’s certified educators provide so much lift through hands-on exercises.
STEM-based experiences can include building the Orion capsule, designing and launching a green fuel rocket, and using the design engineering process to document how drag affects acceleration.
More than 8,200 students completed the “Explore Flight and Take Flight” educational programs in 2023 to rave reviews, so you know this facility is cleared for takeoff when it comes to inspiring young minds.
Create harmony in the hangar
Outside of academia, bands, choirs and any sort of student musical group will love performing in the venue.
With its high ceilings, second floor staging area and acoustics that really soar, the museum can set the stage for any sort of performance, including having hosted signature events for the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.
Given how the venue was lauded by the professional musicians, just imagine the reaction you’ll get from your students when they hit the high notes amongst all these notable aircraft.
To learn more about The Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada as well as more of Winnipeg’s various options for student groups go to: https://www.winnipeggroups.com/
Photo Courtesy of April Carandang.
