Adventures in Aviation in Kansas City
November is Aviation History Month. Explore the history of flight locally at these attractions.
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Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum
The “first lady of flight,” Amelia Earhart, was born in Atchison, Kansas. The Amelia Earhart Birthplace (223 N. Terrace St., Atchison, Kan., 913.367.4217, AmeliaEarhartMuseum.org) tells the story of the legendary lady and her childhood adventures. Earhart was born in the home on July 24, 1897, to Edwin Stanton Earhart and Amy Otis Earhart. On a tour of the home, visitors learn about the pilot’s early love of flight and her daredevil adventures as a little girl.
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Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum
After visiting her birthplace, take time to visit the new Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum (16701 286th Rd., Atchison, Kan., 913.372.002, AmeliaEarhartHangarMuseum.org). The museum tells even more of Earhart’s story and inspires visitors to pursue flight. The crown jewel of the museum is Muriel—the world’s last remaining Lockheed Electra 10-E—an aircraft identical to the plane Earhart flew on her final flight. The plane is named after Amelia’s younger sister, Grace Muriel Earhart Morrissey. The museum features 14 interactive, immersive STEM exhibits teaching visitors about Earhart from her childhood to the height of her worldwide fame as the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
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TWA Museum
TWA, a pioneer in commercial flight, began in Kansas City, and the story and importance of the company is told at the TWA Museum (10 Richards Rd., Kansas City, Mo., 816.234.1011, TWAMuseum.org). Airmail, passenger flight and the expansion of post-WWII global travel is explored through exhibits and artifacts at the museum. Visitors will see a 1937 Lockheed Electra 12A Junior and cockpit trainers including the Constellation, DC-9, Boeing 707 and more.