Published in the May 27-June 9, 2015 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Staff Report
A visitor rides a hot air balloon during last year’s Wings of History open house at the San Martin Airport. Families who want a fun and free adventure should visit the San Martin Airport Saturday May 30 for the annual open house. Hot air balloon and airplane rides are available for children.
Morgan Hill Life file photo
Families who want a fun and free adventure in the wild blue yonder should head to the San Martin Airport Saturday May 30 for the annual Wings of History Air Museum’s open house. Hot air balloon and airplane rides will introduce kids to the world of flight.
“The annual open house is done to help publicize the museum and as an educational experience especially for kids,” said Ken Mort, a retired NASA wind tunnel engineer and an organizer of the event. “I’m always surprised about how many people in the area don’t know about the museum or, if they do know about it have not visited it.
The Wings of History Air Museum contains historical aircraft and engines as well as other artifacts of historical interest that help to illustrate the early history of aviation. One of its halls holds a full-sized replica of the first airplane, the Wright Flyer.
“The progress aviation has made from the Wright Flyer is truly amazing,” Mort said. “Airplanes went from being constructed of wood and cloth to all metal construction. Restoration of antique aircraft illustrating the construction using wood and cloth can be seen in the Museum. The Wright Flyer flew at 25 to 30 mph. Nowadays there are airplanes that fly at supersonic speeds.”
At the open house, children 8 to 17 years old can enjoy free flights around the South Valley in airplanes.
There will also be docent-lead tours of the museum which includes about 30 airplanes, sailplanes and helicopters. There are many historical airplane engines on display from small two-cylinder engines with a few horsepower to large multi-cylinder engines including an air cooled Pratt and Whitney R-1830 radial engine with 14 cylinders in two rows with 1200 horsepower. The museum includes an active propeller shop which makes wooden propellers for experimental and antique aircraft. It is the only active propeller shop west of the Mississippi River. The Museum also has a library of books describing all phases of aviation history.
In addition to the Wright Flyer and other historical aircraft and artifacts, the museum’s collection contains other unique aircraft which many people might not have seen before. For example, there is French Simca car with an engine and helicopter rotor attached and a home-built composite airplane.
Weather permitting there will be tethered hot air balloons offering free rides at the open house. Balloons were the first form of aircraft and were flying well before the Wright Brothers invented the airplane.
“The museum offers a great educational experience about early flight for both kids and their parents,” Mort said. “The pilots that offer the free flights are excellent at describing how their airplanes fly before the flights. They walk the kids around the airplane and describe all of the features required for flight.”
