A young girl is playing with and learning from an interactive about wind, in the Franklin Insitute's permanent exhibit, Franklin Air Show.

Franklin Air Show

Put your piloting skills to the test in the lively Franklin Air Show exhibit that introduces the history, majesty, science, and technology of powered flight. Explore the basic principles of aeronautics and the life stories and artifacts from the earliest aviation pioneers, including the Wright Brothers, Bessie Coleman, the Tuskegee Airmen, and Amelia Earhart. How does airflow affect flight? How does aircraft shape affect airflow? Make a paper whirligig and watch it rise on an updraft. Learn how rudders control lift and direction. See artifacts from the Wright Brothers Aeronautical Engineering Collection, including selections from our airfoil collection and the drawing of the original 1903 Wright Flyer (FI Cat. #629.133 Wr 1.1).

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The 1911 Wright Model B Flyer artifact in the Franklin Airshow exhibit at The Franklin Institute.

See the 1911 Wright Model B Flyer
This amazing piece of history is the most intact original Wright airplane remaining in the world!
(FI Cat. #2885)

A young boy sits in the cockpit of the plane that hangs from the ceiling in the permanent exhibit The Franklin Airshow

Take Control of a 1948 T-33 Jet
Climb inside one of the most successful jet trainers ever built and handle real jet controls.
(FI Cat. #66-1)

A boy using the foam wings interactive in the Franklin Airshow exhibit at The Franklin Institute.

Prepare for Takeoff
Hold onto your "wings" and feel the force of lift as wind rushes past you.