Flying high at the Smithsonian

November 2, 1996

(CNN) -- There's one place in Washington, D.C., where pilots don't need a license to fly. In fact, they don't even have to be old enough to drive. All that's really needed to visit the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum's new interactive exhibit, "How Things Fly," is a sense of exploration. (Check out the exhibits -- 23 sec./894k QuickTime Movie)

"How Things Fly" is a permanent exhibit designed to bring complex aerodynamic principles down to earth. It features dozens of hands-on displays to help explain everything from gravity to g-forces.

A model of the International Space Station, a section of a Boeing 757 fuselage and more than 50 interactive activities enable those curious about the basics of air and space flight to delve a little deeper.

Young visitors can control a miniature plane or try out their steering skills on a life-size Cessna 150. A suspended meter stick tests a new pilot's reaction time. A small visitor-operated wind tunnel shows the effects of supersonic shock waves. A beach ball suspended by a blast of air illustrates the role of air in keeping an airplane in the sky.

"We want people to understand why the airplanes in this museum and why airplanes in general look the way they do. Why some are long and slender like the Concorde, why some are sleek, why some are short and stubby," said museum curator Kit Stetser.

Written explanations that simplify scientific properties are available and student staff members are on hand to answer questions. However, museum-goers probably will learn the most simply by watching -- and making -- things fly.

Weather: Washington, DC

Related sites:

• "How Things Fly"

• National Air & Space Museum