Invention Lab
INVENTION LAB OPEN WEEKENDS
Activities Available 11 AM - 3 PM Saturdays & Sundays
Also open, Monday September 9, 2023
Included with Museum Admission
Weekend Invention Lab Activities
October
Morse Code
Use Morse Code as a method of communicating a message using light patterns!
Recommended ages 8+
Water Rocket Rally
Upcoming dates:
11 AM – 12 PM
Sunday, August 13, 2023
Sunday, September 10, 2023
Sunday, October 8, 223
Event included with Museum admission. Free for Museum Members.
Advanced tickets for Sunday events available on VBO Tickets
Discover the world of rockets!
Bring along a recycled 1- or 2-liter soda bottle or purchase a new water rocket body in the Museum’s Gift Shop ($1.50/bottle) and join the rocket workshop! Use a variety of common craft materials to convert a bottle into a high performance rocket vehicle, then test fly it across the Museum’s Courtyard on a fountain of compressed air and water.
Event is included with Museum admission.
Participants must bring a clean, empty soda bottle (water bottles are not suitable for this activity), or may purchase one in the Museum’s Gift Shop on the day of the event.
Imagination Playground
Temporarily Closed – Alternate Hands-On Exhibits Available
Included with Museum Admission
*Imagination Playground closes periodically for facilitated education events.
Flight Sim Zone
Saturday and Sunday, 11 am to 2 pm
Take a virtual flight across the Bay and see the world from the unique perspective of a pilot.
Pass Required.
- $5 per Pass (in addition to museum admission).
- Pass is free for Members.
- Two people can fly on one Pass (pilot and co-pilot).
- Obtain Passes at museum Gift Shop.
- Each Pass good for up to 30 minutes of flight time.
- Seating is limited.
Flight Sim Zone workstations consist of the following:
- 1-screen, 3,840 x 2,169 pixel 4K display
- Logitech flight yoke and throttle quadrant
- Saitek rudder pedals
- X-Plane v. 11
How Sessions Operate
We follow a flight instruction model. Our instructors are real pilots and they will show you how to properly control a Beechcraft Baron 58 airplane, including the all-important landing procedure. Once proficiency has been achieved in basic procedures, the instructor will help you implement a more advanced real-world flying scenario based on your interests including: cross-country flight, multi-engine and airline procedures, bad-weather flying, instrument procedures and flight plans, among many other possibilities.
The Flight Sim Zone is wheelchair accessible.
FMX Flight Simulator
Saturday and Sunday, 11 am to 2 pm
Purchase your flight ticket at our gift shop.
$10 for 10-minute flight.
$8 for museum Members.
Try Flying!
The FMX flight simulator’s fully functional cockpit features the latest in “glass cockpit” avionics technology, the Garmin G1000, including a Primary Flight Display (PFD) and Multi-Function Display (MFD) with integrated autopilot.
- 6 screen “wraparound” windshield display.
- Full simulator movement in yaw, pitch and roll.
- Force feedback flight yoke and throttle quadrant.
- Rudder pedals.
- Simulation software: Lockheed Martin Prepar3D.
Invention Lab
Saturday and Sunday, 10:30 am to 4:00 pm
Included with Museum Admission
Use tools of science to explore aviation, aerodynamics, engineering, assembly and design. Perfect for older children and adults.
Current Invention Lab Activities
Through July, 2017
Build-a-Plane (Ages 3 -7)
Use kid-rated tools to build and disassemble an airplane model!
Wind Tunnel Challenge (Ages 5 and Up)
Design, construct and test a device able to fly in a vertically-oriented wind tunnel!
Program is included with museum admission and no advance registration is required. Facilitators will be available to help throughout the process. Recommended for ages as indicated for the activities above.
Imagination Playground
Temporarily Closed – Alternate Hands-On Exhibits Available
Included with Museum Admission
*Imagination Playground closes periodically for facilitated education events.
Imagination Playground
Temporarily Closed – Alternate Hands-On Exhibits Available
Included with Museum Admission
*Imagination Playground closes periodically for facilitated education events.
Imagination Playground
Temporarily Closed – Alternate Hands-On Exhibits Available
Included with Museum Admission
*Imagination Playground closes periodically for facilitated education events.
Imagination Playground
Temporarily Closed – Alternate Hands-On Exhibits Available
Included with Museum Admission
*Imagination Playground closes periodically for facilitated education events.
