Vintage Aero Flying Museum, Aviation museum at Platte Valley Airpark, Colorado, US.
Vintage Aero Flying Museum is an aviation museum located at an airpark in Colorado that focuses on aircraft and equipment from the World War I era. The collection includes original planes, uniforms, letters, and personal items displayed in secure hangars across the airpark grounds.
The museum's foundation was created by James Parks in 1984 as a historical and educational foundation; it is formally the LaFayette Escadrille Flying Museum. His son Andy Parks, son of the last Lafayette Escadrille member who 'flew west', maintains the pilots' legacy, and the museum operates as a 501(c)(3) non-profit at Platte Valley Airpark.
The museum keeps the legacy of the Lafayette Escadrille, the American volunteer squadron that flew for France in World War I. Andy Parks, son of James Parks, the unit's last member to 'fly west', maintains the collection. Each pilot's original uniform and memorabilia sit in custom cabinets inside a secured hangar, a display the museum calls unmatched anywhere in the world.
The museum sits at Platte Valley Airpark, about 4 miles northwest of Hudson and 40 miles northeast of Denver, so reaching it by car is the practical option. The aircraft and the pilots' memorabilia are kept in a secured hangar, and visits are arranged as guided tours rather than open wandering.
The museum holds the world's largest collection of Lafayette Escadrille artifacts, some over 100 years old. These pieces reveal the handwriting and personal stories of pilots from this legendary squadron.
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