14 April 2023
ATCHISON, Kan. (KSNW) – The grand opening of the new Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum is set for noon Friday in Atchison.
The museum is located at the Amelia Earhart Memorial Airport 16701 286th Road, honors Earhart’s aviation legacy.
The centerpiece is Muriel, the world’s last remaining Lockheed Electra 10-E , an aircraft identical to the plane Earhart flew on her final flight. Muriel is named after Amelia’s younger sister, Grace Muriel Earhart Morrissey.
Fourteen, interactive, immersive STEM exhibits take visitors through Earhart’s adventurous life, from growing up in Atchison to the height of her worldwide fame, as the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
“We have a VR flight that you can pay just $5 extra, and you can actually do her flight over the Atlantic,” said Karen Seaberg, president and founder of the Atchison Amelia Earhart Foundation. “You’re lucky and get to Paris as Charles Lindbergh did, you’ll succeed, and if you don’t, you get to Derry like Amelia. But you really feel like you’re flying that Lockheed Vega.”
The museum will open following the ribbon-cutting. The ceremony is open to the public and will feature remarks from elected officials, Museum leaders, and special guests including members of the Earhart family.
The museum will be open Wednesday through Sunday.