Southern Weld County Museum Holds National Treasures
The following information was reprinted with permission from the Vintage Aero Lying Museum web site http://www.vafm.org. The museum is located at 7125 Parks Lane in Fort Lupton, 303-502-5347. For information about tours, please visit the site for more information.
The Vintage Aero Flying Museum
The Vintage Aero Flying Museum houses one of the most historically significant and internationally recognized collections of World War I memorabilia in the world. We also have a significant collection of Golden Age of Aviation (1918 - 1939) and World War II aviation memorabilia and aircraft. This material includes memorabilia from Japan, Germany and other axis countries.
Highlighting the quality of our collection, we also have the only known "True Copy" of the Instrument of Surrender, presented to General Wainwright. It is important for our educational programs to show material from all of the nations that participated in both World Wars. The Smithsonian Institution cites our museum as a reference and regularly sends researchers out to learn more from our collection.
In addition, our museum's WWI British SE5a was the only non-computer generated aircraft that actually flew in the movie, "The Aviator" for the Hell's Angels scenes. Our museum's rare collection of World War I artifacts, documents and memorabilia were referenced for the historical content for the movie, "Flyboys." Our collection was also utilized as a source of historical research for George Lucas's "Young Indiana Jones" series.
We are called the Lafayette Foundation in honor of the men who served in the LaFayette Escadrille and the LaFayette Flying Corps during WWI. At the final reunion of the Lafayette Flying Corps, organized by Dr. James J. Parks in 1983, the surviving members of the LaFayette Flying Corps, headed by Reginald Sinclair, asked Jim and his son, Andy, to “carry on the Corps” after they were gone, passing the charter onto the Parks’. In their honor, the name of the museum was changed to the LaFayette Foundation. Today, Andy Parks, as the President and Executive Director of the Vintage Aero Flying Museum, Home of the LaFayette Foundation, continues the work of his Grandfather, and Father, to preserve the history and memory of the these men and of the men and women who have served their countries via aviation in both peace time and war time, for the benefit of future generations to come.
Museum Tours
We are a grass roots museum, whose efforts are to preserve aviation history for future generations. Our goal is to educate children all across the state about the era of World War I through World War II and the impact these wars had in history. Bringing the thrill of aviation to local and rural communities through an approved curriculum for schools and their history program, and through our traveling "Living History" exhibit, we have found a tremendously rewarding avenue for educating young people.
We are also extremely excited to have Barrington Irving as a special webcast speaker for our school program. Barrington is the youngest person ever and the first black pilot to fly solo around the world. His website, Experience Aviation, inspires young people to identity and pursue their dreams through dynamic aviation education programs designed to build math, science reading and problem-solving skills. Barrington's involvement in our museum will have a terrific impact on the school children as they hear such an accomplished and honored pilot speak!
Please join us on a tour of our museum. We offer group, educational and individual tours. More information on group and educational (school) tours is available--including open dates and reservation information--by calling our museum at (303) 502-5347.