Zeiv Wolach loves airplanes and flying.
“So when I grow up one of the things that I want to be is a pilot, plus an astronaut, and astronauts also fly space ships,” he said while at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.
The young boy from Cleveland was trying out an exhibit that lets visitors test their skills at landing a toy airplane on a model aircraft carrier at the National Aviation Hall of Fame located inside the museum.
“When you walk into our space it’s really about the people who have created the incredible aviation industry (and) our space programs, in America, so we talk about their stories,” NAHF executive director Amiee Maruyama said on a recent tour.
Since 2020, the National Aviation Hall of Fame has been working on a strategic priority to really transform this space and make it more interactive.
Nikki Mahalzic was visiting the museum with her 14-year-old son.
“I home school my son and we have probably been here a hundred times,” Mahalzic said, standing outside the small theater where her son watched a movie on aviation legends. “I like the cockpits we can climb in because my son feels like a real pilot.”
The latest addition to the National Aviation Hall of Fame space is the Joe Clark Innovation Lab, which is having an open lab on Aug. 29.
Joe Clark invented the curved wingtip technology that allows planes to have greater range and save on fuel.
“The space has been opened intermittently for some camps, when we have a good crowd we open it up for demos. We do science Saturdays in this space,” Maruyama said. “And really the whole idea is to create a space when you're in this museum and you’re a parent, imagine saying don’t touch that - this is the space where we want everyone to touch. We want them to roll up their sleeves and get involved and do lessons and fun projects that inspire them to think about aviation.”
The lab includes a laser printer, a scale model of a wind tunnel, and a small library.
Maruyama’s favorite part is the aviation petting zoo, which has parts of airplanes that kids are encouraged to pick up and touch.
“This is a nose cone for a propeller, there’s turbine blades, a speed wrench for mechanics who are working on planes, and all of the instrumentation that goes into a flight deck so they can see and touch the actual instruments,” Maruyama said, picking up various objects displayed on a shelf.
The Innovation Lab also has three specific classroom visit programs designed for group visits, and eventually, they would also like to be able to host birthday parties in the space.
Maruyama said that she hopes that the lab space challenges and inspires kids to do things that might change the history of American aviation when they grow up.
“The aviation industry as a whole is on a path towards a real deficit in their work force. Their needs really outpace where the graduates are coming right now. So as part of that solution we feel it’s really important to start young and make sure we are reaching all kids across all economic backgrounds,” she said.
The NAHF partnered with PBS, Dayton’s ThinkTV station, to create a curriculum program for Pre-K through sixth grade students. With support from the Ohio Department of Education, they were able to get that program out to 6,000 classrooms across the entire state of Ohio and are now expanding nationwide.
Gadi Wolach, the father of the Zeiv, watched as his son buzzed around the museum trying out the different exhibits. The younger Wolach was clearly having a great time.
When asked if it would be cool if his son ended up being a pilot, Gadi Wolach responded with a grin.
“I’ll be in the cockpit," he said.
