Latest news with #OpenCockpitDay
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Searching for some budget-friendly fun this summer? Look no further than Delaware
Who doesn't want to save some money? But then again, who wants to sacrifice fun in a summer that will inevitably whiz by? For Delawareans looking to go on new adventures or make memories on a budget, here are some free activities to check out between now and Labor Day. Plan Summer Fun: Welcome to our 2025 Delaware Summer Guide If heading down the shore isn't an option this summer, you can still cool off at many a public pool this season. Both the cities of Wilmington and Newark have several outdoor pools open to the public, from the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Aquatic Center to the Edna C. Dickey Park Pool. The city of Wilmington also has spray parks at select locations for kids of all ages to enjoy. Wilmington and Newark pools are open to the public and free of charge. Wilmington pools will be open from June 16 to Aug. 16. Newark pools will be open from June 14 to Aug. 16. All pools will be closed July 4. For those interested in taking to the skies this summer – metaphorically, of course – look no further than the Air Mobility Command Museum in Dover. Housing 'over 30 aircraft varying in roles and sizes,' the museum also offers several historical exhibits and panoramic and video tours. Starting April 19, the museum began offering Open Cockpit Day, which grants visitors full access to many aircraft and allows them to learn more about their missions and history. Open Cockpit Day will take place 'every third Saturday of the month through October.' Visitors will be granted full access from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., given tour guides are available and the weather permits. The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission and parking are both free. Free movie nights: Dewey, Bethany Beach, Fenwick Island bring back popular movies on beach series for 2025 Speaking of museums, if you're hoping to check out a new exhibit at the Biggs Museum of American Art or go on a day trip to the Brandywine Zoo without paying for a ticket, your search is over. Any Delaware adult with a library card is eligible to participate in the library's museum pass program. All you have to do is go online, find a museum or a date and reserve your pass. Walk on the wild side: What's brewing in 2025 at Brandywine Zoo, Philadelphia Zoo Cardholders must be 18 years of age or older. One museum pass can be borrowed per library card at a time. Eligible museums include the Biggs Museum of American Art, the Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library and the Brandywine Zoo. Additional instructions and details can be found on the Delaware Libraries website. If you're itching to spend more time outside this summer, check out the DuPont Environmental Education Center in Wilmington. With a scenic view of the Christina River and marsh, visitors can take in the sights and sounds of all the Center has to offer. This includes walking the boardwalk trail or the ten-acre garden and plenty of opportunities for canoeing, kayaking and birdwatching. The Center is open Tuesdays to Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. The pond loop and garden are open daily sunrise to sunset. More information can be found on the Center's website. More to explore: Delaware nature centers offer low-cost fun and educational places for summer day trips For those of us looking for a little relaxation this summer, you can find that in the lavender fields at the family farm Warrington Manor in Milton. Grounds are free most days from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. All guests interested in walking the grounds must check in at The Cottage Store. Groups with more than 10 people require advanced booking. Pets, littering, speeding, smoking and outside food are not allowed. Additional details can be found on the Manor's website. Olivia Montes covers state government and community impact for Delaware Online/The News Journal. If you have a tip or a story idea, reach out to her at omontes@ This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Where to have some budget-friendly summer fun in Delaware
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Castle Air Museum hosts Open Cockpit Day on May 24. Here's what you need to know
Open Cockpit Day, an opportunity to learn about the history of U.S. aviation, will be held at Castle Air Museum in Atwater on May 24. Attendees can get an up-close view of more than 30 aircraft, some of which saw military use from before World War II to modern day. New this year to the museum is the F-4S Phantom II 'Black Bunny,' a variant of the McDonnell Douglas F-4S Phantom II. First flown in 1969, this aircraft was used for night testing and evaluations of its weapons, radar and navigation systems at the Naval Air Station in Point Mugu. Painted primarily black, the aircraft has the Playboy magazine emblem on its tail in white. The iconic bunny with a bow tie makes the plane kind of part of American pop culture said Joe Pruzzo, executive director of Castle Air Museum. 'You know that's going to receive a lot of attention.' The aircraft will be at the northeast end of the museum. In 2016, the museum inquired with the Navy about obtaining the F-4S variant. It received approval and paid a one-time fee of $65,000 for its use. Pruzzo said it took seven years for the museum to raise the money and for the Navy to demilitarize the plane and prepare it for public view. Admiral Merchant, a Minnesota-based trucking company, picked up the plane at Pima Air & Space in Tuscon, Ariz., in July 2023. Four highway patrol cruisers surrounded the truck during its drive from Arizona to Atwater. The aircraft is being refreshed with a paint job at the museum's enclosed restoration facility after being at Davis-Monthan Air Force base in Arizona for more than 30 years. Pruzzo said the museum can keep the aircraft as long as it's kept in stable condition. Opened to the public in 1981, Castle Air Museum is a nonprofit organization that focuses on preserving military aviation heritage for future generations. The museum's first Open Cockpit Day was in 1996 with a small gathering. From that point, the number of attendees grew with the help of on-air and print media promotion. At one point, upward of 4,500 people attended the event. Attendees 'come from the Bay Area, the Monterey Bay area, Sacramento, Fresno, Visalia, and, of course, up in the foothills in the west Valley,' Pruzzo said. 'It's a well-attended event.' Throughout the museum, volunteers help in various ways. Among them is Alvin Osborn, who served in the Air Force for 26 years. Osborn started in the Reserve Officer Training Corps and later took pilot training. His most memorable moment in the Air Force was being involved in Operation Arc Light, he said. In June 1965, the Air Force deployed a Boeing B-52 Stratofortress to strike locations in South Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and southern North Vietnam. Osborn recalled using the bomber to deliver conventional bombs to Southeast Asia for several years. 'It was a challenge for maintenance to keep the airplanes up. It was a challenge for the crews to adapt to that schedule,' he said. Now as a volunteer, Osborn informs newer generations about the importance of these aircraft and the roles they have served. 'The museum is about the only way that we have now to educate those generations, young and old, that either come here to this country that don't understand how we got where we are or that grew up in this country but were never taught that. And so we find the opportunity here to do that, to teach [and] explain,' Osborn said. Open Cockpit Day will begin at 9 a.m. Attendees can purchase tickets in front of the museum for $25. For an additional fee, helicopter rides are available. There will be two entry gates, the first near the front parking lot and the other close to the Castle Air Family Health Centers' parking lot.
