Museum Guide for Grades K-2
Objectives:
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To introduce students to science, history and leaders of flight and aviation
To introduce students to our atmosphere and the basics of aerodynamics
To introduce students to American Airlines and the aviation industry
Suggested Materials:
 A picture of an airport
 A picture or model airplane
Activities:
Groups are able to explore our museum exhibits in many ways. You may lead your group in a self guided
tour through our museum exhibits. Our permanent exhibits include five main areas, including the Flight
Lab, DC-3 Hangar, Maintaining the Fleet, Entrance Exhibits and History Circle. We also showcase, The
Pursuit of Flight, movie that is shown every 30 minutes. Your group may select from additional selfguided and guided program offerings including Treasure Hunts, DC-3 Plane Tour and Museum Education
Workshops. Scavenger hunts and DC-3 Plane Tours can be included (depending on availability and with
advance notice) in your group tour at no additional cost, however build workshops led by museum staff
will have additional costs depending on group size.
Flagship Knoxville DC-3 “Man’s First People Mover” Tour: (Grades K-12)
Do you think you have what it takes to fly? Whether it is a small Beechcraft or a NASA Rocket, all pilots
need to know the basics! In this program, students will tour inside and out of our DC-3 Flagship Knoxville
and perform a maintenance pre-flight check to learn what it takes to fly American Airline’s first “people
mover. Along the way, participants will learn the parts of an airplane, plane controls and the many
personnel that work to help an aircraft fly. We will focus on the simple machines that make up this
complex aircraft, flight controls and flying in our atmosphere as well as the different jobs of aviation
personnel.
Build Workshop (Grades K-12)
This age appropriate, museum staff led workshop will introduce participants to flight. They will explore
the different forces at work that affect an object in flight. Our museum staff will review different topics
including air and our atmosphere, four forces that affect flight including drag, thrust, weight and lift and
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what helps things stay in the air. Students will then be challenged to create their own flying machines to
test in our flight area and wind tunnels. Please allow for an additional 30-45 minutes, depending on your
group’s size for workshop activities.
Group Size
Time Frame
Cost
Up to 30
30-45 minutes
$60
Up to 60
60-75 minutes
$120
Pre-Museum Questions:
We suggest you introduce the following topics for students to ask questions and explore at the
American Airlines C.R. Smith Museum
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Name things that can fly. What helps them stay in the air?
Have you ever been on an airplane?
What is an airport?
Where did you go on the airplane?
What helps an airplane fly?
Why can’t we fly?
Have you ever visited a museum? What kind?
Why are airplanes important?
Why are museum important?
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Museum Map
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Treasure Hunt Instructions: American Airlines C.R. Smith Museum
This “Treasure Hunt” was developed for the K through 2nd grade student. The questions were designed
to not only aid the teacher, group leader, through the museum, but add to student’s knowledge of the
C.R. Smith Museum’s “Treasures”. This hunt hopes to provide the teacher, or group leader, some
insight to assess the amount of learning the students achieve on their visit. These achievement levels
can apply, but are not limited to colors, letters, small words, numbers, counting, time, directions and
spatial orientation. Teachers and group leaders are encouraged to visit the museum and become
familiar with our Treasures, their locations and our Treasure Hunt Maps before conducting your own
Museum Treasure Hunt. However, if you are not able to visit, there is a detailed museum map included
on the following page. Please be sure to print off the Treasure Hunts for you and your group leaders and
please bring to the museum on the day of your trip! TEKS and an answer key are provided at the end of
this packet.
To aid you in locating our educational and historical museum treasures, we have divided the C.R. Smith
Museum into FIVE sections.
The FIVE SECTIONS include:
Section A Flight Lab
Section B Flagship DC-3 Hangar
Section C Maintaining the Fleet
Section D History Circle
Section E Entrance Exhibits
Museum Section A- Flight Lab
This area will begin with our LIFT WINDTUNNEL and end with our DFW AIRPORT MODEL. This section
has many interactive exhibits that address different subjects including aerodynamics, forces on an
airplane, jet engines, navigating the globe, historic and current aircraft and work at an airport.
LIFT WIND TUNNEL
FIND the LIFT Wind Tunnel that has two wings inside. This wind tunnel will make a lot of noise when you
push the BLACK BUTTON.
How many wings are in the wind tunnel?
What shapes are the two wings?
What happens when you push the black button and turn the black knob? Which wing LIFTS in the air?
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Look at the DC-3 Plane or any plane model in the museum. Are the wings curved or straight? The curved
part of the wing is called the AIRFOIL. The AIRFOIL helps LIFT the airplane in the air and keep the
airplane in the air while it is flying.
F-100 Cockpit
The COCKPIT is where the pilots fly the plane. There are wide array of instruments and buttons that the
pilots use to help fly and control the plane.
How many windows are in the F-100 Cockpit?
Four Forces Mural
Find the airplane mural with the FOUR FORCES.
A force is something that pushes or pulls something
How many arrows are on the wall? 4 What direction or way are they pointing?
Navigation Globes
How many globes are there?
What shape is the globe?
Jet Engine Model- This is a model propeller engine used to demonstrate “THRUST” Engines push an
airplane forward in the air.
How many blades are on the propeller engine in the glass case?
Push the black button, what way does the engine go?
Coloring Stations- On This table you may use crayons to make different airplane type pictures. How
many different pictures can you make by rubbing the crayon over the piece of paper?
CREATE
ONE!
DFW Airport Model- This is a model of the DFW Airport with different sections describing different jobs.
Press the different buttons to see the areas light up.
What color is the light when you select a button?
Museum Section B- Flagship Knoxville DC-3 Hangar
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Take your students on a tour of the outside of the plane and then board the plane to see the inside and
cockpit areas.
Outside DC-3 area:
How many wheels are on the DC-3 airplane?
How many windows are on one side of the airplane?
What are the colors on the wings?
What color is the lift on the right wing tip?
How many blades are on the propeller engines?
What color is the light on the left wing tip?
What color is the light on the tip of the tail?
What side did passengers enter the airplane?
Inside DC-3:
How many passenger seats are on the plane?
How many seats are in the cockpit?
How many steering wheels are in the cockpit?
Interesting Cargo
Find the Interesting Cargo area located at the tail of the DC-3 Plane
Do airplanes carry anything besides people? Find one thing in the mural or in the models that airplanes
carry besides people:
Museum Section C- Maintaining the Fleet
This section includes the Maintenance Checks, 727 Landing Gear and Airplane Mechanic model and
our three large engines in the museum, Wright R3350 (piston engine), JT-3D (first jet engine) and the
CF-6 (more modern jet engine)
There are three different kinds of maintenance checks. What are the letters of the Three Checks?
727 Landing Gear and Airplane Mechanic
Find a “Gray” Mechanic with a flashlight. What is he working on?
How many wheels are on the landing gear?
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There are THREE Large engines in this area.
Find the Piston Engine- Wright R3350 which is the only engine with large propeller blades.
What color(s) is this engine?
How many propeller blades does this engine have?
Find the JT-3D Engine that is the smaller jet engine in the museum
What is different about this engine than the engine you just saw?
What color is this engine?
Find our largest jet engine in the museum, the CF-6:
Press the black button to watch a bio inspection and see the inside of this engine.
What color is the tip of this engine?
Museum Section D- History Circle
The history circle is divided into a timeline starting with the beginning of American Airlines in 1934
and ending at present day on the inside of Circle Theater. Find our historical treasures throughout our
history
1934-1945 (Beginning of American Airlines)
There is a model of a DC-3 airplane in the 1934 section of the history wall. Can you find the model DC-3
airplane? Is it bigger or smaller than our DC-3 in the museum hangar? Do they look the same? Smaller,
They look similar but are different colors
In 1936, American Airlines went to Lakehurst New Jersey to meet the Hidenburg. What is the
Hindenburg?
How much was a ticket?
Before GPS and computers, pilots used maps, globes and devices to navigate airplanes. Ask students,
what did you or the driver use to find your way to the CR Smith Museum?
Find the “Gibson Girl” radio. This was used as an emergency device to send out SOS signals for help.
What color is the “Gibson Girl” radio?
1946-1959
Find the KIWI BIRD in the exhibit. This was the mascot for the flight attendant group called the Kiwis.
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What is the bird missing?
Can it fly?
Do you know of any other birds that can not fly?
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Find the “Magnetronic Reservoir”. This was the first reservation system with AA. It is a black machine
How many red buttons are on the machine?
1959-1971
Find a cutout of an airplane with jet engines. These look different because they do not have propellers.
In the 1960s, they started providing more entertainment for passengers.
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Can you find the small TV? How many knobs are on the TV?
1971-1995
Find the cutout of the NASA 747. What is on top of the plane?
Find the “AirFone”. What are the numbers on the buttons?
Turn around, there will be a lounge piano.
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What colors are the piano keys?
How many black keys are on the piano?
1995-Present
Find the Medical Equipment. What are some of the different things you see in the kit?
Circle Theater
Watch one of the six behind the scenes videos in the circle theater
Museum Section E - Entrance Exhibits
9/11 Remembrance Exhibit- This exhibit is a memorial to the September 11th tragedy of 2001. This is
located next to the Gift Shop. There is a flag and eagle statue on display.
Find the flag. What country does this flag represent?
What are the different colors on the flag?
How many stars are on this flag?
How many stripes?
What direction is the Eagle’s head facing?
Globe
Find the big Globe.
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What color are the lights?
What do you think the lights represent?
What are the colors of the globe?
What do you think the blue parts of the globe mean? What do you think the silver parts of the globe
mean?
C.R. Smith Exhibits
Find the C.R. Smith picture and desk.
How many medals are in the exhibit window?
Find the Buffalo Terminal Clock at the Gate Counter.
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What are the numbers are on the clock?
How many hands are on the clock?
Can you tell what time it is?
Go to the gate counter. At an airport, you must have a ticket to board the plane. Find out the price of a
ticket to watch the movie?
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Answer Key:
FLIGHT LAB SECTION A
WIND TUNNEL
There are 2 wings in the wind tunnel
There is a CURVED wing and a STRAIGHT wing
The CURVED WING lifts in the air
F-100 COCK PIT
6
Four Forces Model
4. They are pointing UP, DOWN, LEFT and RIGHT
Navigation Globes
2 Globes
A Globe in a 3-D Model of the WORLD
Circle or Sphere
Jet Engine Model
3
Forward/ In a Circle
Coloring Stations
4
DFW Airport Model
Red
DC-3 HANGAR SECTION B
Outside DC-3
2 wheels
Silver and Orange
Red
Blue
3
Green
White
Right
Inside DC3
21
2
2
Interesting Cargo Mural
Answers may vary- Mail, pianos, fruit
Museum Section C
There are 3 checks: A,B,C
He is working on the wheels (Landing Gear)
2 wheels
Propeller (Wright R-3350)
silver and red
4 blades
707- No propeller blades
The tip is black and white
Museum Section D- History Circle
1934-1945
Smaller, they look similar but are different
colors
A blimp, $6
Answers may vary but might include Maps, GPS,
Mom and Dad, Bus Driver
Yellow
1946-1959
Numbers are 1, 2, 3, 4
The KIWI bird is missing wings
No, It can not fly
Answers may vary but might include: Penguins,
Ostriches, Emus
1959-1971
The small TV is located in the 1963 section
The Comic Book is located in the 1963 section
1971-1995
The NASA Space Shuttle is on top of the NASA
747 cutout
There are 9 Buttons on the AirFone
The piano keys are black and white with _ white
keys
1995-Present
No, Flight Attendants do not have to be nurses
Yes, they are trained for emergencies- they are
CPR/AED certified
Museum Section E
Remembrance Exhibit
United States of America
Red, White and Blue
50 stars
13 stripes
Left
Globe
There are light on the Globe
White
The lights mean airports, cities or destinations
that American Airlines travels
C.R. Smith
C.R. Smith received 9 medals
Yes, C.R. Smith was a pilot and his license is
located in the top right corner
There are 12 numbers on the Grandfather clock,
Can you read what time it is?
A movie ticket is FREE
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