Membership Services

Night at the museum

By Julie Summers Walker

San Jose’s exciting interactive technology and science museum offered the perfect backdrop to AOPA Expo’s popular Friday Night Party. The Tech Museum of Innovation is a three-story, gadget-packed wonderland. In addition to all the regular exhibits, partygoers had an opportunity to test-fly Microsoft Flight Simulators. Attendees lined up to try their hands at virtually flying everything from a bush airplane to a Boeing 747.

All three levels of the museum offered great food and terrific California wine. The band, Silicon Vibe, played big band music and members danced to the tunes. Each hour throughout the evening a very special event took place—special showings of the IMAX film, “The Magic of Flight.” Flights of the Blue Angels, migratory birds, and all manner of flying machines and animals were captured on the screen.

Michelle Peterson, AOPA vice president of non-dues revenue said, “We have had a huge turnout. Everyone loves the IMAX. It’s been a huge hit and a great show.rdquo;

While waiting to see the film, attendees played and experimented with the more than 240 unique hands-on experiences in the museum. Members could try to position a recreation of a manned maneuvering unit (MMU) to simulate a walk in space, scan radio frequencies for sounds of intelligence in space, and, on a more Earth-bound experiment, try on goggles that simulate what it’s like to walk when drunk.

November 8, 2008