Tulsa Air and Space Museum

The Tulsa Air and Space Museum was another really fun outing where I first had to lower my expectations to the "Tulsa" level again. (That is, down from the "Washington DC" level where I used to visit the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, and down from the "Dayton" level where I used to visit the National Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB.) I've noticed that once you go ahead and lower those expectations a little, everything here is REALLY SWELL! Haha!

But I jest. After all, there were many interesting things to see at this small-ish museum, and I was delighted to learn that (1) there was also a very nice, new-looking planetarium on the premises, and (2) the planetarium shows were included with admission! Yay! I was also surprised to learn upon our arrival that admission wasn't $12 as stated on the website; it was really just $7, which made for a triple "Wheeeee!" Then later, when we actually got to the planetarium, I was informed that the dome projector was busted, so there was no actual "planetarium show." Instead, we just sat in our reclining chairs and watched a half-hour movie on the screen. Haha! So lame. But I guess that explains the $5 discount!

Anyway, Oklahoma (like all states, really) is very proud of its little slice of American aeronautics history, and this museum is a tribute to it all. (See how the picture of the museum below is all nice and sunny? Now imagine the 110-degree heat pressing on you from all sides and suffocating you. There! That's more like the actual summer-in-Oklahoma experience.)
At first I was disappointed when I saw that the museum is really just one big hangar (aside from the planetarium, which is in a separate building), but then I realized that there are actually lots of cool exhibits spread out in there. I imagine they are very interesting and educational for people who aren't chasing around rambunctious, giggly toddlers, and maybe one day I will actually read some of them. But until then, it was just nice to have a lot more to look at than I expected:

This, I presume, is the museum's sticker collection:

Doesn't this machinery just make your brain hurt? Someone actually came up with these:

My favorite exhibit was the F-14 Tomcat, which you can't look at without humming the awesome '80s music from Top Gun:

This happy little propeller plane also caught my eye:

And I love this, too... they just don't make 'em like this anymore!!

Weston had a good time with this attraction, which had lots of knobs and cranks and pedals to try:

He also got to have a turn pushing the launch button for the space shuttle! A sweet teenage girl asked him if he wanted to "launch" the "shuttle," and he was so thrilled. He got to sit on a stool and then press the buttons when she told him, making the "shuttle" "blast off" towards "outer space" (i.e., make a big loud noise and rise towards the ceiling a little bit).

However, Weston's absolute favorite was the "ball toy," where he would press a red button and then jets of air would lift up a few plastic/foam balls:

He did NOT want to leave this!

(I don't blame him, though. Even for a 29-year-old, it was pretty addictive.)

Finally, he got to have his own Maverick time in the pretend cockpit:

Bogies!!! Bogies at 10 o'clock!!! BOOM BOOM! Got 'em. :-)