ALAMOGORDO, N.M. (KRQE) – A new exhibit at the New Mexico Space History Museum in Alamogordo is taking museumgoers on a journey through the world of radio-controlled aviation. Skywired allows guests to now stand beneath the wings of history, and marvel at the creativity that helped shape the skies today.
Museum-goers can see ‘The Big Guff’, one of the first radio controlled models ever flown in the southwest, test their dexterity on the moon, or try their hand at RC flight themselves. The exhibit takes you from the development of rockets in the late 1800s to the current future of space exploration missions to understand other planets within our solar system.
“It goes through the history of doing radios, radio transmitters, and receivers long distance. And then that evolved into remote controlled craft and then all the way to our current drones, ” shared Olga Valanos, spokesperson for the NM Space History Museum.
The 30 replicas and models on display pay homage to famed inventor and Army Air Corps Colonel George Vernon Holloman, a pioneer in aeronautical engineering research and development in the late 1930s.
“From then, he kept developing other drones and the predecessor to the modern-day drones. He made so many innovations that were important for aerial weaponry and guided systems,” shared Vallanos.
Although Holloman didn’t live to see his dream of RPS being used successfully in combat, his visions for remotely piloted flight are the reasons programs like the Predator and the Reaper exist today.
