From my Inbox to you. Look for many more details in Friday’s Extra section.

Photo courtesy Peg McGuire. The fuselage of a donated Jet Commander was brought to the museum Nov. 1 to be placed in the aviation gallery.

The Virginia Museum of Transportation announces the opening of its new
Wings Over Virginia Aviation Gallery on Saturday, November 17, 2012

• Visitors will be able to explore hands-on exhibits and videos to understand the science of flight and aviation technology;
• listen to the heroic stories of our region’s military and civilian
• aviators who have impacted our history;
• learn about the air ambulance service and the team that saves lives every day;
• and climb aboard a jet to see inside a real aircraft cabin and imagine being a pilot.
• The public is invited to the WHEELS UP! Grand Opening Celebration on Saturday, November 17, 2012, from 10 am to 5 pm.
• The WHEELS UP! Grand Opening Celebration will feature reduced admission, special guests and fun activities for the whole family.

The Virginia Museum of Transportation announces the grand opening of its Wings Over Virginia Aviation Gallery on Saturday, November 17, 2012.

The Wings Over Virginia Aviation Gallery will trace the history and future of aviation in Virginia. Visitors will be able to explore hands-on exhibits and videos to understand the science of flight and aviation technology; listen to the heroic stories of our region’s military and civilian aviators who have impacted our history; learn about the air ambulance service and the team that saves lives every day; and climb aboard a jet to see inside a real aircraft cabin and imagine being a pilot.

The Gallery has been six years in the making. The Gallery has been closed to the public since the Museum suffered severe damage from a storm in the summer of 2006. The roof of the Gallery was blown off, ruining the majority of the exhibits in the aviation gallery.

Before rebuilding the Gallery, the Museum undertook an ambitious public opinion survey to garner ideas and feedback about what the community wanted to see in new and existing exhibits.  Over 1,000 Museum fans responded to the surveys. The Wings Over Virginia Gallery incorporates the best of those ideas. The Gallery will embody the Museum’s new design philosophy that includes more educational components and personal stories.

WHEELS UP! Grand Opening Celebration will be held on
Saturday, November 17 from 10 am to 5 pm

A WHEELS UP! Grand Opening Celebration will be held on Saturday, November 17. Visitors will enjoy $5 admission (members and infants 2 and under admitted free), special guests and fun activities for the whole family. The WHEELS UP! Grand Opening Celebration begins at 10 am and ends at 5 pm.

Visitors to the WHEELS UP! Celebration will have the opportunity to talk to balloonists, pilots and other special guests. Guests will be invited to sit in a flight simulator, learn how wind helps a kite to fly and get up close views of gliders from the Blue Ridge Soaring Society.

About the Virginia Museum of Transportation

Home to two of the most powerful steam locomotives in existence today—the N&W Class A 1218 and the N&W Class J 611—the Virginia Museum of Transportation regularly attracts visitors of all ages from across the U.S. and around the world. Through exhibits, artifacts, and an outstanding collection of rail equipment, cars, trucks, airplanes, and more, the Museum tells the rich story of Virginia’s transportation history.

The Virginia Museum of Transportation is the Official Transportation Museum of the Commonwealth of Virginia, but receives no state funding. The Museum celebrates 50 years of showcasing Virginia’s unique rail heritage and contributions to the auto and aviation industries. The Museum is located in the historic Norfolk & Western Freight Station at 303 Norfolk Avenue SW, Roanoke, VA 24016. Open Monday-Saturday 10-5 and Sunday 1-5. 540/342.5670. www.vmt.org.