During your experience, you will bridge several lifetimes starting with the pioneers who realized their earliest dreams of flying; identifying with the aviators of the 20's and 30's, known as the "Golden Age of Flight"; understanding the sacrifices of the fliers of World War II; and progressing to the jet and rocket age of today. By virtue of these chronicles of time, you will also find a new appreciation for the role the Dallas/Fort Worth area (known today as the Aviation Capital of the World) has played in the unfolding global aviation story. At the Frontiers of Flight Museum you will see, hear, and touch some of the rare artifacts that have contributed to this exciting history. On display is a World War I Sopwith "Pup" biplane along with hundreds of models, uniforms, decorations, engines and propellers. You will long remember your "Flight Thru Time".

Early in 1963, Dr. Harry Huntt Ransom, Chancellor of the University of Texas system, and Mr. Frank C. Erwin, President of the University of Texas at Austin, endorsed a proposal by George E. Haddaway, Publisher of Flight magazine, to establish the History of Aviation Collection (HAC). This was unanimously approved by the Board of Regents. The first donations were Haddaway's vast personal collection of aviation artifacts and archives. Major General Benjamin D. Foulois, USAF Ret., pilot of the Army's first airplane in 1911, and William Piper, Sr., of the Piper Aircraft family, officiated in the formal dedication in 1965 that opened the Collection to the public. Thus was born the History of Aviation Collection and the forerunner of the Frontiers of Flight Museum.

Gifts of archival, library, and display items were received from scores of Texas aviation notables and others nationwide. In April 1966, Phil Spexarth, aviation insurance executive and model craftsman, donated 187 aircraft models and later increased this to more than 400 examples of his artistry.

It became apparent in 1977 that the HAC was rapidly outgrowing space available at the University of Texas at Austin. The need for larger quarters was accelerated by the offer of the late Vice Admiral Rosendal's two million item lighter-than-air collection and by two other large donated collections that would quadruple the size of the HAC. In April 1978, it was moved to the new McDermott Library at the University of Texas at Dallas. During the 1980s, the collection became nationally prominent and is now second only to the National Air and Space Museum in archival research.

The collection again outgrew available space. In February 1988, supporters of a proposed museum opened discussions with the Director of Aviation, City of Dallas, about the feasibility of locating the museum in the Love Field Terminal, to be called the "Frontiers of Flight Museum." In early 1988, the collections were moved to the Love Field Terminal overlooking the airport in the City of Dallas. Staffing began in March 1989, with the hiring of banker and ex-Navy pilot Olin Lancaster as Executive Director, and a group of volunteers was organized. The Frontiers of Flight Museum at Love Field officially opened to the public on June 20, 1990.