Great Sandhills Museum offers a WWI flight experience

By Joan Janzen

SCEPTRE - Great Sandhills Museum in Sceptre is offering its visitors a unique WWI flight experience, thanks to Ace Academy, a travelling exhibition. The flight experience, produced by the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, can be enjoyed by children, youth, adults and school groups.

Marj Boylan, a museum Board member, said they discovered the exhibit a year ago when researching exhibits they could accommodate.

Visitors to Great Sandhills Museum in Sceptre can experience what it was like to pilot a WWI plane in an immersive environment, thanks to the Ace Academy’s travelling exhibit.

“Last year, we had 1600 visitors to the museum,” she said. “It’s amazing where they come from.” The museum has had visitors from Germany, Norway and the Netherlands. Now, they have an added attraction to share with guests that’s included with admission to the museum.

A large simulation backdrop, an Xbox Kinect sensor, a monitor, and a computer are combined to produce an immersive environment where participants pilot a First World War biplane using motion-sensing technology. The players move their arms up and down and tilt their bodies to manoeuvre a plane onscreen as they dodge enemy aircraft and align themselves to fire.

The aircraft imagery allows players to fly a realistic Sopwith Ship Camel biplane in this educational game which also features additional WWI aircraft. Players are guided through levels explaining how these aircraft fly. It’s not only educational but very entertaining. Anyone who wants to take the game to another level can access the free App for the Ace Academy sequel: Black Flight.

If you would like to be immersed in the flight experience of a WWI pilot, Great Sandhills Museum can make it happen. The travelling exhibit will be at the museum for the next eight weeks.