Located in Sioux City, Iowa, the Mid-America Museum of Aviation and Transportation Museum celebrates the history of flight and transportation in the heartland. With a strong connection to the community, this museum holds a variety of events throughout the year. Car shows, pancake feeds, dances, STEM camps for kids are just a few of the events the museum hosts annually.
On July 19, 1989, Flight 232 going from Denver to Chicago carrying 296 people suffered a major hydraulic system failure and emergency landed in the Sioux Gateway Airfield. The entire community worked together to save 184 of the 296 passengers. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the crash, a garden and exhibit were created and open houses are held every year to remember the crash.
Among the other exhibits at the museum is a United Airlines Boeing 727-100 cockpit that shows visitors the luxury of commercial air travel in the 1960s. This exhibit takes its visitors back to a time where the food served on a plane was prepared at the airport, when first-class guests were served on gold-trimmed plates and second-class guests had silver-trimmed plates.
The MAMAT is also home to a retired cargo plane donated by Fed Ex that serves the location for Tennis Shoes on the Tarmac which is a day camp to teach children about STEM.
