NYC Museum Launches Dedicated Drone Exhibit

From now through Dec. 3, visitors to New York City can now attend a new drones exhibit at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in Manhattan.

Free with museum admission, the temporary exhibit will offer “historical artifacts, model airplanes, rare videos and immersive installations exploring the earliest attempts to employ unmanned flying machines to the advanced systems of the 21st century and beyond,” including a prototype of Amazon Prime Air’s delivery drone, according to the museum’s description.

In addition, visitors will get a chance to “fly actual drones” and experience a first-person point of view in drone racing. Educational topics will include the use of drones in public safety, photography, filmmaking, agriculture, infrastructure, meteorology and humanitarian relief.

Boeing subsidiary Insitu has announced that its ScanEagle unmanned aircraft system (UAS) is the latest aircraft to join the exhibit. The company touts it as the first UAS to operate from a U.S. Navy Destroyer; the first to perform a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-approved, commercial, beyond-visual-line-of-sight drone flight in U.S. airspace; and the first to be flown by students pursuing America’s first undergraduate degree in UAS operations.

Now, says Insitu, the drone joins an impressive collection of historical artifacts and contemporary objects at the museum.

“At a time when drone technology is advancing faster than ever, we take great pride in the pioneering work Insitu has done to help shape this path,” comments Ryan M. Hartman, Insitu’s president and CEO. “We are honored to have ScanEagle included in an exhibit that celebrates the limitless nature of unmanned aviation.”