Vintage Aero Flying Museum (VAFM), formally LaFayette¹ Escadrille Flying Museum, is

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

's international aviation museum at

Platte Valley Airpark Platte Valley Airpark is a public-use airport three miles northwest of Hudson, Colorado, Hudson, in Weld County, Colorado, Weld County, Colorado, United States. It is privately owned by Platte Valley Airpark Ltd. and is northeast of Denver, Color ...

, northwest of

Hudson, Colorado The Town of Hudson is a home rule municipality in Weld County, Colorado, United States. The population was 2,356 at the 2010 census. A post office called Hudson has been in operation since 1883. The town derives its name from the town company ...

and northeast of

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

.Vinetage Aero Flying Museum
Official site. Andy Parks, son of the last

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Lafayette Escadrille The La Fayette Escadrille (french: Escadrille de La Fayette) was the name of the French Air Force unit escadrille N 124 during the First World War (1914–1918). This escadrille of the ''Aéronautique Militaire'' was composed largely of Ameri ...

member who 'flew west', James Parks², maintains the legacy and history of the LaFayette Escadrille pilots. The collection of each of these pilots' original uniforms and

memorabilia A souvenir (), memento, keepsake, or token of remembrance is an object a person acquires for the memories the owner associates with it. A souvenir can be any object that can be collected or purchased and transported home by the traveler as a m ...

is on display in custom cabinets in a secured hangar of World War I aircraft. There is no other collection of this magnitude in the world today. The Parks have created a museum in a rural setting, much like a French rural World War I air field. VAFM is a 501(c)(3)

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

and its foundation was created by James Parks in 1984 as a historical and educational foundation.

Flying aircraft on display

* 1917

Fokker Dr.I The Fokker Dr.I (''Dreidecker'', "triplane" in German), often known simply as the Fokker Triplane, was a World War I fighter aircraft built by Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. The Dr.I saw widespread service in the spring of 1918. It became famous as the ...

(replica) * 1918

Fokker D.VII The Fokker D.VII was a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. Germany produced around 3,300 D.VII aircraft in the second half of 1918. In service with the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the D.VII qui ...

* 1918

Fokker D.VIII The Fokker E.V was a German parasol-monoplane fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz and built by Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. The E.V was the last Fokker design to become operational with the ''Luftstreitkräfte,'' entering service in the last mon ...

* 1917

Sopwith Pup The Sopwith Pup is a British single-seater biplane fighter aircraft built by the Sopwith Aviation Company. It entered service with the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Flying Corps in the autumn of 1916. With pleasant flying character ...

* 1917

SE5a The Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 is a British biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War. It was developed at the Royal Aircraft Factory by a team consisting of Henry Folland, John Kenworthy and Major Frank Goodden. It was one of the fast ...

* 1939 Vultee

BT-13 Valiant The Vultee BT-13 Valiant is an American World War II-era basic (a category between primary and advanced) trainer aircraft built by Vultee Aircraft for the United States Army Air Corps, and later US Army Air Forces. A subsequent variant of the B ...

* Mullicoupe by Younkin/Dake (Mulicoupe is a combination of a

Monocoupe 90 The Monocoupe 90 was a two-seat, light cabin airplane built by Donald A. Luscombe for Monocoupe Aircraft.Eden and Moeng 2002 p. 993 The first Monocoupe (Model 5) was built in an abandoned church in Davenport, Iowa, and first flew on April 1, 192 ...

and a MrMulligan)

References

Footnotes

* ¹History behind the capital "F" in LaFayette: There are two different usages of Lafayette and LaFayette. The capital F comes from the French spelling as written on the French Air Corp certificates as presented to each flyer of the Escadrille. The LaFayette Foundation decided to use the capital F in many of their documents and writings. Other authors and the general public will use the small F for their writings and general reference to L.E. The French General,

LaFayette Lafayette or La Fayette may refer to: People * Lafayette (name), a list of people with the surname Lafayette or La Fayette or the given name Lafayette * House of La Fayette, a French noble family ** Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757� ...

was the origin name when the French Air Corp renamed the Americana Escadrille to LaFayette Escadrille in honor of General LaFayette who helped General

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

in the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

. * ²In 1983 during this late L.E. reunion that the surviving members of the Corps made Dr. James Parks an Honorary Member #9 of the Corp.

External links

Lafayette Pilots' Memorial

New England Air Museum's Lafayette Escadrille Online Exhibit

Motivations of the Lafayette Escadrille Pilots
by Guy Nasuti {{authority control Aerospace museums in Colorado Military and war museums in Colorado Museums in Weld County, Colorado World War I museums in the United States

Flying aircraft on display

See also

References

Footnotes

External links