Calgary museum offers an innovative way to create a real-life flying experience

A heavily-corroded CF-100 Canuck, on display outside The Hangar Flight Museum, is heavily corroded and would require extensive restoration to return it to museum quality

Calgary — The Hangar Flight Museum is hosting an exhibition that allows players to experience authentic aircraft flying only by moving their bodies.

Ace Academy: Flight Experience is a digital interactive exhibition space where players enter an immersive environment and stimulate the flying experience by moving their arms up and down and tilting their bodies.

Authentic imagery allows players to manoeuvre aircrafts on the screen while flying realistic versions of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum's airplanes.

The flying experience is based on Ace Academy, an educational game produced by the Canada Aviation and Space Museum.

"We are excited to have this travelling exhibition at The Hangar Flight Museum from August through the remainder of 2020. This is the perfect time to have an engaging experience that puts the visitor in the game that is also touch-point free," said president and CEO of Ingenium Christina Tessier in a release. "Museums are innovating and looking at exhibits in different ways right now to create an experience with lasting memories that is still safe to engage with during the pandemic. Ace Academy is a perfect example of that type of experience."

The game features other aircrafts from the museum's extensive First World War collection.

"Much like aviation technology affected the development of this field over a century ago, today's digital technology is affecting the way museums engage with their audience. We are taking a number of strategic steps at our museums to broaden our national and international reach by leveraging exciting new technologies and expanding their use to include travelling exhibitions."

The Hangar Flight Museum is currently open from Thursday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Admission tickets are currently available online and walk-ins are welcome.