Amelia Earhart was a promising young pilot in 1932, but it was her solo transatlantic flight that brought her from a rising star to a figure of legend. Earhart was the first woman and only second pilot ever to across the Atlantic alone, following Charles Lindbergh five years before. After a dangerous crossing filled with storms, instrument trouble, and an engine fire, Earhart touched down near Derry, Northern Ireland, instantly becoming an aviation legend.

This specimen is a fragment of fabric swatch from Earhart's "Little Red Bus," the Lockheed Martin Vega 5B that she used to cross the Atlantic. With her landing in Derry, Earhart became the second person and first woman to cross the ocean flying solo.

The SR-71 was built for speed and stealth. Setting records as the world's fastest manned aircraft, the SR-71 easily cruised at more than three times the speed of sound. For those lucky few who were able to fly the SR-71, the experience turned out to be something also quasi-religious. That sense of reverence also extended to those who faced the SR-71 as an enemy aircraft. Viktor Belenko, the soviet MiG pilot who defected to Japan in 1976 wrote, "They taunted and toyed with the MiG-25s sent up to intercept them, scooting up to altitudes we could not reach, and circling leisurely above them or dashing off at speeds we could not match."

This specimen is a metallic fragment from SR-71 61-7956, also known as NASA 831. With 1,454 successful flights and 3,967.5 flight hours, this craft holds the record for the most flight time regularly soaring above 80,000 ft at speeds greater than Mach 3.2. It is also believed to be the single most photographed Blackbird aircraft.

Taking to the skies is a common feature of our lives today, but there was a time when catching a flight was an extravagant luxury. When it was built, the Boeing 747 revolutionized the airline industry as the first jumbo jet. Carrying more seats at a lower cost, the plane allowed the average person to experience the thrill of flight.

This specimen is a fragment of the horizontal stabilizer of a 747 that was in service to Aer Lingus for 16 years. Designated EI-BED and also known as St. Kieran/Ciarán, this 747 was one of hundreds of planes that took to the skies during the Golden Age of Air Travel. EI-BED left service in 1995 and was scrapped the following year.

Traveling at a top speed of Mach 2.04, the Concorde was the first supersonic commercial aircraft in history. While it was retired in 2003, the aircraft represented a collaborative effort between British and French engineers that resulted in one of the most powerful aircraft engines of the time.

Recovered from one of the jet engines powering the sleek ship, this specimen is a fragment of one of a Concorde's compressor vanes. Featured in the Fourth Edition of the Mini Museum, we are proud to present the Concorde in add-on form, complete in our classic, glass-topped riker box with certificate of authenticity.