National Aviation Education Center World War II Nose Art AR App
The Henry B. Tippie National Aviation Education Center (NAEC), named in honor of Mr. Tippie, a World War II veteran, is the flagship of the American Airpower Heritage Museum (AAHM). Groove Jones helped the NAEC with multiple digital experiences to launch their new 47,000-square-foot facility at Dallas Executive Airport.
Official NAEC App – World War II Nose Art AR App Experience
Groove Jones created the official App for the NAEC. One of the cornerstone features of the App is an AR (Augmented Reality) experience for the museum’s Nose Art Exhibit.
The NAEC’s Nose Art Gallery features a selection of authentic World War II Aviation Nose Art and is a Smithsonian-certified collection. The nose art collection consists of panels cut from the forward position, or “noses” of WWII aircraft fuselages containing the artistic impressions of pin-up girls.
Through the power of AR (Augmented Reality), you can see the planes flying in the air, surrounded by clouds, with the ability to toggle a map below that highlights the plane’s mission maps.
Fans and enthusiasts of WWII aircraft will be blown away by the attention to detail of the B-17 and B-24 warbirds.
The App also features numerous images of the nose art and archival photos from World War II and the post-war scrapping of surplus aircraft.
The Voice Behind the Stories
We brought in voice actor Major Attaway to provide the audio narration for the individual stories. He is best known for being the longest-running Genie in Disney’s Aladdin on Broadway and providing the voices for Arcadios, Desmond Rutaganda, and Ton Jravolta. He is a 20+ year veteran entertainer who began his career in the Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX area. We were thrilled to have him and his talented voice in our sound booth. Major can also be seen in an upcoming HBO series as well as in The Netflix original series Orange is the New Black.
Experience It On-Site or At Home
The mobile AR App is free and is available on the iOS App Store and Google Play Store.
Apple iOS – https://apps.apple.com/eg/app/naec-nose-art-experience/id1588292087
Google Play – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.GrooveJones.NAEC.NoseArt
About the Nose Art Exhibit
Vintage nose art fans can thank an Arkansas man named Minot Pratt for saving these works of art from the scrap heap. Pratt was a manager at the junkyard in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, where thousands of aircraft were sent to be cut up and disassembled after the war’s end. He liked the hand-painted pinup girls featured on the planes, and he instructed his workmen to remove them before destroying the aircraft. The metal scraps adorned with pinup girls were stored in a barn until the mid-1960s, when they were donated to the CAF (Commemorative Air Force).
The CAF was founded in 1957 when several pilots came together to ensure the aircraft’s legacy and the men and women who built, flew, and maintained them during World War II were not forgotten.
The CAF is the nation’s leading organization devoted to educating, inspiring, and honoring flight and living history experiences. The CAF National Airbase is now the host-site for the NAEC facility.
The CAF owns and operates more than 170 aircraft in 80 units across the United States—the most extensive collection of vintage military aircraft globally. Educational outreach impacts millions of Americans through school presentations, airshows, flight demonstrations, and educational activities.
Tuskegee Airmen “Pepper’s Ghost Hologram” Exhibit
Groove Jones worked with Jeremy McCarter of Bellwether Prototype to develop the Tuskegee Airmen “Pepper’s Ghost Hologram” found within the Arsenal of Democracy exhibit in the museum. The immersive exhibit hall tells the story of different groups that played key roles in America’s victory in World War II. The Tuskegee Airmen section uses a Pepper’s Ghost effect, which includes audio and animation.
For this experience, we created the dog fight scene around a physical airplane model on display.
There is no such thing as a stationary airplane at the Henry B Tippie National Aviation Education Center. Aircraft fly in and out of the Victor N. Agather STEM Innovation Hangar, giving tours and educating people across the country.
For more information, visit – https://flynaec.org
Award-Winning Work
