The Roberson Mansion

Edwin A. Link and the Air Age

Edwin A. Link was an explorer and experimenter all his life. His greatest contribution to aviation – the development of ground based flight training – made it possible to train large numbers of pilots safely and efficiently. Like other aviators of his day, Link helped to make the romance of flight a practical possibility for nearly everyone.

This relationship between the romance and the practicality of flight is explored in the exhibition “Edwin A. Link and the Air Age” at the Roberson Science Center.

The exhibition includes examples of pilots’ clothing, early aircraft instruments, large scale model aircrafts, World War II posters and artifacts, and film footage from the Binghamton region in the nineteen twenties, thirties, and forties. It also includes interactive stations and games. The centerpiece of the exhibition is a recreation of a World War II era Link Trainer classroom, including an early Link instrument trainer – the Blue Box. Finally the exhibition challenges the visitor to examine his or her own relationship with the airplane, and with other forms of technology.