Since I was a child I can remember driving to Seattle. One of the highlights of this drive was always as we were getting near to my cousin’s house and passed an airport along the side of the I-5 freeway. I can remember being told that this airport is where Boeing would test planes. What I didn’t know is that there also happened to be a flight museum at the location as well. I always wanted to stop and check out the airport, however, that would be possible. Little did I know just how awesome an experience that would be!
The airport referenced above is the King County International Airport. Commonly known as Boeing Field, this was the original airport for the Seattle area. Today, it is also the home of The Museum of Flight. This museum is the largest independent, non-profit air and space museum in the world. It is also very much worth visiting for any aviation fans!
The Museum of Flight
Origins
The origins of The Museum of Flight date back to 1964 when the Pacific Northwest Aviation Historical Foundation was founded. They wanted to save historical artifacts of aviation that they recognized were disappearing quickly. By the following year, enough artifacts had been collected to necessitate a place to both store and display them. This was eventually found in a 10,000-square-foot space at the Seattle Center. This was also the location of the 1962 World’s Fair. This location was where the first Museum of Flight exhibits were displayed.
A Permanent Home
The current home for The Museum of Flight came to be in 1975. The Port of Seattle leased the land where the Boeing Red Barn now sits to the Museum for 99 years. The Red Barn is the birthplace of The Boeing Company and was saved from demolition where it originally stood on the Duwamish River. Then, it was floated by barge to its current location. The Red Barn was restored. In 1983, it became the first permanent location for The Museum of Flight.
Growth
As time went by, The Museum of Flight grew. In 1987, the Great Gallery was added to the complex. This was followed by the Library and Archives building in 2002. 2004 saw the addition of the J. Elroy McCaw Personal Courage Wing. The Charles Simonyi Space Gallery joined in 2011. Finally, the Aviation Pavilion was added to the complex in 2016. Nearly a decade later, the museum continues to expand its exhibits, experiences, and educational programs. All of this is in an effort to pay homage to the history of flight and also inspire generations with the possibilities for the future that come from the foundation that is found in the history of flight.
An Afternoon at the Museum
Last year, before a flight with a few hours to spare, it was decided that visiting The Museum of Flight would be a good idea. The whole experience was fantastic. The only downside was not having more time to explore all of the incredible planes found throughout the museum. In total, there are over 175 planes to be found, looked at, and even boarded! On top of that, there are artifacts, photos, and more to be seen and explored!
Aviation Pavilion
We arrived at the museum in the early afternoon and after a quick lunch, dashed our way across a bridge, past a Space Shuttle replica and experience, and to the Aviation Pavilion. This was my highest priority as I had read there was the first Air Force One jet, the first Boeing 727, 737, and 747 jets, a Concord, Boeing 787 Dreamliner, and much, much more! This pavilion did NOT disappoint. I could have spent an entire day just exploring all of these planes and their histories.
The first plane that was seen when walking into the pavilion was a beautiful Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress from World War II. Behind it, there was a gorgeous B-29 Superfortress. Throughout the 19-acre pavilion, many other planes could be seen and explored. This included what I think was a Skyhawk that was a part of the Blue Angels, along with many other jets that spanned decades of aviation history.
As I mentioned before, this pavilion alone could have taken the entire day to explore. It was incredible getting to climb up into some of these different planes. As we boarded the Air Force One, an employee shared stories about the plane’s history in service and also its life at the museum. For example, someone decided to be dumb and mess with the plane. As it turns out, because it is on loan from the Federal government, damaging this particular plane is a Federal crime! While we climbed up into several of the planes that offered the opportunity (including the Concord!), there simply wasn’t enough time to stop and check out every single airplane at this location. After all, there were several other exhibits to check out and the museum would be closing in just a couple of hours! So… we rushed.
After dashing around the Aviation Pavilion and quickly snapping pictures, it was time to check out more of the museum. There was a LOT of ground to cover and not a lot of time to make it all happen. Most of the rest of the museum is a bit of a blur, as literally seconds were spent looking at each airplane and location that we could visit.
There was also an event happening at the museum that night, so The Red Barn, the original home of the Boeing Company, was closed off to guests. A bigger exhibit was also preparing to close as well so we had to move fast!
Personal Courage Wing – World War I and World War II Fighters
The next stop was an exhibit on World War II fighters. It was in the Personal Courage Wing of the museum. Having been an avid reader about the history of World War II since I was six years old, this seemed like a great place to visit. There were some iconic airplanes from this era of aviation history. Sadly, we really didn’t have a lot of time to read about any of them. We did get to see a Spitfire, Chance Vought F4U Corsair, P-38 Lightning, P-51 Mustang, and more. It really was incredible to see how beautifully restored and maintained these planes were. There were also planes from other countries that were friends and foes as well.
This exhibit quickly led us into a World War I exhibit with multiple fighters as well. Here we found a Curtiss biplane, also known as a “Jenny.” There were multiple other old school planes, interactive exhibits, and other information that we simply didn’t have time to really appreciate in the way I would have liked. Guess we’ll have to go back! Some of these planes, like the various Fokker planes, I recognized. Others, I didn’t. While I have read about World War I, I’m not as adept at identifying planes from this era.
With less than an hour before the museum closed, it was time to start making tough choices The decision was made to go for a quick look at as many planes as possible instead of focusing on some of the experiences that were offered. There are some really awesome experiences to be had at this museum! It was a tough decision, but in the end, probably the right call.
Great Gallery
Knowing we wanted to see as many plans as possible, we headed for the Great Gallery. This is where there are a ton of planes hanging from the ceiling of this beautiful room with walls and a ceiling made mostly of windows. The light coming in really was lovely as the dozens (maybe more) of planes could be wandered around. There were also some planes sitting on the different levels. Not all of these were accessible as tables were being put into place for another part of the evening’s event.
What was great about this room was that it was a celebration of a century of flights. Some planes dated back to the beginning of powered flight and others followed through the decades of aviation history and development. There were also some pretty awesome helicopters found in the room as well. As I wandered around the room, my eyes kept being drawn to an old Alaska Airlines DC-3 that hung near the middle of the room. Having just visited Alaska, it was on my brain, I’m sure. It was also impossible to miss the SR-71A Blackbird that was in the middle of the gallery on the lower level. We quickly made our way around the outside of the room.
The Tower
On the far side of the room, a hallway led to the outside of the building. This was on the upper level of the building. This was an exhibit called The Tower at Boeing Field. It was an interactive exhibit for what it was like to be in a control tower. It also happened to be a great place to watch airplanes on the runway outside. On this particular day, there was also a lovely view of Mount Rainier. This exhibit would be a great place to hang out and watch planes come and go if one had the time!
Visiting Space on the Way Out
Recognizing that time was very short, it was time to depart as the museum would be closing very soon. We also wanted to hit the gift shop on the way out as we are suckers for space/NASA/Space Snoopy merchandise. While making our way to the front of the museum, we stopped by the Apollo exhibit on the way out through the Great Gallery. It was awesome. Wish we had more time to notice anything beyond it looking really cool! Sadly, we didn’t.
After a quick trip through the gift shop (yes, I found an awesome mug), we made our way out and to the car and ultimately the airport for the flight back to California. It was an incredible day of seeing planes and experiencing aviation history in a way that isn’t found very often.
As we drove away, I thought of going down to the Portland International Airport with my grandpa as a kid to watch planes take off and land. As they arrived and departed, he would point out what types of planes they were. This helped foster a love of airplanes that continues today. Eventually, I would get an airplane dictionary in the 90s and continue to learn more about airplanes. While I have visited several aviation museums through the years, this one might be my favorite to date. I look forward to returning to it again!
If you’d like more information about The Museum of Flight, simply visit museumofflight.org. The museum is generally open from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. It is very easy to spend a full day there (or perhaps more than one). Tickets can be purchased on the website or in person. There are also several ways to get discounts that are listed on the website. As of the writing of this post, the museum offers free admission in the evenings of the first Thursday of the month from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM.
What do you think of The Museum of Flight? Have you visited it before? If so, what was your favorite thing about it? If you haven’t, are you going to, and what are you most looking forward to? Let me know in the comments below!
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