Museum of Flight
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Coordinates: 47°31′08″N 122°18′00″W / 47.519°N 122.3°W
The Museum of Flight is a private non-profit air and space museum at King County International Airport/Boeing Field in Tukwila, Washington, south of downtown Seattle. It was established in 1965 and is fully accredited by the American Association of Museums. As the largest private air and space museum in the world, it also hosts the largest K-12 educational programs in the world. In 2006 it served nearly 120,000 students through both its onsite programs (A Challenger Learning Center, an Aviation Learning Center and a summer camp (ACE) and outreach programs that travel throughout Washington and Oregon. It has more than 80 aircraft, including:
- City of Everett, the first flight-worthy Boeing 747 airliner. Its registration number is N7470, and it was named after the city of Everett, Washington. Its first flight was on February 9, 1969.
- the first presidential jet, VC-137B SAM 970, which served in the presidential fleet from 1959 to 1996 (open for walkthrough)
- British Airways Concorde number 214, registration G-BOAG, the only Concorde west of the Appalachians (open for walkthrough)
- a Caproni Ca.20, the world's first fighter plane from World War I
- Lockheed D-21 unmanned reconnaissance drone, atop the only surviving M-21 a variant of the Lockheed A-12.
- the prototype Boeing 737.
- the second Lockheed Martin/Boeing DarkStar Tier III- unmanned vehicle prototype
- the Gossamer Albatross II human-powered aircraft.
- one of five Aerocars, automobiles with detachable wings and propeller
- LearAvia Lear Fan prototype N626BL
- one of only two remaining flyable Douglas DC-2s.
- the only surviving Boeing 80A, flown by Bob Reeve in Alaska.
- An American Airlines Boeing 727.
On its grounds is the Personal Courage Wing (PCW) with 28 World War I and World War II aircraft from several countries including Germany, Russia, and Japan, and The "Red Barn", a registered historic site. In the early 1900s it was Boeing's original manufacturing plant. Through photographs, film, oral histories, and restoration of work stations the exhibits in the Red Barn illustrate how wooden aircraft structure with fabric overlays were manufactured in the early years of aviation and provides a history of aviation development through 1958. The Museum recently opened a new space exhibit: "Space: Exploring the New Frontier", which traces the evolution of space flight from the times of Dr. Robert Goddard to the present and into future commercial spaceflight.
The museum maintains a restoration facility at Paine Field in Everett with about 39 ongoing projects including a de Havilland Comet 4 jet airliner, a Jetstar, a FM-2 Wildcat, among many. A previous project, the only flyable Boeing 247 in existence, is based from the airfield at the restoration center. A restored B-17, currently the only flyable B-17F variant of the B-17 and a B-29 in progress are currently hangared at Boeing Field. Joining the B-17 and B-29 in the same hangar is a restored ex-Trans-Canada Air Lines Lockheed L-1049G Super Constellation which was saved from its deteriorating position at Toronto Pearson International Airport in 2005.
The Museum currently has an attendance of about 500,000 visitors every year from throughout the world.
The Museum also has a library dedicated to aviation that is open to the public. The library contains the Dalhberg military aviation collection and the Jeppesen collection. The library also accepts research requests from the general public.
Other large collections of flying historic aircraft
- USA
- The National Museum of the United States Air Force, in Dayton, Ohio
- The National Museum of Naval Aviation, in Pensacola, Florida
- Commemorative Air Force, in Midland, Texas.
- Fantasy of Flight, in Polk City, Florida.
- The Lone Star Flight Museum in Galveston, Texas.
- Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, in Fairfax County, Virginia.
- The Yankee Air Museum in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
- The Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum in St Louis, Missouri.
- The Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
- The Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum, Hood River, Oregon.
- Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, McMinnville, Oregon.
- Europe
- Royal Air Force Museum, Hendon, England.
- Battle of Britain Memorial Flight at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire, UK.
- Shuttleworth Collection at Old Warden near Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, UK.
- Imperial War Museum Duxford near Cambridge, UK.
- Museo del Aire (Spain), Cuatro Vientos Airport, Madrid, Spain.
- Rest of the world
- The Alpine Fighter Collection in Wanaka, New Zealand.
- The Israeli Air Force Museum near Beersheba, Israel.
References
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Museum of Flight, Seattle |
- Museum of Flight official website
- Interview with Museum of Flight Director, Dr. Bonnie Dunbar (11/05)
- Yahoo! travel guide
- Aviation: From Sand Dunes to Sonic Booms, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary