Classic Aircraft Aviation Museum facts for kids
Museum logo
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| Established | 1998 |
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| Location | Hillsboro, Oregon, United States |
| Type | Aviation |
| Founder | Roger Kelsay |
| Public transit access | Fair Complex / Hillsboro Airport |
The Classic Aircraft Aviation Museum is a cool place in Hillsboro, Oregon where you can see amazing airplanes! It's located at the Hillsboro Airport in Oregon. This museum started in 1998. What's special is that many planes here can still fly, or they are being fixed up to fly again. In 2010, the museum had 15 aircraft. Doug Donkel was the director then.
Museum History
The museum's story began with Roger Kelsay. He started a company called Premier Jets in 1984. It was a charter flight company at the Hillsboro Airport. Over time, Roger began collecting old military airplanes.
One of his first planes was a MiG-17F from 1995. This jet was built in 1958 and used to fly for the Polish Air Force. Roger Kelsay then founded the Classic Aircraft Aviation Museum in 1998. He gave many of his planes to the museum's collection.
The museum's planes have even performed at air shows! In 2006, their former Polish Air Force MiG-17F flew. A BAC Jet Provost Mk.3A from the Royal Air Force (UK) also performed. They flew these same planes at the 2007 air show too.
In 2007, the museum bought a MiG 21 fighter jet. It had been on display at a car dealership! The museum planned to fix it up so it could fly again. Later that year, they received an F-104G from Taiwan.
In 2009, a Douglas C-47A joined the museum. This plane was built in 1942. It's the military version of the famous DC-3 passenger plane. This C-47A used to be in the Royal Canadian Air Force. It was later used to carry cargo.
The museum was back at the Hillsboro air show in 2010. They showed off their Douglas A-26C Invader, MiG-17F, and F-86 Sabre. In 2016, the museum had to move some of its planes. This was because they lost the lease for one of their hangars. Some planes were sent to the Tillamook Air Museum.
What You Can See and Do
The museum is located in a hangar that used to belong to Roger Kelsay's company, Premier Jets. Roger Kelsay still owns most of the aircraft in the museum. The main goal for all the planes is to make them airworthy again. This means they can fly safely.
Volunteers spend thousands of hours restoring these amazing aircraft. The museum is really good at fixing up old planes. They also have other cool aviation items. These include old engines, ground equipment, and even ejection seats! The museum wants to teach people about aviation. They do this by showing off working aircraft.
Besides restoring planes, volunteers also give tours of the hangar. They help put on exhibitions. The museum is free to visit! It is open Monday through Thursday.
Airplanes in the Collection
The museum has many different types of aircraft. They come from places like Poland, Turkey, and Taiwan. Not all of the planes are kept at the Hillsboro hangar.
Here are some of the aircraft you might see:
- Two F-104s
- One Northrop F-5
- Two Douglas A-26C Tankers
- One Douglas C-47A
- One BAC Jet Provost
- One MiG 17F
- Two MiG 21s
- One CL-13 Mk.6 Sabre
- One Fouga CM-170 Magister
- One Hawker Hunter F Mk.51
See also
- List of aerospace museums
