Museum of Flight facts for kids
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The museum's Great Gallery in 2005
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| Former name | Pacific Museum of Flight |
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| Established | 1965 |
| Location | King County International Airport (Boeing Field) 9404 E. Marginal Way Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Type | Aviation museum |
| Visitors | 500,000+ per year |
The Museum of Flight is a super cool place in the Seattle metropolitan area where you can explore amazing air and space history! It's a private museum located right next to King County International Airport in Tukwila, just south of Seattle. It started way back in 1965.
This museum is the biggest private air and space museum in the whole world! More than 500,000 people visit every year. It also helps over 140,000 students learn about aviation and space through special programs. These include a Challenger Learning Center, an Aviation Learning Center, and even a summer camp called ACE.
Contents
Discovering the Museum's History
How the Museum Began
The Museum of Flight started thanks to a group called the Pacific Northwest Aviation Historical Foundation in 1965. Their first big project was finding and fixing up a 1929 Boeing 80A-1 airplane. They found it in Anchorage, Alaska! It took them 16 years to restore it. Once it was finished, this awesome plane became a main attraction at the museum.
In 1968, the name "Museum of Flight" was first used. The museum rented a space at the Seattle Center. Soon, people started planning for a bigger, permanent home.
The Historic Red Barn
In 1975, the museum got a very special building for just one dollar! It was the William E. Boeing Red Barn. This old wooden building, built in 1909, was the very first home of the Boeing company. It was moved by barge (a flat boat) two miles up the Duwamish River to its current spot. After being carefully restored, the Red Barn opened to the public in 1983.
The Great Gallery and Space Exploration
A big fundraising effort began in 1983 to build the T.A. Wilson Great Gallery. This huge building opened in 1987. It's so big it can hold more than 20 hanging aircraft, including a Douglas DC-3 that weighs over nine tons!
In 1992, the museum added a Challenger Learning Center. This cool exhibit lets students pretend they are on a Space Shuttle mission. It has a mock-up NASA mission control room. You can do experiments just like real space researchers!
Famous Planes Arrive
In 1994, the museum got even bigger with a cafe and meeting rooms. One of the most famous planes, the Lockheed M-21, was put on display. This unique plane was designed to carry Lockheed D-21 spy drones.
In 1996, the first jet-powered Air Force One (the plane that carries the U.S. President) arrived. It's a Boeing VC-137B that served from 1959 to 1996. You can walk through it!
In 1997, the museum opened an interactive Air Traffic Control tower exhibit. It overlooks the busy runways of Boeing Field. You can see what it's like to be an air traffic controller.
Wings of Courage and Space Dreams
The J. Elroy McCaw Personal Courage Wing opened in 2004. This wing has over 25 amazing World War I and World War II aircraft. It also has a huge collection of model planes from both wars. Many of these planes came from the Champlin Fighter Museum.
In 2010, the museum started building a new home for a Space Shuttle it hoped to get from NASA. This new building, the Charles Simonyi Space Gallery, opened in 2012. It tells stories from the people who designed, flew, and worked on the Space Shuttle.
While the museum didn't get a real Space Shuttle, it received the Full Fuselage Trainer (FFT). This is a life-sized model used to train all Space Shuttle astronauts! You can even take guided tours inside it for an extra charge.
In 2019, for the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, the museum hosted a special exhibit. It featured the actual Apollo Command module Columbia, which was used during the first Moon landing!
Amazing Aircraft on Display
The Museum of Flight has more than 150 aircraft! Here are some of the cool ones you can see:
- Lockheed Model 10-E Electra: This plane was carefully restored to look just like the one Amelia Earhart was flying when she disappeared.
- Boeing 747: See the very first flight-worthy Boeing 747, called City of Everett. You can walk through it!
- Boeing VC-137B SAM 970: This was the first presidential jet. It served presidents from 1959 to 1996. You can walk through this one too!
- Concorde 214: This super fast Concorde jet (from British Airways) is one of only four on display outside of Europe. You can walk through it!
- Caproni Ca.20: This is the world's first fighter plane from World War I. The one at the museum is the only one ever built!
- de Havilland Comet: The world's first jet airliner.
- Lockheed D-21: An unmanned spy drone, displayed on top of the M-21.
- Lockheed M-21: A rare spy plane, the only one of its kind left.
- Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird: See the cockpit section of this incredibly fast spy plane.
- Boeing 737: The very first Boeing 737-100 prototype.
- Boeing 787 Dreamliner: The third prototype of the modern 787 Dreamliner. You can walk through it!
- Lockheed Martin RQ-3 DarkStar: A prototype of a stealthy unmanned drone.
- MacCready Gossamer Albatross II: An amazing human-powered aircraft that looks like a giant bicycle with wings.
- Aerocar International's Aerocar: One of only five surviving "flying cars" – a car with detachable wings and a propeller!
- Boeing 80A: The only surviving 80A, flown by famous pilot Bob Reeve in Alaska.
- Boeing 727-100 (E1): The original prototype of the Boeing 727.
- Lockheed L-1049G Super Constellation: A classic propeller plane with a distinctive triple tail.
Cool Exhibits and Places to Explore
The museum has lots of different areas to explore:
- Personal Courage Wing (PCW): This wing features 28 amazing World War I and World War II aircraft from many countries.
- The Red Barn: This historic building was Boeing's original factory! Inside, you can see how wooden aircraft were made long ago. It shows the history of aviation up to 1958.
- Space: Exploring the New Frontier: This exhibit, opened in 2007, takes you on a journey through space flight. It starts with early rocket pioneers and goes all the way to future commercial space travel.
Restoration Center
The museum has a special place at Paine Field in Everett where they fix up old planes. They have about 39 projects going on, including a de Havilland Comet 4 jet airliner!
Museum Library and Archives
The Harl V. Brackin Library at the Museum of Flight has tons of books and magazines about aerospace and aviation. The Museum of Flight Archives also has millions of photos and historical documents. You can even find some of these materials online!
Other Awesome Facilities
- Raisbeck Aviation High School: This special high school, focused on science and aviation, is right next to the museum's Airpark. Students here learn a lot about planes and space!
- Aviation Pavilion: Opened in 2016, this huge covered area lets the museum display even more of its iconic aircraft all year round. It doubles the museum's exhibit space! You can see 18 of the museum's most famous planes here, including a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a Boeing B-29 Superfortress.
- Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Park: This park, opened in 2019, features the fully restored B-52 Midnight Express. It's a free outdoor area for everyone to visit.
See also
- List of aerospace museums
