| Tillamook Air Museum | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Established | 1992 |
| Location | Tillamook, Oregon, United States |
| Type | Private: aerospace |
| Website | TillamookAir.com |
Tillamook Air Museum is an aviation museum located south of Tillamook, Oregon at Tillamook Airport . The museum is housed in a former military blimp hangar, called "Hangar B", which is the largest clear-span wooden structure in the world.[1] Tillamook Air Museum has been described as "one of the country's top private World War II aircraft collections".[2]
Constructed by the US Navy in 1942 during World War II for Naval Air Station Tillamook, the hangar building housing the aircraft is 1,072 feet (327 m) long and 296 feet (90 m) wide, giving it over 6 acres (24,000 m2) of area. It stands at 192 feet (59 m) tall. The doors weigh 30 tons each and are 120 feet (37 m) tall. Hangar "B" is one of two that were built on the site originally, Hangar "A" was destroyed by fire in August,1992.[3][4]
A portion of the blimp hangar is now leased by the Hillsboro, Oregon-based American Blimp Corporation which is the largest manufacturer of blimps in the United States.
In April 2013, the museum announced that it was planning to move from Tillamook to Madras, Oregon, sometime before the end of its lease of the blimp hangar, which extends to January 2016.[5]
Aerial view of the museum hangar
Collections[]
The museum features a collection of over 30 aircraft. This is a listing of some of the more notable:
Aero Spacelines Mini Guppy
- Aero Spacelines Mini Guppy
- Aero L-29 Delfin
- Bellanca Air Cruiser 1938
- Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
- Boeing PT-17 Stearman
- Chance Vought A-7 Corsair
- Chance Vought F4U-7 Corsair 13372
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External shot of Hangar B
- Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina
- Douglas AD-4W Skyraider
- Douglas A-26 Invader
- Douglas A-4B Skyhawk
- Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber
- C-47 Skytrain
- Fairchild GK-1
- Martin AM-1 Mauler
- Grumman F-14A Tomcat
External shot of Hangar B showing doors
- Grumman FM-2 Wildcat
- Grumman TBM Avenger
- Kaman HTK -1 Helicopter
- Lockheed PV-2 Harpoon
- Lockheed P2V-7 Neptune
- Lockheed P-38 Lightning
- Messerschmitt Bf 109
Interior shot of Tillamook Air Museum
The Museum also features an exhibit hall with a large collection of rare historical wartime and aviation artifacts including pieces of the great German airship the Hindenburg and a WWII Luftwaffe flight jacket.
See also[]
- Evergreen Aviation Museum, in McMinnville, Oregon: houses the Spruce Goose
- List of aerospace museums
- Marine Corps Air Station Tustin
- Moffett Federal Airfield
- Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum in Hood River, Oregon
References[]
- ↑ Larsen, Jeff Short Trips: Slice of history and a wedge of cheese Seattle-PI 2002-03-21 retrieved 2008-04-24
- ↑ 10 great places to remember World War II USA Today 2004-06-04 retrieved 2008-04-24
- ↑ Tillamook Air Museum: Building
- ↑ U.S. Naval Air Station Dirigible Hangars
- ↑ Tobias, Lori (May 6, 2013 (print edition of May 7, p. 1)). "Future of Tillamook blimp hangar in question as air museum prepares to move". http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2013/05/future_of_tillamook_blimp_hang.html. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tillamook Air Museum. |
- Photos of aircraft at Tillamook Air Museum at Airliners.net
- Aviation: From Sand Dunes to Sonic Booms, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary
- Hardt, Ulrich H. "Naval Air Station Tillamook/Tillamook Air Museum". Naval Air Station Tillamook/Tillamook Air Museum. http://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/naval_air_station_tillamook_tillamook_air_museum/.
Coordinates: 45°25′13″N 123°48′17″W / 45.420391°N 123.804835°W
The original article can be found at Tillamook Air Museum and the edit history here.