port townsend aero museum

This little museum is a nice addition to our airport. It supports a youth involvement program and you may see teenagers working on the planes - for w which they can get flying lessons. It's a very interesting way to spend and hour or two.

Ok, so they're small. A single hanger for the museum. But really, how much do you expect to be in such an out of the way place as Port Townsend? However, their collection is pretty impressive for such a small spot. They have some quite rare planes, and they actually fly them! How many air museums have nothing but display aircraft? Pretty much every one I've been to before. This place actually takes a large portion of their aircraft up into the air where they belong. And to do so, they have a volunteer program where they teach youth to restore and fly aircraft. So it's not just a collection of retirees enjoying the aircraft of their youth. They are teaching the youth of today a useful trade and an appreciation for classic aircraft.

We stopped at this museum on the spur of the moment. Beautiful restorations of historic aircraft of all kinds.

This is a wonderful little museum, with beautifully displayed exhibits. All of the planes are vintage, each with an interesting history. The information is concise; you don't have to read and read and read to learn something significant. The walls are hung with old photos and paintings, and the ceilings are hung with planes! Many of the planes on display are flown by staff, and all are kept in top shape by a full time mechanic, and the youth enrolled in the museum's training program. The kids start off mowing lawns and cleaning bathrooms, and move on to assist in the care and maintenance of the planes. Eventually they learn to fly and get their pilots license. The program is rigorous, requiring a commitment of one day a week, every week. We were told that one participant comes from Tacoma, WA, an hour and a half drive away. These kids learn a wide variety of skills, but one of the most important is to show up! It would be worth twice the price of admission just to support the program. All the time that we were inside, we could hear planes landing and taking off, adding to the overall ambiance. We recommend going on a day with good flying weather! This museum is entirely staffed with volunteers, except for the full time mechanic, and they do a great job.We also recommend eating at The Spruce Goose Cafe, next door to the museum.

My husband is an air buff and I thought he would enjoy seeing the old planes. i didn't know what to expect. Apparently they have a program where they teach kids how to restore planes and to fly them. The planes on display were awesome and there was a lot of history represented. They even had a Model A and Model T ford. Definitely worth your time.

Stopped in on a whim, didn't expect such a beautiful collection of gorgeous and meticulously restored vintage aircraft. Admission of $10 per adult was well worth it, especially knowing that it goes towards the collection and towards the youth program they run - teaching kids about aircraft maintenance and restoration.....Spent time chatting with the owner, an older man with a wealth of aviation experience and quite a character ! Great stories ( he has probably forgotten more stories than I'll ever have !). The collection, while relatively small compared to a larger museum, is beautiful, historically interesting, and most of it is quite flyable ! Plenty of artwork to peruse, some interesting old artifacts (like an MD-80 simulator) all in a spotless environment. There's a cafe next door (The Spruce Goose) unrelated to the museum, great pie and coffee, you can watch airplanes take off and land, with an interesting collection of their own - dozens of airplane models hanging from the ceiling.....All said, well worth an hour or two as you travel near Pt Townsend, especially for the aviation enthusiast.....

Nice collection of vintage airplanes and equipment. Well worth the visit. Museum also has a program training youth in aircraft rebuilding skills. Their academic skills are emphasize also.

This is a small local museum but don't let that fool you. The aircraft are lovingly restored and look new. Surprisingly, most have been brought back to flyable condition. (Some aviation museums just do much of their collections cosmetically). I was impressed with the diversity of the collection. Most of the planes are from the 1920s-1940s and they are mostly civilian. That's also unusual. It was a window into a side of aviation that I have not seen very much of and I really enjoyed it. They also have a lot of models and some paintings.I met the older man that runs the place and can't see what some people are complaining about. He answered my questions politely and when one of my friends asked about something inside one of the planes he took the rope down and let us close enough to stick our heads in the door and look.Length of visit is a hard question, If you are not an aviation enthusiast you can get in and around in an hour or less. If you love small, historic aircraft you need to allow a couple of hours. Admission as of June 2014 was $10 for adults, $6 for kids and under 6 years old free. There is no food available but the airport cafe is two buildings over and is good.

I had a tour of a lifetime, looking at planes my dad flew and talked about as I was growing up. What a treat. They were in great shape. I was welcomed and warmed by the nostalgic history of aviation. Thanks.

We drove 3hrs and we're treated like we were bothering a older 5'5 ish staff member by asking about the museum aircraft. He treated us like trespassers on his private property, tho we paid full admission! I'm a pilot w over 3000 hrs and have been to large and small museums on multiple continents. This was the worst. I could go on, but you get the picture. Management needs to fix this!

The planes are regularly flown and are in remarkable shape! The Beech Staggerwing is a thing of beauty as is the Ryan PT22! Give them a visit, My wife even enjoyed the visit!

We saw history of aerograft, and Boeing real flight .This Museum is very informative and useful to the students and research .

This is not the Smithsonian or the Boeing Museum but it is a beautifully set up local attraction which is obviously well run by aficionados dedicated to vintage aircraft. There are a limited number of exhibits but they are beautiful specimens most of which are still in flying condition. If you are into civil aircraft from the first half of the 20th century you will enjoy this museum. I particularly liked the Bowlus Baby Albatross and the Ryan PT-22 Recruit which looked like it just rolled off the assembly line. Also not to be missed is an extensive collection of aviation art which is displayed on a walk way surrounding the hanger where the real aircraft are presented. From the upper deck you get a great perspective of the whole building and "aerial" views of the exhibits. All in all it's well worth the trip to this little gem. Admission is $10 which is well worth it. Recommended.

The museum is immaculate with all airplanes well displayed. Their youth program is truly impressive.

I have read the other reviews and understand how each of the reviewers could come up with their conclusions. My conclusion is that this is a true gem for the community, and for tourists who like meticulously restored vintage airplanes, airplane art , and history of aviation . There are about 19 airplanes in this SPOTLESS museum...some are on the highly polished concrete floors , and some are hanging from cables from the steel girders of the building . (Like a real mini version of the Smithsonian ). The museum is located at the airport just 10 minutes from Port Townsend . The walls , ceilings, floors , and exhibits are "spit polished" by dedicated teenage kids who are part of the owners youth program to help kids of the community kick drug and substance abuse! Bravo! The owner basically takes the kids who need help and puts them through serious "boot camp" and a serious education about how to build, repair, & maintain aircraft . How to live in real life, and get a good job, and/or go on to college. This program really turns these kids' lives around . The owner is an ex drill instructor and United Airlines pilot during the Vietnam War . He is a no nonsense straight ahead guy. He usually is working in the other buildings repairing aircraft . (If you are familiar with the military term "jar head " ...guys who take and give orders , and who execute them perfectly as trained ...then you have a mental vison of the owner ).Information about visiting the museum can be seen on their website ptaeromuseum.com . You can see a photo of the display area , and a list of airplanes that are restored for viewing (all work done by the teenagers in the youth program ). The entire upstairs has several hundred perfectly framed photos and art about aircraft (all done by the teenagers in the program ).This is a first class place to visit IF you like aircraft and history of aircraft . The admission price you pay is to fund the youth program and help maintain the building and grounds . The entry fee is really a small donation . This is not a place to have your kids run around and yell ! .Enjoy the meticulous airplane exhibits , and admire the owner and his wife, and the kids who lives have been turned around...this is an amazing labor of determination and giving back to the community . This is a true American success story ..I was totally impressed.