USA: Washington – The Museum of Flight

At the time of writing an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max-8 aircraft had plummeted to the ground killing all its passengers. This followed a similar crash involving the same aircraft only a few months before. These crashes had resulted in the grounding of all 737 Max aircraft whilst the crashes were investigated. The reason I raise this story is that the 737 aircraft are manufactured in a plant adjacent to the Museum of Flight and I could not but help notice the dozens of 737 Max’s that filled the storage areas of the factory all freshly minted and brandishing the liveries of air carriers from around the world. A spectacular sight tinged with deep sorrow at the thought of all those lost souls!

In 1964 a small group of aviation enthusiasts realized that important and historic artefacts representing the evolution of flight were being lost or destroyed at an incredible rate. To aid in the preservation of these artefacts, the Pacific Northwest Aviation Historical Foundation was established with the goal of saving these artefacts. The first exhibition of these treasures took place in 1965 in a 10,000 square-foot space at the Seattle Center, close to the iconic Space Needle.

The concept for The Museum of Flight complex began to take in 1975 when the Port of Seattle leased the land on which the Boeing Red Barn now sits to the Museum for 99 years. The Red Barn, the birthplace of The Boeing Company, was saved from demolition in its original location on the Duwamish River and floated by river barge to its current location. The Red Barn was restored in 1983 and became the first permanent location for The Museum of Flight. Over time the museum has expanded to become a 15-acre campus includes over 160 air and spacecraft, the original Boeing Aircraft factory, flight simulators, and dozens of fun, interactive exhibits and family activities.

As is often the case for Seattle it was a grey, overcast day when I visited. But, unusually it was not raining and indeed there were a few patches of blue sky dotted across the ashen tableau. Of course, being situated in the North West of the United States the museum caters for inclement weather – everything in the museum is covered, even the outdoor exhibits.