Tuesday, December 3, 2013

A tour of the Pacific Aviation Museum


With dozens of iconic historical aircraft, the Pacific Aviation Museum is a must-see for anyone visiting Honolulu. If that flight's not on your travel plans, here's a huge photo tour.

CNET - Spread across two hangers and some open tarmac on Ford Island, in the middle of Pearl Harbor, is the Pacific Aviation Museum. This collection of World War II and newer aircraft is a must-see for any airplane buff headed to Honolulu.

From a Japanese Zero to a B-25, an F-5 to an F-104, there are a ton of cool planes to check out. The best part is you can get right up close to most of the aircraft.

Also, they let me take a bunch of pictures.

The majority of the museum is in two hangers. The first, Hanger 37, houses the ticket office, gift shop, canteen, and a collection of WWII aircraft. Specifically, and not surprising given the location, this area is set up to talk about Pearl Harbor and the subsequent battles in the Pacific, including the Battle of Midway and the Doolittle Raid.

From there, you head across the tarmac, where several planes sit, some awaiting restoration.
Hanger 79 is mostly newer aircraft. Iconic jets like the F-15 and F-14 sit next to a bunch of helicopters. In the back is a working restoration shop, with a few older craft currently undergoing restoration.

View the Photos!