Pacific Aviation Museum
Encyclopedia
The Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor is located on Ford Island
, located in the middle of Pearl Harbor
, Hawaii
.
The museum site occupies 16 acres (64,749.8 m²) of the 440 acres (1.8 km²) island. It includes three historic hangar
s and an air traffic control tower
.
One of the principal Pearl Harbor
Historic Sites, the museum is located near the Battleship Missouri
and the new USS Oklahoma Memorial in the hangars of historic Ford Island which were attacked by the Imperial Japanese Navy
on December 7, 1941, marking the beginning of US involvement in World War II
.
Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor’s mission is to develop and maintain an internationally recognized aviation museum, which educates young and old alike, honors aviators and the support personnel who fought in the Pacific Region, and is dedicated to preserving Pacific aviation history.
through the Battle of Guadalcanal and includes a display of Jimmy Doolittle
's bomber raid
on Tokyo
, Japan. Future phases of the museum will be built in other nearby hangars and focus on the Korean War
, Vietnam War
, and Cold War
.
Visitors ride the shuttle bus to Ford Island
and view the airfield, control tower, and the museum that occupies World War II hangars that still bear the scars of the Pearl Harbor attack.
soloed as the war’s youngest aviator, illustrate the role of aviation in the Second World War. Visitors can view historic videos, including a movie of the beginning of the war. The museum features a gift shop, 1940s-themed Laniakea Cafe, and combat flight simulators in which guests can virtually fight the Battle of Guadalcanal in either an American or Japanese plane.
The newest attraction is Hangar 79 - The Restoration Shop. In this hangar the most recent arrivals are housed which include two F-86 Sabre
s, a MiG-15, F-4 Phantom an F-102 Delta Dagger
and the F-14 Tomcat
used in the filming of Top Gun
. Several of the new arrivals were flown by the Hawaii Air National Guard (HIANG). To see these planes visitors take the Aviator's Tour which includes a short 12 minute film in Hangar 37, admission to Hangars 37 and 79, and a guided tour.
The museum has recently announced its national capital campaign for the restoration of two additional standing hangars and the landmark red and white control tower. Once restored these structures will house the growing aircraft collection including the recently arrived Hawaii Air National Guard's F-15 Screaming Eagle and the last U.S. Navy operated Grumman F-14 Tomcat.
Ford Island
Ford Island is located in the middle of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. It is connected to the main island by the Ford Island Bridge. Before the bridge was built, Ford Island could only be reached by a ferry boat which ran at hourly intervals for cars and foot passengers. The island houses several naval...
, located in the middle of Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
.
Hangar
A hangar is a closed structure to hold aircraft or spacecraft in protective storage. Most hangars are built of metal, but other materials such as wood and concrete are also sometimes used...
s and an air traffic control tower
Control tower
A control tower, or more specifically an Air Traffic Control Tower , is the name of the airport building from which the air traffic control unit controls the movement of aircraft on and around the airport. Control towers are also used to control the traffic for other forms of transportation such...
.
One of the principal Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
Historic Sites, the museum is located near the Battleship Missouri
USS Missouri (BB-63)
|USS Missouri is a United States Navy Iowa-class battleship, and was the fourth ship of the U.S. Navy to be named in honor of the U.S. state of Missouri...
and the new USS Oklahoma Memorial in the hangars of historic Ford Island which were attacked by the Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
on December 7, 1941, marking the beginning of US involvement in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor’s mission is to develop and maintain an internationally recognized aviation museum, which educates young and old alike, honors aviators and the support personnel who fought in the Pacific Region, and is dedicated to preserving Pacific aviation history.
History
On December 7, 2006, the first of five planned phases of the museum, Hangar 37, opened to the public. The hangar's 42442 square feet (3,943 m²) of space focuses on the attack on Pearl HarborAttack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
through the Battle of Guadalcanal and includes a display of Jimmy Doolittle
Jimmy Doolittle
General James Harold "Jimmy" Doolittle, USAF was an American aviation pioneer. Doolittle served as a brigadier general, major general and lieutenant general in the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War...
's bomber raid
Doolittle Raid
The Doolittle Raid, on 18 April 1942, was the first air raid by the United States to strike the Japanese Home Islands during World War II. By demonstrating that Japan itself was vulnerable to American air attack, it provided a vital morale boost and opportunity for U.S. retaliation after the...
on Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan. Future phases of the museum will be built in other nearby hangars and focus on the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, and Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
.
Visitors ride the shuttle bus to Ford Island
Ford Island
Ford Island is located in the middle of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. It is connected to the main island by the Ford Island Bridge. Before the bridge was built, Ford Island could only be reached by a ferry boat which ran at hourly intervals for cars and foot passengers. The island houses several naval...
and view the airfield, control tower, and the museum that occupies World War II hangars that still bear the scars of the Pearl Harbor attack.
Collection
Aircraft, such as a Japanese Zero, Grumman Wildcat, and the Stearman in which former President George H. W. BushGeorge H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
soloed as the war’s youngest aviator, illustrate the role of aviation in the Second World War. Visitors can view historic videos, including a movie of the beginning of the war. The museum features a gift shop, 1940s-themed Laniakea Cafe, and combat flight simulators in which guests can virtually fight the Battle of Guadalcanal in either an American or Japanese plane.
The newest attraction is Hangar 79 - The Restoration Shop. In this hangar the most recent arrivals are housed which include two F-86 Sabre
F-86 Sabre
The North American F-86 Sabre was a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as America's first swept wing fighter which could counter the similarly-winged Soviet MiG-15 in high speed dogfights over the skies of the Korean War...
s, a MiG-15, F-4 Phantom an F-102 Delta Dagger
F-102 Delta Dagger
The Convair F-102 Delta Dagger was a US interceptor aircraft built as part of the backbone of the United States Air Force's air defenses in the late 1950s. Entering service in 1956, its main purpose was to intercept invading Soviet bomber fleets...
and the F-14 Tomcat
F-14 Tomcat
The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental program following the collapse of the F-111B project...
used in the filming of Top Gun
Top Gun
Top Gun may refer to:* Top Gun is a 1986 film starring Tom Cruise.**Top Gun , soundtrack to the movie**Top Gun , a number of games based on the movie...
. Several of the new arrivals were flown by the Hawaii Air National Guard (HIANG). To see these planes visitors take the Aviator's Tour which includes a short 12 minute film in Hangar 37, admission to Hangars 37 and 79, and a guided tour.
The museum has recently announced its national capital campaign for the restoration of two additional standing hangars and the landmark red and white control tower. Once restored these structures will house the growing aircraft collection including the recently arrived Hawaii Air National Guard's F-15 Screaming Eagle and the last U.S. Navy operated Grumman F-14 Tomcat.