On our way back from stay at Depoe Bay, OR, my wife and I stopped at the McMinnville Air Museum.
Their primary building is basically built to house a one of a kind aircraft - Howard Hughes' "Spruce Goose". From the picture you can get a bit an idea about its size, but to know that even today no other plane has been built with a larger wing span, and there are only a couple that come within a foot of the height of the tail is all the more impressive, knowing this was build during and just after WWII. When he got the government contract to build it, they required that no metal be used in the fuselage/wings/tail of the plane due to the shortages during the war. It was therefore built of many plys of birch.
This building also covers most of the history of flying through WWII type aircraft. They are arranged in a manner that is very conducive to wanting to learn more about this period in aviation history.
In another building, across the parking lot - through a walkway of the planetary system, there is a great display of the history of manned and unmanned flight into the heavens. They have a couple of missiles from the cold war, as well as several jets. Two of the very interesting exhibits are the X-15 and the SR-71. They also have some of the satellite mock ups and rover type machines that have been used in outer space, on the moon and Mars.
They also have a movie theater in a third building near this parking lot.
Then for the kids they have an indoor water park -- with a 747 on the roof, and slides coming out the exit doors!
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