In May and June this year, my wife and I went on a hiking trip to the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon. As we always do when we plan a vacation that is dependent on the weather, we researched in advance places to go if it rained. The hiking was great in the Gorge, so we were disappointed to wake up one day to see a driving rain outside. We decided to take a trip to Hood River and the Western Antique Aeroplane and Automobile Museum—what a find!
The museum’s founder, Terry Brandt, is a lifetime pilot and collector of vintage planes. In 2006 he donated his collection and the land to build the museum. Unlike the collections in most museums, all of the aircraft (some of which are over 90 years old) in WAAAM still fly. Note that I said they fly, not they can fly. The planes are taken out regularly, particularly on historically significant occasions. As you walk up and down the display aisles you notice that many of the planes have pans under them to catch dripping oil.
In addition to aircraft there is a large display of antique and vintage cars. Many of these are on loan to the museum so the collection changes with time. As with the planes, the autos are in beautiful condition and are mechanically intact. Many of the displays group airplanes and cars of the same vintage with mannequins in period dress. There are also many display cases with paraphernalia from a given time period, and even a case with an impressive collection of cameras and other optical gear.
The museum is housed in a 2.5 acre hangar (with plans to expand soon). There is a group of very knowledgeable docents circulating on electric scooters. As in other aviation museums, the docents generally are pilots or former pilots themselves and are very willing to share information or answer questions. When one docent saw that I had a camera, he volunteered to drop the chain in front of the plane so I could get as close as I wanted—I was able to look and shoot into the cockpit! There are also many videos running throughout the museum which recount stories and the history of the planes in a given display. My favorite was the story of a modern-day pilot who wanted to recreate the flight of a Curtiss pusher biplane off the roof of the Multnomah hotel in Portland in 1912 (in addition to the problems of restoring and learning to fly an 80+ year-old airplane he had to deal with the now much more complicated skyline of Portland).
The museum has a very active events schedule which you may want to check before you go. There are also many classes, including a Model T driving school (or you can sign up to drive a beauty from the 30’s, 40’s or 50’s). I hope to return there (when it isn’t raining) and learn to drive a piece of history.
In fact, the Model T driving school is only one reason I’d like to go back to the WAAAM. The gorgeous collection which has been lovingly maintained, the extremely helpful staff, countless chances for photos and the amazing stories and history you can learn are all great reasons to visit. It’s a fantastic rainy or sunny day destination!
Western Antique Aeroplane and Automobile Museum
1600 Air Museum Rd.
Hood River, OR (about an hour from Portland)
http://www.waaamuseum.org/