This Washington Museum Houses 175 Historic Aircraft – Including a Retired Air Force One

Seattle’s Museum of Flight

Where else can you climb into a retired Air Force One, gawk at a supersonic Concorde, and play astronaut in an authentic space shuttle trainer?

The Museum of Flight in Seattle brings aviation history to life with one of the largest collections of flying machines you’ll ever see under one roof. Here are some of the highlights.

There’s an Authentic Air Force One

Ever wondered what it’s like to be president? Step inside the real Air Force One (from 1959 to 1996) that flew Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon before it retired.

This special Boeing plane still has everything inside it, from JFK’s ashtrays to the desk where Johnson signed important papers.

Here’s a cool detail: whenever the president wasn’t on board, they changed the plane’s tail number to keep it secret.

The Space Shuttle Trainer is Here, Too

The museum has NASA’s actual Space Shuttle Trainer that features crew compartments like sleeping berths and the mission commander’s seat.

Every astronaut who flew the space shuttle trained in this exact mockup. In the same area, check out real spacesuits worn by astronauts. The gallery also shows off pieces of space history like an Apollo command module and a Russian Soyuz spacecraft.

The Barn Where Boeing Began

The Red Barn (originally a shipyard built by Edward Heath) is where Boeing’s story began in 1909, once it was acquired by William Boeing.

This wooden building was Boeing’s first factory, where workers built planes by hand using basic tools during World War I. Today, you can walk through this piece of history and see the original tools and machines they used.

The SR-71 Blackbird

The SR-71 Blackbird set a speed record from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., in 1 hour, 4 minutes, and 20 seconds. On July 28, 1976, it set an absolute speed record of 2,193.167 mph.

Pilot Brian Shul, who survived a crash in Vietnam, flew this very plane at speeds over 1,800 miles per hour. You can see the special suit pilots wore to handle the extreme conditions at 85,000 feet up.

The Red Baron’s Real Cap & Goggles

The museum keeps special items to commemorate the most famous pilot in WWI. Manfred von Richthofen, the Red Baron, is credited with 80 confirmed air combat kills before he was shot down and killed in 1918. You can see his actual flying cap and goggles, which were saved after his final flight in 1918.

The First-Ever Working Jetpack

Did you know real jetpacks exist? The museum has one of the first successful ones ever made. The Bell Rocket Belt from 1961 could lift a person 30 feet high and zip around at 60 miles per hour.

Though it could only fly for 21 seconds, it showed that personal flying machines were possible. NASA even thought about using it on the moon.

Honoring Women in Aviation

The museum also celebrates brave women in aviation. You can see Amelia Earhart’s leather jacket from her solo flight across the Atlantic and Bessie Coleman’s pilot license.

The exhibit also honors the Women Airforce Service Pilots who delivered over 12,000 planes during World War II. Their uniforms, photos, and letters help tell their inspiring stories.

Aircraft Flown in Real Wars

The Caproni Ca.20 is one of the earliest examples of a fighter aircraft of World War I. The museum’s WWI collection includes numerous aircraft, many of which feature restored original parts, like the Sopwith Camel’s original rotary engine (was used extensively by the British Royal Flying Corps).

The museum’s Fokker Eindecker has original machine guns as part of its exhibit, offering insight into early aerial weaponry.

Over 500,000 Pieces of Aviation History

Below the main museum, a special vault protects millions of old photos, books, and documents, preserving around half a million pieces. It includes Boeing’s original drawings from 1916 and test pilot reports from experimental planes.

Though not everyone can visit the archives, scholars and researchers are welcome to use these materials to explore and expand the understanding of aviation history (though a special pass is required).

Hop on Historic Planes

You can actually fly in historic planes like the B-17 Flying Fortress or P-51 Mustang out here. Experienced pilots recreate real mission patterns from World War II.

They also provide detailed briefings on the aircraft’s history. The experience includes ground tours and educational components about the aircraft’s military service.

Try Out the Flight Simulators

Try one of the 15 professional flight simulators at Aviation Innovation Center. Real Boeing engineers help keep these simulators up to date.

Simulators like the Redbird MCX offer dual-control, full-motion experiences ideal for flight schools. You can also test the plane designs in a wind tunnel and use the same computer program that aircraft designers use.