Just fantastic, Sean! Thank you so much! That is a stunning collection. I will look forward to seeing it some day.
In the interest of adding value, I'll offer the following to those of you who enjoyed Sean's story.
Seattle's
Museum of Flight at Boeing field is a truly amazing, world-class museum. I think it is one of the premier attractions of a great city. It includes "The Personal Courage Wing" which documents stories from WWI and WWII aviators. Better than the Smithsonian air and space museum, IMO.
Paul Allen's
Flying Heritage Collection will be open in 2008 in Everett. "Rare World War II aircraft... restored to flying condition". The collection had previously resided in Arlington, WA. The move to Everett looks like it will facilitate greater public access. They are currently restoring a B-17 and a P-38, among others. Whatever you might think about Microsoft, Allen has earned the gratitude and respect of a large, diverse population by creatively using some of his resources for preservation and community.
The Spruce Goose now resides in McMinnville, OR at the
Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum. Decent collection of other vintage aircraft, too.
The
Tillamook Air Museum in Oregon has a really nice collection of warbirds in a wooden blimp hangar. Cool.
I know there are dozens of other, possibly better aviation museums throughout the world. These are just a few that came to mind in my region; we remain tremendously proud of the history (if not the present) of the Boeing Company here in Washington.
