The Second Saturday of each month, the Western Antique Airplane & Automobile Museum (WAAAM) in Hood River, Oregon, opens the doors to roll out and run some of its antique airplanes and cars.
Visitors can watch airplane operations up close and may get to ride in old cars too.
The museum is one of the last “living museums” out there. This means that museum officials still drive the cars and fly the planes, which is a great way to keep history alive.
The museum’s collection of aircraft includes a 1917 Curtiss JN-4D Jenny featuring an OX-5 90-hp engine, a Piper Cub, and WACO collections, Aeronca collections, Stearman collections, and many more aircraft.
There are also more than 130 cars, including a 1914 Detroit Electric, a Ford Model A, a Packard, a Studebaker, even a Locomobile.
It also has a large collection of motorcycles, including Harley Davidsons, Indians, Cushmans, and more.
The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with Second Saturday activities from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Adult admission $14, kids 5-18 $6, kids under 4 are free.
Find out more at SocialFlight.com
Don’t forget their Fly-In the weekend after Labor Day. Here is a video of 2014, showing the fly-in and the museum. Do their planes fly? YES, including the 1910 Parker Pusher. Imagine flying a 1910 airplane!! And it had an engine failure. Most likely cause is carb ice. They are very careful about humidity and temp when flying this old plane. This is a long video, but the Parker flight is in the beginning. Then see the planes that fly-in, and much of the museum. Get a libation and enjoy:
https://vimeo.com/107101162
I’ve been here and yes, it is a great day when all the old planes and cars are roaring around. Nice people Tom Murphy heads up the action. Also the only flying NAF N3N3 on its center float flYing off the field on a dolly, and landing in the Hood river and then back on the grass. What a site.
Don Larson
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