Home Port History Port Commissioners Port Staff What's New Port Industrial Park Port Incentives Available Space Port Tenants Employment About Tillamook Airport Air Museum  PassengerService Golf Course Railroad RV Park Septage Receiving Fiber Optic Program Tillamook Light Wave Tillamook Hooley Digester Compost Facility Tillamook Bay 4000 Blimp Boulevard Tillamook, OR 97141 503.842.2413 503.842.3680 Fax info@potb.org |
TILLAMOOK AIR MUSEUM One of the finest collections of vintage military and civilian aircraft in the nation can be found at the Tillamook Naval Air Station Museum, which occupies the massive Blimp Hangar B at the Port. Here, over 30 airplanes, helicopters and airships, are housed indoors, along with motor and vehicle displays, an interpretive display, theatre, gift shop and cafe.
Blimp Hangar B deserves recognition as the largest free-standing wooden structure in the nation. Built in 1943, the hangar measures 192 feet high and 296 feet wide, and is 1,072 feet long. Over seven acres of land is enclosed inside, of which the sizeable museum barely takes up half.
Today's collection includes everything from a 1917-vintage Spad XIII to a modern F-14 Tomcat fighter. WWII stars like the B-25 Mitchell and P-51 Mustang are also displayed, along with the Boeing 377 Stratocruiser. Dubbed the Mini-Guppy, the 377 is one of the largest piston-powered aircraft ever built.
Visit our Air Museum Photo Album for more photos and information from the Tillamook Air Museum or visit the Air Museum's web site at www.tillamookair.com.
Blimp photo courtesy of the Tillamook County Pioneer Museum. |
In its heyday, Blimp Hangar B and its sister, Hangar A, which burned to the ground in an unfortunate fire in 1992, were home to the Navy's blimp squadron ZP-33. Eight of the Navy's massive K class blimps were assigned to Tillamook. Measuring 251 feet long, with a range of 2,000 miles, the K blimps performed their task of convoy escort and coastal patrol quite well.