Evergreen Aviation Museum
Encyclopedia
The Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum is an aviation museum
which displays a number of military
and civilian
aircraft
and spacecraft
, most notably, the Hughes H-4 Hercules
"Spruce Goose". The museum is located in McMinnville, Oregon
, across the street from the headquarters of Evergreen International Aviation
. Oregon Route 18 separates the museum from the company operations and McMinnville Municipal Airport
(KMMV). An IMAX
theater opened in 2007, and a second exhibit hall focusing on the Titan II ICBM and space technology
opened in 2008.
First envisioned by Capt. Michael King Smith, son of Evergreen International Aviation
founder Delford Smith, the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum is the realization of his dream. The museum began with a small collection of vintage aircraft in a hangar at headquarters and was called the Evergreen Museum. In March 1990, the Disney Corporation
, which owned the Spruce Goose, announced that it was closing its exhibit located in Long Beach, California. The Aeroclub of Southern California was notified and they immediately began the search for a new home for the Spruce Goose. In 1992, the Evergreen Museum won the bid with a proposal to build a museum around the aircraft and feature it as a central exhibit.
The disassembly of the aircraft began in August 1992. The plane was disassembled and sent by ship up the Pacific Ocean, Columbia River, and Willamette River to Dayton where it was transferred to trucks and driven to Evergreen International Aviation. It arrived in February 1993.
For the next eight years, the plane went through detailed restoration. Volunteers removed all the paint, replaced worn parts, and repainted the entire aircraft, among many other tasks.
In September 2000, the main aircraft assemblies were complete. The fuselage, wings, and tail were transported across the highway and into the new museum building, still under construction. For the next year, crews spent their time assembling the wings and tail to the fuselage. These were completed in time for the museum's opening on June 6, 2001. The control surfaces (flaps, ailerons, rudder, and elevators) were assembled later. The last piece was put into place on December 7, 2001.
The name of the museum has evolved: Initially known as the Evergreen Museum, it changed in 1994 to the Evergreen AirVenture Museum. In 1997, the facility was renamed the Captain Michael King Smith Evergreen Aviation Educational Center in memory of Captain Smith, who had lost his life in an automobile accident in March 1995.
The museum displays its mission statement:
Work began on the space museum building in September 2006 which is identical to the aviation museum. It was completed in May 2008 and had its grand opening on June 6, 2008, exactly seven years after the aviation museum had its grand opening. In 2009 the museum became an affiliate in the Smithsonian Affiliations program.
A key component of the museum are the many volunteers that work there. Many are former aviators who flew the planes on display. Their detailed descriptions and real life commentary help bring the planes and their days of flight back to life. The museum also offers a number of film presentations on the development and use of the aircraft, along with hands-on displays demonstrating various principles of avionics.
An F-15 Eagle displayed on a pedestal in front of the EIA headquarters across the highway from the museum and a bronze statue on the pathway between the aviation and space museum are in memory of Captain Michael K. Smith.
As of June 2008, two exhibit centers were open to the public: The primary structure is the aviation center with the Spruce Goose as centerpiece. The space flight center holds a Titan II missile as its centerpiece, along with the SR-71 Blackbird. The Titan II sits upright in a specially constructed display extending two stories below the floor, silo fashion. The exhibit includes a re-created missile control room furnished with furniture and equipment donated from Vandenberg Air Force Base. Flight simulators for landing the space shuttle as well as for docking a Gemini capsule and performing a moon landing of the Lunar Excursion Module are visitor interactive. Attempts to obtain a retired Space Shuttle
were unsuccessful.
A smaller building has a seven story IMAX theater. A radio control air flight field is located behind the aviation center, near a group of Russian built armored vehicles, including two T-34/85s, a T-55 and two armored personnel carriers.
The waterpark's learning activities place an emphasis on fun. The second-floor children's science center has exhibits about the importance of water in everyday life. One feature shows how water falls from the sky as snow on Mount Hood, melts and flows to the ocean, then returns to the mountain, demonstrating the three phases of water's physical state as found here on earth. Other features include Smokey Bear overseeing a helicopter fighting a wildfire, a wave tank that can be used to demonstrate tides and tsunamis, and a lunar capsule play structure with an astronaut training display. Replicas of fighter jets and the space shuttle are also part of the water play features.
The main attractions are the water slides and wave pool. Four big slides begin inside a retired Boeing 747-100
that sits atop the roof, 62 feet (18.9 m) above the splash landing. The slides vary in pitch and rate of descent, with the most leisurely being the 550 feet (167.6 m) long translucent yellow slide, and the fastest being the 350 feet (106.7 m) long green slide, nicknamed "the nosedive" due to its steep descent. The wave pool water is heated to 84 degrees. Massive compressors can generate either a large wave or random smaller waves. The waterpark also has a leisure pool and spa. Non-water features include a concession area, family-style locker rooms, rooms for private parties and a Starcade gaming center. The water park's admission desk resembles a biplane with wing walkers. Most of the features are handicap accessible.
The waterpark operates daily, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., through summer. Hours during the school year are yet to be determined. All waterpark attractions are indoors. The building has a capacity of 1,500 and is located on the west side of the complex, just west of the building that houses the Spruce Goose. The building is similar in exterior design to the air and space museums, with its outside walls made of the same stone-lined, green-tinted glass as the other buildings, though it does have a 747 parked on its roof.
Future plans for Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum include an upscale 84-room hotel with fine-dining restaurant, with plans to break ground next year.
Also on display are many different aircraft engines.
The exhibit also includes many helicopter
s, reflecting Evergreen Aviation's original helicopter fleet.
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
which displays a number of military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
and civilian
Civilian
A civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces or other militia. Civilians are distinct from combatants. They are afforded a degree of legal protection from the effects of war and military occupation...
aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
and spacecraft
Spacecraft
A spacecraft or spaceship is a craft or machine designed for spaceflight. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, earth observation, meteorology, navigation, planetary exploration and transportation of humans and cargo....
, most notably, the Hughes H-4 Hercules
Hughes H-4 Hercules
The Hughes H-4 Hercules is a prototype heavy transport aircraft designed and built by the Hughes Aircraft company. The aircraft made its only flight on November 2, 1947 and the project was never advanced beyond the single example produced...
"Spruce Goose". The museum is located in McMinnville, Oregon
McMinnville, Oregon
McMinnville is the county seat and largest city of Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. According to Oregon Geographic Names, it was named by its founder, William T. Newby , an early immigrant on the Oregon Trail, for his hometown of McMinnville, Tennessee...
, across the street from the headquarters of Evergreen International Aviation
Evergreen International Aviation
Evergreen International Aviation, Inc. is a global aviation services company based in McMinnville, Oregon. Founded as Evergreen Helicopters in 1960 by Delford M. Smith, Evergreen is primarily known for commercial helicopter operations in agricultural and forestry applications...
. Oregon Route 18 separates the museum from the company operations and McMinnville Municipal Airport
McMinnville Municipal Airport
McMinnville Municipal Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located three nautical miles southeast of the central business district of McMinnville, a city in Yamhill County, Oregon, United States...
(KMMV). An IMAX
IMAX
IMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems...
theater opened in 2007, and a second exhibit hall focusing on the Titan II ICBM and space technology
Space technology
Space technology is technology that is related to entering, and retrieving objects or life forms from space."Every day" technologies such as weather forecasting, remote sensing, GPS systems, satellite television, and some long distance communications systems critically rely on space infrastructure...
opened in 2008.
History
Evergreen International Aviation
Evergreen International Aviation, Inc. is a global aviation services company based in McMinnville, Oregon. Founded as Evergreen Helicopters in 1960 by Delford M. Smith, Evergreen is primarily known for commercial helicopter operations in agricultural and forestry applications...
founder Delford Smith, the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum is the realization of his dream. The museum began with a small collection of vintage aircraft in a hangar at headquarters and was called the Evergreen Museum. In March 1990, the Disney Corporation
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
, which owned the Spruce Goose, announced that it was closing its exhibit located in Long Beach, California. The Aeroclub of Southern California was notified and they immediately began the search for a new home for the Spruce Goose. In 1992, the Evergreen Museum won the bid with a proposal to build a museum around the aircraft and feature it as a central exhibit.
The disassembly of the aircraft began in August 1992. The plane was disassembled and sent by ship up the Pacific Ocean, Columbia River, and Willamette River to Dayton where it was transferred to trucks and driven to Evergreen International Aviation. It arrived in February 1993.
For the next eight years, the plane went through detailed restoration. Volunteers removed all the paint, replaced worn parts, and repainted the entire aircraft, among many other tasks.
In September 2000, the main aircraft assemblies were complete. The fuselage, wings, and tail were transported across the highway and into the new museum building, still under construction. For the next year, crews spent their time assembling the wings and tail to the fuselage. These were completed in time for the museum's opening on June 6, 2001. The control surfaces (flaps, ailerons, rudder, and elevators) were assembled later. The last piece was put into place on December 7, 2001.
The name of the museum has evolved: Initially known as the Evergreen Museum, it changed in 1994 to the Evergreen AirVenture Museum. In 1997, the facility was renamed the Captain Michael King Smith Evergreen Aviation Educational Center in memory of Captain Smith, who had lost his life in an automobile accident in March 1995.
The museum displays its mission statement:
Work began on the space museum building in September 2006 which is identical to the aviation museum. It was completed in May 2008 and had its grand opening on June 6, 2008, exactly seven years after the aviation museum had its grand opening. In 2009 the museum became an affiliate in the Smithsonian Affiliations program.
A key component of the museum are the many volunteers that work there. Many are former aviators who flew the planes on display. Their detailed descriptions and real life commentary help bring the planes and their days of flight back to life. The museum also offers a number of film presentations on the development and use of the aircraft, along with hands-on displays demonstrating various principles of avionics.
An F-15 Eagle displayed on a pedestal in front of the EIA headquarters across the highway from the museum and a bronze statue on the pathway between the aviation and space museum are in memory of Captain Michael K. Smith.
As of June 2008, two exhibit centers were open to the public: The primary structure is the aviation center with the Spruce Goose as centerpiece. The space flight center holds a Titan II missile as its centerpiece, along with the SR-71 Blackbird. The Titan II sits upright in a specially constructed display extending two stories below the floor, silo fashion. The exhibit includes a re-created missile control room furnished with furniture and equipment donated from Vandenberg Air Force Base. Flight simulators for landing the space shuttle as well as for docking a Gemini capsule and performing a moon landing of the Lunar Excursion Module are visitor interactive. Attempts to obtain a retired Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
were unsuccessful.
A smaller building has a seven story IMAX theater. A radio control air flight field is located behind the aviation center, near a group of Russian built armored vehicles, including two T-34/85s, a T-55 and two armored personnel carriers.
Wings and Waves Waterpark
Evergreen Wings & Waves Waterpark opened June 6, 2011. The 71350 square feet (6,628.6 m²) waterpark, Oregon's largest, features 10 slides and a 91,703-gallon wave pool, and ties in to the educational focus of the Evergreen Museum Campus with its H2O Children's Science Center.The waterpark's learning activities place an emphasis on fun. The second-floor children's science center has exhibits about the importance of water in everyday life. One feature shows how water falls from the sky as snow on Mount Hood, melts and flows to the ocean, then returns to the mountain, demonstrating the three phases of water's physical state as found here on earth. Other features include Smokey Bear overseeing a helicopter fighting a wildfire, a wave tank that can be used to demonstrate tides and tsunamis, and a lunar capsule play structure with an astronaut training display. Replicas of fighter jets and the space shuttle are also part of the water play features.
The main attractions are the water slides and wave pool. Four big slides begin inside a retired Boeing 747-100
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
that sits atop the roof, 62 feet (18.9 m) above the splash landing. The slides vary in pitch and rate of descent, with the most leisurely being the 550 feet (167.6 m) long translucent yellow slide, and the fastest being the 350 feet (106.7 m) long green slide, nicknamed "the nosedive" due to its steep descent. The wave pool water is heated to 84 degrees. Massive compressors can generate either a large wave or random smaller waves. The waterpark also has a leisure pool and spa. Non-water features include a concession area, family-style locker rooms, rooms for private parties and a Starcade gaming center. The water park's admission desk resembles a biplane with wing walkers. Most of the features are handicap accessible.
The waterpark operates daily, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., through summer. Hours during the school year are yet to be determined. All waterpark attractions are indoors. The building has a capacity of 1,500 and is located on the west side of the complex, just west of the building that houses the Spruce Goose. The building is similar in exterior design to the air and space museums, with its outside walls made of the same stone-lined, green-tinted glass as the other buildings, though it does have a 747 parked on its roof.
Future plans for Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum include an upscale 84-room hotel with fine-dining restaurant, with plans to break ground next year.
Nose Dive
Nose Dive is a green high-energy two-person inner tube ride that combines a fast initial drop into a high rate bank turn. It leads the riders into a dark oscillation section before ‘breaking out of the clouds’ through a hologram image and into the circular bowl below. The ride culminates with a smooth transition and dropout for a spectacular splash and water landing.Mach 1
Mach 1 is a orange high-speed enclosed body slide with tight wrapping turns, switchbacks and drop sections that leave the stomach in the air. Riders slide on their backs with arms crossed over their chests and legs crossed as they shoot down this slide at daring speeds. This test of mettle ride will provide hours for enjoyment for the young and the young at heart.Tail Spin
Tail Spin is a blue slide which has full blue transparent sections between drops to add light into the slide. This is a high-energy single/double inner tube ride that features fast acceleration off the start and transitions into a series of tight, high banking, figure-eight curves. The ride is fully enclosed and provides a smooth yet thrilling level of energy.Sonic Boom
Sonic Boom is a yellow slide that offers an “outdoor water park” feel with a view of most of the park. Above the roof, the top section of the slide is transparent to allow glimpses of the shape of the plane and building. Inside the park the top section of the slide is removed and there is an open top. Better suited for first time or novice riders, this is a superb lead up ride to the higher energy rides.Key holdings
- Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress 44-83785Boeing B-17 SurvivorsThe Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engine heavy bomber aircraft primarily employed by the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Developed by Boeing, a total of 12,731 aircraft had been produced by Boeing, Douglas and Lockheed from 1936 until 1945...
- Curtiss P-40 Warhawk
- de Havilland D.H.-100 Vampire Mk.52De Havilland VampireThe de Havilland DH.100 Vampire was a British jet-engine fighter commissioned by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. Following the Gloster Meteor, it was the second jet fighter to enter service with the RAF. Although it arrived too late to see combat during the war, the Vampire served...
- Douglas A-1 Skyraider
- Douglas A-4 SkyhawkA-4 SkyhawkThe Douglas A-4 Skyhawk is a carrier-capable ground-attack aircraft designed for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. The delta winged, single-engined Skyhawk was designed and produced by Douglas Aircraft Company, and later McDonnell Douglas. It was originally designated the A4D...
- Douglas C-47
- Douglas DC-3Douglas DC-3The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...
A - Ford 5-AT-B Tri-Motor Tin GooseFord TrimotorThe Ford Trimotor was an American three-engined transport plane that was first produced in 1925 by the companies of Henry Ford and that continued to be produced until June 7, 1933. Throughout its time in production, a total of 199 Ford Trimotors were produced...
- This is a flying Ford Tri-motor.
- Foton-6 Space CapsuleFotonFoton is the project name of two series of Russian science satellite and reentry vehicle programs. Although unmanned, the design was adapted from the manned Vostok spacecraft capsule. The primary focus of the Foton project is materials science research, but some missions have also carried...
- Unmanned version of the Vostok spacecraftVostok spacecraftThe Vostok was a type of spacecraft built by the Soviet Union. The first human spaceflight in history was accomplished on this spacecraft on April 12, 1961, by Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin....
(Russian space capsule)
- Unmanned version of the Vostok spacecraft
- Grumman F6F Hellcat
- Grumman TF-9J Cougar
- Hughes H-4 HerculesHughes H-4 HerculesThe Hughes H-4 Hercules is a prototype heavy transport aircraft designed and built by the Hughes Aircraft company. The aircraft made its only flight on November 2, 1947 and the project was never advanced beyond the single example produced...
- This is the famous "Spruce Goose," a flying boat with the largest wingspan of any aircraft ever built.
- Lockheed SR-71A BlackbirdSR-71 BlackbirdThe Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird" was an advanced, long-range, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft. It was developed as a black project from the Lockheed A-12 reconnaissance aircraft in the 1960s by the Lockheed Skunk Works. Clarence "Kelly" Johnson was responsible for many of the...
- This Blackbird was one of three that were reactivated and used by NASA and the USAF in 1995. Its last flight was February 1, 1996.
- Martin Titan II SLV Space Launch VehicleTitan 23GThe Titan 23G, Titan IIG, Titan 2G or Titan II SLV was an American expendable launch system derived from the LGM-25C Titan II intercontinental ballistic missile. Retired Titan II missiles were converted by Martin Marietta, into which the Glenn L. Martin Company, which built the original Titan II,...
- This particular missile is the last of 14 Titan IIs that were selected to be converted and used for science, weather and military satellites. This was the only one out of the 14 not to be launched. It also holds the distinction of being the last Titan-II ICBM fabricated. Serial Number 66-4319 or B-108, the final of 108 Titan-II ICBMs produced.
- McDonnell Douglas F-15A EagleF-15 EagleThe McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is a twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter designed by McDonnell Douglas to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. It is considered among the most successful modern fighters with over 100 aerial combat victories with no losses in dogfights...
- This aircraft is displayed on a pedestal at the Evergreen headquarters in memory of Michael King Smith
- McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II
- Mercury Space CapsuleProject MercuryIn January 1960 NASA awarded Western Electric Company a contract for the Mercury tracking network. The value of the contract was over $33 million. Also in January, McDonnell delivered the first production-type Mercury spacecraft, less than a year after award of the formal contract. On February 12,...
- Messerschmitt Bf 109G-10/U-4Messerschmitt Bf 109The Messerschmitt Bf 109, often called Me 109, was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser during the early to mid 1930s...
610937Messerschmitt Bf 109 SurvivorsThe Messerschmitt Bf 109 was a German World War II fighter aircraft. It was one of the first true modern fighters of the era, including such features as an all-metal monocoque construction, a closed canopy, and retractable landing gear...
- This is one of a very few Bf-109s that is capable of flying in its current condition.
- Messerschmitt 262 (Reproduction by Legend Flyers)
- Mikoyan i Guryevich MiG-17A "Fresco" (true Russian version)
- MiG-21 Mikoyan i Guryevich MiG-21MF "Fishbed-J"
- Mikoyan Guryevich MiG-29 "Fulcrum"
- NASA X-38 V-131R
- Supermarine SpitfireSupermarine SpitfireThe Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
Mk. XVI
Also on display are many different aircraft engines.
The exhibit also includes many helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
s, reflecting Evergreen Aviation's original helicopter fleet.