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Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum

October 15, 2023

The Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum is an independent, 501(c)(3) non-profit, aviation museum in McMinnville, Oregon. Its exhibits include the Hughes H-4 Hercules (Spruce Goose) and more than fifty military and civilian aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), and spacecraft. The museum complex includes four main buildings: the original aviation exhibit hall, a large screen digital theater, a second exhibit hall focused on space technology, and a water park.

Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum
Established1991 (as the Evergreen Museum)
LocationMcMinnville, Oregon, United States
Coordinates45°12′14″N 123°8′36″W / 45.20389°N 123.14333°W / 45.20389; -123.14333
TypePrivate: aerospace
FounderDelford M. Smith and Michael King Smith
DirectorBrandon Roben
Websiteevergreenmuseum.org

The museum is located across the highway from the former headquarters of Evergreen International Aviation and across Oregon Route 18 from McMinnville Municipal Airport (KMMV).

Founded by the owner of Evergreen International Aviation, portions of the museum facilities were purchased out of bankruptcy liquidation in April 2020 by business executive Bill Stoller but the museum is still an independent, non-profit entity.

History Edit

 
A B-25 Mitchell bomber on the main floor of the museum.

First envisioned by Michael King Smith, a former captain in the United States Air Force and son of Evergreen International Aviation founder Delford M. Smith, the Evergreen Museum opened in 1991 with a small collection of vintage aircraft in a hangar at company headquarters.

In March 1990, The Walt Disney Company announced that it would close the Long Beach, California, exhibit of the Spruce Goose. The Aeroclub of Southern California began looking for a new home for the historic aircraft. 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.[1]

The disassembly of the aircraft began in August 1992. The parts were 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.[2] 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.[3] 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. Over the next year, crews assembled 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 Smith, who died in an automobile accident in March 1995.

In September 2006, work began on the space museum building, a twin to the aviation museum. By this time, the museum had acquired several space-related items, and the original building was running out of room. The new building was completed in May 2008 and had its grand opening on June 6, 2008, exactly seven years after the aviation museum opened.[4] In 2009, the museum became an affiliate in the Smithsonian Affiliations program.[5]

Attempts to obtain a retired Space Shuttle were unsuccessful.[6]

In early 2016, Michael King Smith Foundation officials announced they were filing for bankruptcy. In July 2016, part of the land was purchased for $10.9 million by The Falls Event Center, a company owned by Steve Down with the Museums exhibits still fully operational.[7][8]

In April 2020, The Stoller Group purchased 285 acres of land that contained the museum & water park buildings. The museum is still an independent, 501(c)(3) non-profit and is not owned by The Stoller Group. [9]

Description Edit

 
Martin Titan II SLV Space Launch Vehicle

As of 2019, two exhibit centers are open to the public: The original structure is the aviation center with the Spruce Goose as centerpiece. Other aircraft, spanning the entire history of aviation, are arranged in the building, some parked under the wings of the Spruce Goose or suspended from the ceiling.

The space flight center is in a building the same size as the aviation center. Because there are fewer space-related holdings, the center includes a large number of panels and other displays that chronicle the history of space flight. Visitors can operate 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. The building also exhibits overflow holdings from the aviation center, usually the higher-performance jet aircraft.

Two of the main attractions of the space flight center are a Titan II SLV satellite booster rocket and a SR-71 Blackbird.[10] The Titan II sits upright in a specially constructed display extending two stories below the floor, in order to fit the 114 foot tall rocket inside the building. The exhibit includes a re-created Titan II SLV Launch Control Room outfitted with actual furnishings and equipment donated from Vandenberg Air Force Base.

 
T-55 tank ride

The museum's many volunteers include former aviators who flew the planes on display, actually built space artifacts on display, or were personal eyewitnesses of historical space events. Their detailed descriptions and real-life commentary help bring the planes and their days of flight back to life as well as past, current, and future planned space exploration.[11] 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.[12]

An F-15 Eagle is displayed on a pedestal in front of the former EIA headquarters across the highway from the museum. A bronze statue stands by on the pathway between the aviation and space museum. Both are marked in Smith's memory.[13]

A smaller building contains the Evergreen Digital theater featuring a seven-story wide by six-story tall screen and multi-channel surround sound.

A radio control air flight field is located behind the aviation center

 
Panorama of the museum, taken from under the wing of the Hughes H-4 Hercules

Wings and Waves Waterpark Edit

 
Exterior of the waterpark, showing the mounted Boeing 747-100

Wings & Waves Waterpark opened June 6, 2011.[14] The 71,350-square-foot (6,629 m2) waterpark, Oregon's largest, features 10 slides and a 91,703-gallon wave pool with the intent of tying into the educational focus of the Evergreen Museum Campus with its "Life Needs Water" interactive display in the H2O Children's Science Center.[15] The four big slides begin inside a retired Boeing 747-100 that sits atop the roof, 62 feet (19 m) above the splash landing.

In April 2020, The Stoller Group purchased 285 acres of land near the museum and became owner of the museum buildings and water park, with plans to restore the water park and build a 90-room hotel.

Key holdings Edit

 
SR-71 instrument panel
 
An SR-71 Blackbird under the wing of the Spruce Goose (taken before the SR-71 was moved to the new space building)
 
B-17G-95DL 44-83785

Also on display are many aircraft engines and helicopters, reflecting Evergreen Aviation's original helicopter fleet.

 
90° panorama of the museum, including the Hughes H-4 Hercules, aka Spruce Goose

Former holdings Edit

See also Edit

References Edit

  1. ^ Saarinen, Yvette (July 11, 1992). . Yamhill Valley News-Register. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
  2. ^ Pointer, Starla (September 14, 2000). . Yamhill Valley News-Register. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
  3. ^ Dana Tims (November 1, 2006). "Honoring the historic Spruce Goose flight at Oregon museum". The Seattle Times.
  4. ^ Tertin, Ben (June 7, 2008). . Yamhill Valley News-Register. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
  5. ^ Philip Jaeger (2009). "New Member Program". Blog. Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  6. ^ Siemers, Erik (April 12, 2011). "Evergreen Loses Bid For Space Shuttle". Portland Business Journal.
  7. ^ Staub, Colin (September 8, 2016). "Space museum, waterpark sold for $10.9 million August 17, 2020, at the Wayback Machine". Pamplin Media Group.
  8. ^ Hammill, Luke (July 8, 2016). "Buyer Emerges For Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, once threatened by foreclosure". The Oregonian.
  9. ^ Chalmers, Keely (April 13, 2020). "Stoller Group gives Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum a new life". KGW8. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  10. ^ Traver, Sheldon (May 31, 2008). . WillametteLive.com. Archived from the original on September 5, 2008. Retrieved September 20, 2009.
  11. ^ "Yamhill Valley Visitors Association: Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum".
  12. ^ . Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
  13. ^ . Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
  14. ^ Pointer, Starla (June 4, 2011). "Counting Down To Splashdown". Yamhill Valley News-Register.
  15. ^ "Water Park Tops 50,000". Yamhill Valley News-Register. August 13, 2011.
  16. ^ Bourgeois, Michaela; Burris, Emily; Teich, Travis (September 7, 2023). "Evergreen aviation museum talks new Venom exhibit, McMinnville Air Show". KOIN. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  17. ^ . Industrial-newsroom.com. December 30, 2010. Archived from the original on October 22, 2017. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  18. ^ Bennett, Christopher W. (November 19, 2006). "Blackbird Timeline of Events 1990's & 00's". Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  19. ^ "Titan IV Solid Rocket Motors Destroyed".
  20. ^ "B-17 Flying Fortress to join CF - the Collings Foundation".

Bibliography Edit

  • Careless, James. . IAAPA. Archived from the original on August 3, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2018.

External links Edit

  • Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum
  • Wings and Waves Waterpark
 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Evergreen Aviation Museum.

October 15, 2023
evergreen, aviation, space, museum, independent, profit, aviation, museum, mcminnville, oregon, exhibits, include, hughes, hercules, spruce, goose, more, than, fifty, military, civilian, aircraft, unmanned, aerial, vehicles, drones, spacecraft, museum, complex. The Evergreen Aviation amp Space Museum is an independent 501 c 3 non profit aviation museum in McMinnville Oregon Its exhibits include the Hughes H 4 Hercules Spruce Goose and more than fifty military and civilian aircraft unmanned aerial vehicles drones and spacecraft The museum complex includes four main buildings the original aviation exhibit hall a large screen digital theater a second exhibit hall focused on space technology and a water park Evergreen Aviation and Space MuseumEstablished1991 as the Evergreen Museum LocationMcMinnville Oregon United StatesCoordinates45 12 14 N 123 8 36 W 45 20389 N 123 14333 W 45 20389 123 14333TypePrivate aerospaceFounderDelford M Smith and Michael King SmithDirectorBrandon RobenWebsiteevergreenmuseum wbr orgThe museum is located across the highway from the former headquarters of Evergreen International Aviation and across Oregon Route 18 from McMinnville Municipal Airport KMMV Founded by the owner of Evergreen International Aviation portions of the museum facilities were purchased out of bankruptcy liquidation in April 2020 by business executive Bill Stoller but the museum is still an independent non profit entity Contents 1 History 2 Description 3 Wings and Waves Waterpark 4 Key holdings 4 1 Former holdings 5 See also 6 References 7 Bibliography 8 External linksHistory Edit nbsp A B 25 Mitchell bomber on the main floor of the museum First envisioned by Michael King Smith a former captain in the United States Air Force and son of Evergreen International Aviation founder Delford M Smith the Evergreen Museum opened in 1991 with a small collection of vintage aircraft in a hangar at company headquarters In March 1990 The Walt Disney Company announced that it would close the Long Beach California exhibit of the Spruce Goose The Aeroclub of Southern California began looking for a new home for the historic aircraft 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 1 The disassembly of the aircraft began in August 1992 The parts were 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 2 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 3 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 Over the next year crews assembled 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 Smith who died in an automobile accident in March 1995 In September 2006 work began on the space museum building a twin to the aviation museum By this time the museum had acquired several space related items and the original building was running out of room The new building was completed in May 2008 and had its grand opening on June 6 2008 exactly seven years after the aviation museum opened 4 In 2009 the museum became an affiliate in the Smithsonian Affiliations program 5 Attempts to obtain a retired Space Shuttle were unsuccessful 6 In early 2016 Michael King Smith Foundation officials announced they were filing for bankruptcy In July 2016 part of the land was purchased for 10 9 million by The Falls Event Center a company owned by Steve Down with the Museums exhibits still fully operational 7 8 In April 2020 The Stoller Group purchased 285 acres of land that contained the museum amp water park buildings The museum is still an independent 501 c 3 non profit and is not owned by The Stoller Group 9 Description Edit nbsp Martin Titan II SLV Space Launch VehicleAs of 2019 update two exhibit centers are open to the public The original structure is the aviation center with the Spruce Goose as centerpiece Other aircraft spanning the entire history of aviation are arranged in the building some parked under the wings of the Spruce Goose or suspended from the ceiling The space flight center is in a building the same size as the aviation center Because there are fewer space related holdings the center includes a large number of panels and other displays that chronicle the history of space flight Visitors can operate 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 The building also exhibits overflow holdings from the aviation center usually the higher performance jet aircraft Two of the main attractions of the space flight center are a Titan II SLV satellite booster rocket and a SR 71 Blackbird 10 The Titan II sits upright in a specially constructed display extending two stories below the floor in order to fit the 114 foot tall rocket inside the building The exhibit includes a re created Titan II SLV Launch Control Room outfitted with actual furnishings and equipment donated from Vandenberg Air Force Base nbsp T 55 tank rideThe museum s many volunteers include former aviators who flew the planes on display actually built space artifacts on display or were personal eyewitnesses of historical space events Their detailed descriptions and real life commentary help bring the planes and their days of flight back to life as well as past current and future planned space exploration 11 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 12 An F 15 Eagle is displayed on a pedestal in front of the former EIA headquarters across the highway from the museum A bronze statue stands by on the pathway between the aviation and space museum Both are marked in Smith s memory 13 A smaller building contains the Evergreen Digital theater featuring a seven story wide by six story tall screen and multi channel surround sound A radio control air flight field is located behind the aviation center nbsp Panorama of the museum taken from under the wing of the Hughes H 4 HerculesWings and Waves Waterpark Edit nbsp Exterior of the waterpark showing the mounted Boeing 747 100Wings amp Waves Waterpark opened June 6 2011 14 The 71 350 square foot 6 629 m2 waterpark Oregon s largest features 10 slides and a 91 703 gallon wave pool with the intent of tying into the educational focus of the Evergreen Museum Campus with its Life Needs Water interactive display in the H2O Children s Science Center 15 The four big slides begin inside a retired Boeing 747 100 that sits atop the roof 62 feet 19 m above the splash landing In April 2020 The Stoller Group purchased 285 acres of land near the museum and became owner of the museum buildings and water park with plans to restore the water park and build a 90 room hotel Key holdings Edit nbsp SR 71 instrument panel nbsp An SR 71 Blackbird under the wing of the Spruce Goose taken before the SR 71 was moved to the new space building nbsp B 17G 95DL 44 83785Beechcraft C 45 Expeditor Beechcraft Model 17 Beechcraft Starship Consolidated PBY Catalina Curtiss Robin Curtiss Fledgling Curtiss Wright CW 15 Curtiss Wright CW 22 De Havilland DH 4 de Havilland DH 100 Vampire Mk 52 De Havilland Venom 16 Douglas A 1 Skyraider Douglas A 26C Invader Douglas A 4 Skyhawk Douglas C 47 Douglas DC 3A Douglas F5D Skylancer Fairchild PT 19 Fairchild Republic A 10 Thunderbolt II Focke Wulf Fw 190 Foton 6 Space Capsule Unmanned version of the Vostok spacecraft Russian space capsule Grumman F 14 Tomcat Grumman TF 9J Cougar Hughes H 4 Hercules This is the famous Spruce Goose a flying boat with the largest wingspan of any aircraft ever flown until 2019 North American T 39 Sabreliner Rockwell Collins 1964 Sabreliner Model 50 tail number N50CR was acquired by Evergreen in 1976 and used for flight test projects that helped shape modern commercial and military avionics The aircraft was flown about 8 000 hours with more than 5 000 landings It was donated to the museum in January 2013 17 Lockheed SR 71A Blackbird This Blackbird Ser No 61 7971 was one of three that were reactivated and used by NASA and the USAF in 1995 Its last flight was February 1 1996 18 Martin Titan II SLV Space Launch Vehicle This missile Serial Number 66 4319 or B 108 is the last of the 108 Titan II ICBMs to be fabricated One of 14 Titan IIs converted for science weather and military satellite launches it is only one in the group not to be launched The exhibit includes the Titan II launch control center equipment used in California for launching the Titan 23G Titan IV One of only two remaining Titan IV launch vehicles On outdoor display The exhibit includes the core stages for Titan IVB K 40 and some parts for the solid rocket motors 19 McDonnell Douglas F 15A Eagle 2 One of the F 15A aircraft is on display in the Space Museum the other aircraft is displayed on a pedestal at the former Evergreen headquarters across the highway from the museum in memory of Michael King Smith a son of Delford M Smith the founder of Evergreen International Aviation McDonnell Douglas F 4 Phantom II North American F 86D Sabre Mercury Space Capsule Messerschmitt 262 Reproduction by Legend Flyers Mikoyan Guryevich MiG 17 A Fresco true Russian version Mikoyan Guryevich MiG 21MF Fishbed J Mikoyan MiG 29 Fulcrum A NASA X 38 V 131R Naval Aircraft Factory N3N Northrop F 89 Scorpion PGM 11 Redstone Piper L 4 North American X 15 painted with AF Ser No 56 6672 A full scale wooden mockup of the X 15 it is displayed along with one of the rocket engines Lockheed F 104 Starfighter North American F 100 Super Sabre Ryan PT 22 RecruitAlso on display are many aircraft engines and helicopters reflecting Evergreen Aviation s original helicopter fleet nbsp 90 panorama of the museum including the Hughes H 4 Hercules aka Spruce Goose Former holdings Edit Boeing B 17G Flying Fortress AAF Ser No 44 83785 used in the final scene of the 1965 James Bond film Thunderball was purchased by the Collings Foundation in 2015 20 Messerschmitt Bf 109G 10 U 4 610937 This plane was sold in 2015 and is now at the American Heritage Museum Stow Massachusetts This is one of very few Bf 109s that can fly in its current condition See also EditList of aerospace museumsReferences Edit Saarinen Yvette July 11 1992 Evergreen Wins Bid for Flying Boat Yamhill Valley News Register Archived from the original on October 5 2011 Retrieved August 17 2011 Pointer Starla September 14 2000 The Journey to Oregon Yamhill Valley News Register Archived from the original on October 5 2011 Retrieved August 17 2011 Dana Tims November 1 2006 Honoring the historic Spruce Goose flight at Oregon museum The Seattle Times Tertin Ben June 7 2008 Museum Launch a Soaring Success Yamhill Valley News Register Archived from the original on October 5 2011 Retrieved August 17 2011 Philip Jaeger 2009 New Member Program Blog Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum Retrieved July 15 2011 Siemers Erik April 12 2011 Evergreen Loses Bid For Space Shuttle Portland Business Journal Staub Colin September 8 2016 Space museum waterpark sold for 10 9 million Archived August 17 2020 at the Wayback Machine Pamplin Media Group Hammill Luke July 8 2016 Buyer Emerges For Evergreen Aviation amp Space Museum once threatened by foreclosure The Oregonian Chalmers Keely April 13 2020 Stoller Group gives Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum a new life KGW8 Retrieved April 15 2020 Traver Sheldon May 31 2008 Evergreen Aviation Museum welcomes Titan II exhibit WillametteLive com Archived from the original on September 5 2008 Retrieved September 20 2009 Yamhill Valley Visitors Association Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum Evergreen Aviation amp Space Museum Teacher Resources Archived from the original on September 5 2015 Retrieved August 17 2011 Evergreen Aviation amp Space Museum Captain Michael King Smith Archived from the original on September 5 2015 Retrieved August 17 2011 Pointer Starla June 4 2011 Counting Down To Splashdown Yamhill Valley News Register Water Park Tops 50 000 Yamhill Valley News Register August 13 2011 Bourgeois Michaela Burris Emily Teich Travis September 7 2023 Evergreen aviation museum talks new Venom exhibit McMinnville Air Show KOIN Retrieved September 8 2023 Successful Completion of Underground Survey Services for Cartagena Refinery Expansion Project Industrial newsroom com December 30 2010 Archived from the original on October 22 2017 Retrieved June 26 2014 Bennett Christopher W November 19 2006 Blackbird Timeline of Events 1990 s amp 00 s Retrieved July 20 2008 Titan IV Solid Rocket Motors Destroyed B 17 Flying Fortress to join CF the Collings Foundation Bibliography EditCareless James How the Spruce Goose Became Part of a Water Park IAAPA Archived from the original on August 3 2017 Retrieved July 11 2018 External links EditEvergreen Aviation amp Space Museum Wings and Waves Waterpark nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Evergreen Aviation Museum Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Evergreen Aviation 26 Space Museum amp oldid 1174489273, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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