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Archives at The Museum of Flight


Museum of Flight (Seattle, Wash.)

 Organization

In 1964 a small group of aviation enthusiasts realized that important and historic artifacts representing the evolution of flight were being lost or destroyed at an incredible rate. To aid in the preservation of these artifacts, the Pacific Northwest Aviation Historical Foundation was established with the goal of saving significant aircraft and related artifacts to educate the public about their importance.

It soon became clear that a place to store and exhibit these artifacts was needed, and in 1965 the first official Museum of Flight exhibits were put on display in a 10,000 square-foot space at the Seattle Center, the location of the 1962 World’s Fair.

The concept for The Museum of Flight complex began to take in 1975 when the Port of Seattle leased the land on which the Boeing Red Barn now sits to the Museum for 99 years. The Red Barn, the birthplace of The Boeing Company, was saved from demolition in its original location on the Duwamish River and floated by river barge to its current location. The Red Barn was restored in 1983 and became the first permanent location for The Museum of Flight.

The Red Barn was eventually joined by the Great Gallery in 1987, the Library and Archives Building in 2002 and the J. Elroy McCaw Personal Courage Wing and Airpark in 2004. The Museum of Flight continues to expand our exhibits, our experiences and our educational programs—paying homage to the history of flight and inspiring the entertainment and education of generations to come.

Found in 2 Collections and/or Records:

Simpson, Anne -- oral history interview, 2016 January 13

 File
Interview Summary Retired airline captain and Museum of Flight Trustee Anne Simpson is interviewed about her 37-year career in the commercial airline industry. She discusses her experiences as a pilot for Northwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines, where she flew the Boeing 727, Airbus A320, and Boeing 747-400. She also discusses her status as one of the first women pilots to be hired by a major American airline and describes challenges and accomplishments from her career. The interview concludes with an overview of...

Yi, Soyeon -- oral history interview, 2017 November 28

 File
Interview Summary Astronaut Soyeon Yi is interviewed about her engineering career and her experiences as the first Korean citizen to participate in a spaceflight mission. She discusses her academic work in mechanical engineering at KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) during the early 2000s and explains her motivations for applying to the Korean Astronaut Program during her PhD studies. Yi then describes her spaceflight experiences, including her training in Russia with Roscomos, her time...

The Museum of Flight | 9404 E. Marginal Way South | Seattle WA 98108-4097 | 206-764-5874
Contact us with a research request
curator@museumofflight.org