Bookable
An Apollonaut travel guide
Where Seattle learned to fly.
An introduction to Boeing Field and the Duwamish valley, where Seattle’s aircraft industry began.
On this page
A museum beside a working airfield
The museum stands at the southern end of King County International Airport, known as Boeing Field, south of downtown Seattle in the valley of the Duwamish River.
A city guide can give context without turning a neighbourhood into a backdrop. Notice how the river, the runway and the old industrial buildings fit together.
Wood, fabric and aluminium
The Red Barn was built of wood in 1909. Around it, the galleries trace how aircraft were designed and built over the century that followed, from early biplanes to jet airliners.
Begin with a detail and ask how it was made, repaired and maintained. A photograph alone cannot tell you who riveted a panel or stitched a wing, or the conditions in which they worked.
Restored by volunteers
The museum’s Restoration Center at Paine Field in Everett is a 23,000-square-foot site where volunteers restore aircraft for the collection.
Look at the meeting of the two: the craft of early aircraft building, and the patient work that keeps those aircraft in one piece today.
Make room for context
Pair this reading with the museum’s history and the Journal. This is an introduction for visitors, not a claim that our team manages these places, commissions their restoration or represents their makers.
Read at the source
Sources & further reading
Links lead to the original publishers.
