Nestled in the northeastern-most expanse of the Olympic Peninsula, located at the Jefferson County International Airport, is the Port Townsend Aero Museum.
One of just nine aviation museums in the state, the Port Townsend Aero Museum first began operations in 2001 with just six donated planes. The publicly-owned nonprofit was founded by Owners Jerry and Peggy Thuotte, retirees from United Airlines and experienced aircraft restorers.
Photograph courtesy of Mike Payne
Since then, they have accumulated around 60 registered planes, 36 of which are on display at any given time. According to Mike Payne, museum director and an employee since 2002, display planes are switched out every so often to change things up and to allow the sitting planes to get some flight time.
“A lot of [planes] on the ground go out actively and are ‘kept in annual,’ or are registered and all these types of things that you need in order to stay flying and airworthy, which is really rare for a museum,” says Maria Morrison, a youth volunteer from 2010-2018 and Port Townsend native.
Photograph by Morgan Merriam
The Aero Museum prides itself on maintaining a collection of antique aircraft, which are often restored in-house. Their oldest plane, a 1922 Irwin Meteor plane, dates back over 100 years, according to Payne.
Across their gorgeous displays, one of the museum’s crowd favorites is a vision in red.
“The people that come in here [who] have some knowledge of aviation, they tend to gravitate towards the Beechcraft Staggerwing, which is kind of an iconic aircraft,” Payne says.
Photograph by Morgan Merriam
The plane, donated by long-time Seattle attorney William Hellssell, came to the museum in 2010. Hellssell was a young man when he bought the Beechcraft Staggerwing back in the ‘60s, according to Payne, “when [it] was probably considered more of just an old airplane, an old biplane. They weren’t eclectic yet.”
The Beechcraft Staggerwing, although not originally restored on-site like much of the Port Townsend Aero Museum’s other aircraft, has been maintained by the hard-working folks with the museum’s youth program, of which Morrison was a member.
Photograph courtesy of Mike Payne
Participants, ages 13 to 17, come in at least once a week, every week, for an 8-hour work day, leading the restoration process and earning the opportunity to get flight hours. In exchange for volunteering, they are given the opportunity to earn their Private Pilot License at no cost to them or their families.
Just last year, Bellingham natives and twins Gavin and Gabriel Miner graduated the program with their licenses after five years as youth volunteers; they are now attending the University of Washington’s mechanical engineering program.
Photograph courtesy of Mike Payne
“Getting young folks into old airplanes is a really unique experience,” Payne says.
If you’re looking to take fun to new heights this summer, consider a trip across the Sound to the Port Townsend Aero Museum. From the Coupeville ferry terminal, the ride is just about 35 minutes to arrive at this wonderful, historic seaport town. For the June-July season, the ferry will be offering anywhere from 11 to 17 departure times daily.
Photograph by Morgan Merriam
For those with the means and who are feeling a little more adventurous, the museum also offers plane parking. According to their website, you can leave your aircraft in transient parking during your visit free of charge.
105 Airport Rd., Port Townsend, 360.379.5244, ptaeromuseum.com
