Seattle has a long history with aviation and it was here that the first ever Boeing aircraft was assembled and where the company used to have its headquarters for decades. It makes sense that the city also hosts one of the most interesting aviation museums in North America. The Museum of Flight shows the history of flight starting with the experiments of the Wright Brothers and progresses through the years with over 150 planes, helicopters and even some satellites, rockets, space station parts and lunar module mockups.
Located at the Museum of Flight are also some more well-known aircrafts that are worthy of a special mention. The first presidential jet ever, now better known under its call sign Air Force One, has transported presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon and can be visited at the Airpark. One of the supersonic Concorde Jets, built in 1978 to shuttle passengers over the Atlantic Ocean at over two times the speed of sound, signifies a lost era of luxury air travel before budget airlines rose to today’s popularity. Lastly, a shiny silver M-21 Blackbird that once flew stealthy reconnaissance missions over hostile territories at Mach 3 (that is over 3,500 kilometers or 2,175 miles per hour) has found its resting place inside the Great Gallery.
The Museum of Flight is open 7 days a week from 10am to 5pm. It is located about 7 miles outside of downtown Seattle, at the Boeing Field close to the international airport. The museum can be reached with the METRO bus number 124, which makes a stop right in front of the building.