Oakland Aviation Museum, formerly called Western Aerospace Museum, in an aviation museum located at North Field of Oakland International Airport in Oakland, California. It has over 30 vintage and modern airplanes, both civilian and military, and other displays that highlight noted aviators and innovators.

History

The museum was established in 1980 by Ron Reuther and opened in 1986 in a room inside Hangar 5 at Oakland International Airport. A Short Solent was moved to the museum in 1987. The following year, the museum moved to Building 621, the former Boeing School of Aeronautics, which was built in 1940. Then, in 1989, the museum received a Lockheed Electra. The museum began a project to make its Short Solent airworthy in 1992. The museum announced it would expand to Hangar 41 at the former Naval Air Station Alameda in 1998.

Collection

Aircraft

Engines

Other

Exhibits

The museum contains several galleries with exhibits, some of which emphasize the role Oakland and surrounding areas have played in the history of aviation. These include an aircraft engine room, the Eighth Air Force, Jimmy Doolittle, United States naval aviation, the Tuskegee Airmen, women in aviation, Transocean Air Lines, World Airways and Trans International Airlines.

Events

The museum hosts a number of special events including open cockpit days.

Programs

The museum previously hosted a Summer Flight Academy for teenagers.