Pearson Air Museum

Museum Location

Pearson Air Museum is located in Vancouver, Washington, which is about 10 miles north of Portland, Oregon. The museum is situated at Pearson Field, one of the oldest continuously operating airfields in the United States. The Museum is managed by the National Park Service and is free to visit.

Pearson Air Museum

Museum History

Pearson Field started as a polo field next to Fort Vancouver, a former fur trading post and military base that played a key role in the development of the Pacific Northwest. The field was also used by local early aviators who experimented with flying machines.

1931 Fleet Model 7

Spruce Mill

When the United States entered World War I in 1917, a gigantic spruce mill was built on the site to provide aviation-grade lumber for the war effort. The lumber produced by the local spruce mill was used to construct both Curtiss JN-4 aircraft for pilots in training, and De Havilland DH-4 aircraft for combat overseas. The museum features a large diorama of the spruce mill, which was operated by the US Military as a part of the Spruce Production Division, a unique wartime agency that mobilized thousands of workers to harvest and process spruce trees.

8-foot-by-30-foot scale model of the 1918 Spruce Mill

Lt. Alexander Pearson

After the war, the mill was demolished, and the field became an airfield once again. Since 1925, it was known as Pearson Field, after Lt. Alexander Pearson, a prominent aviation figure in the Army Air Service who also made the first aerial survey of the Grand Canyon.

Pearson Air Museum

Historical Events at Pearson Field

Pearson Field witnessed some remarkable aviation feats in the following years. In 1924, three Douglas World Cruisers landed at Pearson Field on their way to achieving the first aerial circumnavigation of the globe. In June 1937, an ANT-25 aircraft piloted by Valery Chkalov flew from Moscow and touched down at Pearson Field, completing the first trans-polar flight in history. A monument was unveiled in 1975 to commemorate that flight.

Chkalov Transpolar Flight Monument

DH-4B Liberty Bomber

The museum currently has five aircraft on display, each with its own story and significance. One of them is one of the few remaining DH-4B Liberty bomber planes. The plane was originally designed in England by Geoffrey de Havilland, but its American-built version was powered by a V12 Liberty engine, giving it its name. American crews flew DH-4 bombers during the Meuse-Argonne campaign in WWI, conducting bombing raids on German targets. After the war, the 321st Observation Squadron stationed at Pearson Field used both DH-4 Liberty and Curtiss JN-4 Jenny planes.

Airco DH-4B Liberty Plane

Curtiss JNS Jenny

Another aircraft in the museum’s collection is a Curtiss JNS Jenny, which was crucial for training American pilots during the 1916-1925 era and was widely used during World War I. The museum’s Jenny was restored to its original condition and is one of the few flyable Jennys in the world.

Curtiss JN-4 Jenny

Curtiss Pusher

The museum also displays a full-scale replica of a Curtiss Pusher, which was the first mass-produced airplane and the first plane to take off and land on a ship. It was designed by Glenn H. Curtiss and got its name from its rear-facing motor and propeller.

Curtiss Pusher Model D replica

Other Aircraft

Another aircraft in the museum is the 1931 Fleet Model 7 flown from Pearson Field by Leah Hing, the nation’s first Chinese-American female pilot. During WWII, Hing sold her plane to support the war effort and worked with the West Coast Civil Air Patrol. The museum’s historic hangar also displays a replica of a WWI-era French Voisin III bomber and another replica of a Fokker Dr.I Triplane fighter, the same type of aircraft flown by the infamous Red Baron.