General aviation
EAA Aviation Museum Expands Displays and Tillamook Air Museum Sets Reopening Date
Several historic aircraft join museum displays as an Oregon aviation landmark prepares to reopen its doors following storm repairs.
The EAA Aviation Museum has integrated six historically significant aircraft into its exhibition spaces. Chris Henry, the director of the museum, noted that adding these airframes introduces fresh narratives to the existing collection and demonstrates the shared community among homebuilders, restorers, and aviation enthusiasts. The newly featured types include a replica of the Douglas World Cruiser, an Epps Monoplane reproduction, John Moody’s Icarus II, a Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, a Grumman F4F Wildcat, and a Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina.
Among these additions, Robert Dempster spent two decades building the full-scale Douglas World Cruiser replica to honor the original 1924 American flyers who completed a global circumnavigation. The Epps Monoplane replica honors Georgia aviator Ben T. Epps, recreating his 1912 construction out of scrap timber, cotton fabric, bicycle wheels, and a low-horsepower engine. The Icarus II, piloted by ultralight pioneer John Moody during its initial flight from a frozen Wisconsin lake on March 15, 1975, was restored by the Michigan Ultralight Association prior to its donation.
Additional military aircraft round out the new exhibits. The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk and the Grumman F4F Wildcat, specifically an FM-2 variant built under license by General Motors, are on loan from the Frasca Collection. The P-40 is celebrated for its wartime contributions and distinct nose art, while the Wildcat earned renown in the Pacific for its durability and defensive capabilities. Furthermore, a Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina, provided on loan by the Collings Foundation and the American Heritage Museum, highlights a machine credited with multiple U.S. submarine sinkings and vital maritime search-and-rescue missions.
Concurrently, the Tillamook Air Museum in Oregon is scheduled to welcome visitors back on October 29, 2026. The facility closed in December 2025 after severe weather compromised the roof of the landmark World War II Hangar B. Because the Port of Tillamook Bay Commission determined that roof repairs would be excessively expensive, the hangar, exhibits, and gift shop merchandise were sold to the non-profit Vintage Aviation Museum for one dollar alongside a long-term ground lease.
Preparation for the upcoming opening involved substantial community effort. Approximately eighty volunteers gathered for a work party to clean displays and reposition airplanes, while the Friends of the Tillamook Air Museum contributed fifty thousand dollars to help fund the necessary roof repairs. Representatives for the Vintage Air Museum stated on social media that their primary objective has been restoring the original visitor experience while planning future exhibit enhancements. Visitors attending the October 29 reopening at 10 a.m. have been advised by management to wear warm clothing due to the naturally cold environment inside the large hangar.
Sources: EAA, General Aviation News