One Air Museum Way, N. Laughlin Rd./Becker Blvd., at Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport, 5 mi. N of town, west of Hwy. 101, (707) 575-7900. W-Sun 10-4. $10, 65+ $7, 6-17 $5; flight simulator $10/20 min. No pets.
Situated on a former World War II air base, the Pacific Coast Air Museum opened in 1989. Its mission is to educate, inspire, preserve, and honor. A small room inside the visitor center is filled with aviation exhibits, including a diorama depicting the Santa Rosa Army Airfield during World War II and another documenting the filming here of the film “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.”
A unique 3-D Virtual Reality Flight Simulator developed here by a volunteer makes use of virtual reality goggles that allow participants to experience flying many different types of airplanes.
More than 30 full-size airplanes are parked outside on an open field--when it isn't their turn to hang out in the giant Butler hangar. The planes are moved regularly. Each with a history, and most are on loan from various branches of the military. They include:
●F-15 Eagle The first plane to arrive in New York airspace after 9/11, when it flew in from Massachusetts. It is on loan from the Air Force.
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| overview of planes at Pacific Coast Air Museum in Santa Rosa, California |
Situated on a former World War II air base, the Pacific Coast Air Museum opened in 1989. Its mission is to educate, inspire, preserve, and honor. A small room inside the visitor center is filled with aviation exhibits, including a diorama depicting the Santa Rosa Army Airfield during World War II and another documenting the filming here of the film “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.”
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| docents C.J.and Andy Werback point to display re. "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" at Pacific Coast Air Museum in Santa Rosa, California |
A unique 3-D Virtual Reality Flight Simulator developed here by a volunteer makes use of virtual reality goggles that allow participants to experience flying many different types of airplanes.
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| developer of 3-D Virtual Reality Flight Simulatorr C.J. with his project at Pacific Coast Air Museum in Santa Rosa, California |
More than 30 full-size airplanes are parked outside on an open field--when it isn't their turn to hang out in the giant Butler hangar. The planes are moved regularly. Each with a history, and most are on loan from various branches of the military. They include:
●F-15 Eagle The first plane to arrive in New York airspace after 9/11, when it flew in from Massachusetts. It is on loan from the Air Force.
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| F-15 Eagle at Pacific Coast Air Museum in Santa Rosa, California |
●Crusader This super-sonic Navy jet was once in a kids’ play area in Larsen Park on 19th Avenue near the Stonestown shopping center in San Francisco. It was brought here to the museum and restored.
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| Crusader at Pacific Coast Air Museum in Santa Rosa, California |
●Jet Star A private transport plane like this was seen in the James Bond movie “Goldfinger,” and Elvis owned one.
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| Jet Star at Pacific Coast Air Museum in Santa Rosa, California |
●Albatross HU16 Sometimes this plane is open for visitors to go inside.
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| Albatross HU16 at Pacific Coast Air Museum in Santa Rosa, California |
●D-21 Drone This high altitude, high speed, unmanned reconnaissance plane is fairly rare.
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| D-21 Drone at Pacific Coast Air Museum in Santa Rosa, California |
●”Lucy” helicopter She flew in Vietnam.
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| "Lucy" helicopter at Pacific Coast Air Museum in Santa Rosa, California |
●A-26 This is the only bomber to survive three wars--two in Korea, one in Vietnam. Marked on its sides is the number of bombing missions it flew, as well as the number of stops it made in Italy for wine. It is a favorite plane because it could fly at 300+ mph, and also because it flew faster than the fighters and didn’t need escorts. This kind of plane is what is seen in movies.
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| Andy Werback describes A-26 at Pacific Coast Air Museum in Santa Rosa, California |
Do arrange ahead for a free docent tour with one of the museum's enthusiastic volunteers. On scheduled Open Cockpit weekends, visitors can climb aboard and get a closer look, and on the first Thursday of each month April through October you can participate in the Hot Dog Thursday lunch fundraiser. During the holidays, an annual Santa Fly-In provides special family fun. All this and there are 350 wineries within 10 miles!
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| Andy Werback and W. David Ford point to Butler hangar at Pacific Coast Air Museum in Santa Rosa, California |
More ideas for exploring Northern California.
images ©2018 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
updated 11-30-22
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