Ken Jernstedt Airfield 4S2

1600 Air Museum Road

Hood River, OR 97031

541-308-1600

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Open Daily 9 - 5

Closed: Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Years Day

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541-308-1600

 

WAAAM — Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum

Where people are preserving the past with a passion

The Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum (WAAAM) was established as a 501 (c) (3) non-profit foundation In June of 2006. We opened our doors to the public for the first time on September 7th, 2007.

Our Facility

WAAAM is a relatively new museum, but we house one of the largest collections of flying antique aircraft and drivable antique automobiles in the country.

VISIT US!

Step back in time with us, and re-live the golden age of transportation.

Our collections are housed in two giant hangars — which together total 95,000 square feet. In addition to our antique collections, these facilities house a reference library, classroom, meeting rooms, and a community events area.

Three additional hangars, totaling 37,000 square feet, are set aside for restorations.

Volunteers Make It Work

WAAAM depends entirely on volunteers to operate our museum. Volunteers plan and run our many events, they manage our facilities, they teach our classes, and they greet our visitors. They even contribute their time to helping with our extensive restoration projects. 

Thanks so much to all our volunteers for all that they do! You can be a volunteer too. 

Click to learn more: Be a WAAAM Volunteer.

Our Founder & President

Our founder and president Terry Brandt started his love of flying at a very early age.

Terry's mother and father served as the FBO (fixed base operator) at the airport in Marysville, California, and also ran a flight school there for a number of years. Terry's father also built between 200 and 300 crop dusters, and was particularly fond of soaring in gliders.

Learn More

Learn more about WAAAM in this feature article in the Hood River News: Air and Auto Museum Preserves Rare Piece of American History.

Given the environment he grew up in, it didn't seem strange to anyone at the time that Terry learned to fly when he was only 12 years old.  Nor did it seem strange that he bought his first airplane at the age of 19 — a 1938 J-3 Cub. Ever since then, he's been an avid collector.

He Donated His Collection

Terry continued to collect antique aircraft and memorabilia over the last 50 years, and in 2006 he decided he would have to make one of two choices — either he would have to have a very large auction, or he would have to find a way to ensure his collection would survive by building a museum.

Fortunately for all of us, he chose the latter, and donated his collection to the museum.

Now, in just a few short years, many more aircraft have been added to the museum, and the collection of antique automobiles is now equally as impressive as the collecion of antique planes.

Terry's Hopes for the Future

Terry now resides in Hood River, Oregon with his wife Lois. He remains extremely active in the business of running the museum, and he still enjoys flying.

Terry hopes that others who have antique aircraft and automobiles will find that WAAAM is a safe haven to both preserve them and show them off.

Visitors to WAAAM

We're a "Living" Museum

WAAAM is a living museum dedicated to the preservation and operation of, and education about, antique aircraft, automobiles, and other transportation related relics.

Unlike other museums, we don't just refinish the surface, we restore the engines as well. And once we've restored them, we're able to drive them or fly them... and we do!

So, we're a "living" museum in that all of our vehicles are fully functional. And you can be sure that we have great fun when we bring them out of the hangar to fly them or drive them!

Financial Contributions Help!

Membership fees, entrance fees, and donations help us cover our operating costs, as well as costs associated with our acquisitions and restorations.

Learn more: BE A MEMBER

Director of Restorations

Tom Murphy, Director of Restorations, was born in San Bernardino, California. He spent a lot of time during his early childhood years building balsa wood model airplanes.

As he got older, Tom spent much of his time at the local airport in Lodi, California, pumping gas in exchange for flying lessons. The first plane that he flew was a J-3 Cub.

Tom’s passion for aircraft grew over the years, and as it did, he learned the art and craft of restorations.

Re-enactments of Early Flights

Tom is well known for the re-enactment in 1992 of the first Interstate Air Mail flight from Portland, Oregon to Vancouver, Washington, in a Curtiss Pusher.

Using the same Curtiss Pusher, in 1995, Tom also re-enacted a 1912 flight from the roof of the Multnomah Hotel in Portland by Silas Christofferson. That flight is the subject of a video that can be seen at WAAAM.

Museum Director

Museum Director Judy Newman, like her brother and founder Terry Brandt, has had a long and passionate love affair with flying.

She's had a number of planes over the years, she ran her own FBO (fixed base operation), instructed in gliders, and is an expert tow pilot.

Now, as our Museum Director, Judy is learning to love our automobiles, just as much as she loves our planes!