Tribute to flight ready to open in Port Townsend
Luke Jensen, a 19-year-old University of Washington student from Bainbridge Island, puts up letters for Port Townsend Aero Museum’s entrance last week. Jensen has learned much about aviation over the past 6˝ years, taught by Jerry Thuotte, museum co-founder with his wife, Peggy. -- Photo by Jeff Chew/Peninsula Daily News
By Jeff Chew, Peninsula Daily News
Print This |
Email This
Recent Headlines
Nominate volunteers for Clallam County Community Service Award -- 1/21/12 -09:01 PM
Nominate your community hero for Jefferson County Heart of Service award -- 1/18/12 -09:19 AM
House OKs bill to give Quileute higher ground, public permanent access to Rialto, other beaches -- 2/6/12 -05:47 PM
Trying to get a sneak peek at the dams being removed? Fine! Literally! -- 2/6/12 -05:47 PM
Founders Jerry Thuotte and his wife, Peggy, have been watching the celebration of aviation history lift off over the past eight years, from concept to construction.
"Isn't this cool?" said an enthused Thuotte, showing the 18,000-square-foot building late last week while volunteers youths and adults prepared to hang a sparkling, restored 1936 four-seat Cabin Waco from the museum's ceiling.
He said a retired Philadelphia pilot permanently loaned the aircraft to the museum, one of 14 planes that will be on exhibit at the opening.
Planes exhibited are less than half of the museum's collection of 33.
The planes will be rotated in and out, and most will continue to be flown.
"When you ground an antique airplane, you take away its soul," said Thuotte, who retired as commercial airline pilot after more than 30 years. He was an air traffic controller before that.
"We're preserving these antique airplanes for the youth to come."
No government funds
Thousands of volunteer hours and many private donations have left the $2.9 million project 90 percent funded, Thuotte said.
He said that the museum reached completion without a dime's worth of government funding.
Soaring construction costs have raised the price of the building. Construction began in 2001 with a $500,000 budget.
Jefferson County contractors, who donated much of the work, include Grant Steel Building Systems, Leavitt Industries and Washington Engineering.
Another company helping the museum's cause was Sunshine Propane of Port Hadlock, which installed the building's radiant heating system.
Former Port Townsend-based Mariner Bank granted $5,000 to the museum project.
A mezzanine and a second-floor structure for office space, library and conference space, a glassed-in entryway, bathrooms, lighting, a fire suppression system, a parking lot and entrance road have all been completed.
Exhibits
The museum will showcase hanging and standing antique airplanes from the 1920s, '30s, and early '40s, both private and military.
Powered planes, gliders and experimental aircraft will be displayed.
The desert sand-colored building, which is shaped like a wing's cross-section, has two large hangar doors for ease of moving planes in and out.
Besides airplanes, Thuotte said the museum displays 100 aviation paintings along the walls of the mezzanine.
"In this country, we probably have the most complete collection of aviation art," Thuotte said.
The Thuottes started the museum with five antique aircraft and a desire to provide an opportunity for teenagers to experience all facets of aviation firsthand.
The museum, in its existing smaller space in a Port of Port Townsend hangar, offers a youth apprenticeship program that includes antique aircraft restoration and flight training.
The program also emphasizes to students, who range from 10 years old to students in their 20s, skills such as self-discipline, responsibility and civic duty to the community.
The program, now training 21 students, and graduated 190 students in the last eight years, Thuotte said.
They are a diverse group, he said, ranging from those with attention deficit disorder and juvenile delinquency problems to Eagle Scouts and scholars.
Aside from Jefferson County, students come from Sequim, Kingston and Bainbridge Island.
"It's an actual job. It's not just a class," said Emma Walker, 13.
Thuotte trained the Kingston Middle School student to fly as a reward for her volunteer work.
Thuotte assigned the young teen to create the glass-encased model airplane exhibit inside the museum, while other students are preparing signs to identifying the planes on exhibit.
Training space
Students will use existing training space at the airport until a plane restoration building can be constructed next to the new museum, said Thuotte, who has already presented project blueprints to the Port of Port Townsend commissioners.
The port owns and operates Jefferson County International Airport.
Volunteers range in age from 12 to 65.
Thuotte said older craftsman serve as mentors, teaching welding, fabric covering, woodwork, sheet metal, wiring, plumbing, aircraft systems, weight and balance, and aerodynamics skills.
All apprentice training includes basic stick-and-rudder flight training and is available to teen volunteers at no cost.
The collection includes two completely restored 1930 Stinson Detroiters, together worth $350,000.
Other planes to be exhibited include a 1922 Irwin "Meteor," a 1935 DeHavilland Queen Bee, a 1931 Curtiss-Wright Junior replica, a 1936 Aeronca C-3 Master, a 1940 Akron-Funk, a 1943 Aeronca L-3, a 1928 Travel Air 4000, a 1927 Travel Air 4000, two 1946 Aeronca 7AC's, a 1946 Piper J3 Cub, a Benny Howard Mike pylon racer replica, a Corben Baby Ace, a 1941 Ryan PT-22, a 1941 Piper J5 Super Cruiser, a 1965 Schleicher KA 6E, a 1946 Aeronca 11CC, a 1938 Cessna Airmaster, a 1937 Bowlus Baby Albatross, a 1942 Laister-Kauffman LK-10A, and a 1973 Cessna A150L Aerobat.
For more information, 360-531-0252.
________
Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
THE PORT TOWNSEND Areo Museum will celebrate an official opening at 9 a.m. Saturday.
The museum is at the Jefferson County International Airport, accessible from state Highway 19 at Airport Road.
Museum hours are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
Admission is $10 for adults, with the youth price still to be determined.
Last modified: August 31. 2008 9:00PM