Planes Over the Islands

Mitsubishi A6M2 Model 21 Type 0

On the 441 acre island in Hawaii's Pearl Harbor is the Pacific Aviation Museum.  This museum on Ford Island is a monument to aviation in the Pacific housed in old aircraft hangers from another era.  Don't expect to see and big collection of aircraft here.  Do expect to see a superb collection of aircraft depicting the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Hangar 37 has over 41,000 square feet of exhibition space including theater and gift shop.  My favorite part of this museum is what it does best. And that is it explains all aspects of the attack in graphic detail. When entering the first thing that catches your eye is the Zero.  Mitsubishi's superb fighter plane of the Japanese air force. It was faster and more maneuverable than American planes. Also seen is an American Curtis P-40 as flown by the Army Air Force from nearby Wheeler field. You may have seen Ben Afleck flying one in the movie Pearl Harbor. Seemingly out of place is a small red plane hanging from the ceiling which was flown by a  civilian on the day of the attack who saw the everything from the air. There is also a rather pristine B-25 Mitchell bomber on display depicting the aircraft used in Doolittle's famous Tokyo raid. Near the bomber is a kiosk with a computer screen, webcam and keyboard. You can use this to take your photograph in front of the B-25 and post it directly to your facebook page.  On the walls are graphics explaining the flight paths of the various attacking aircraft. A SBD "Dauntless" dive bomber sits close by showing the rigors of battle. No longer pristine, the paint is worn by salt spray and dents are on the fuselage.  We notice aircraft wreckage in one display and discover a very interesting story.  The Japanese Zero crash landed on the island and the pilot was rescued by a local Japanese resident. At this time there was a large Japanese population in Hawaii who had come to the islands as sugarcane and pineapple farm workers. Some were sympathetic to the enemy. This pilot, Airman 1st Class Shigenori Nishikaichi, was sheltered by a local resident. However, less sympathetic other local residents took the pilot from his protector and killed him.  The Japanese sympathizer later committed suicide.  There are two more planes in this exhibit hanger. A F4F "Wildcat" depicting the "Cactus Air Force" in a great display and the Boeing Stearman biplane trainer in which the former president Geo. H. W. Bush soloed.

(clockwise) Zero wreckage, Dauntless, Wildcat, Aeronca

You exit this building  near the tarmac with the tower close by and walk toward Hanger 79. along the way pass the F-86 Sabre, F-4 Phantom II, SH-3 Sea King and others.  As you enter the hanger notice the bullet holes in the glass panels on the right.  Those holes were made by the invading Japanese planes on December 7th.  To the left is a guide with information about the contents of the hanger. Hanging overhead is the F-86 and MiG-15 from the Korean Conflict posed in attack mode.  Underneath are two jet engines representing the axial-flow and centrifugal types. Our guide was very helpful explaining the operation of each. Elsewhere in the hanger are newer aircraft such as the F-14 and F-15. And a number of helicopters. In the corner is a Curtiss P-40 Warhawk in the shark's mouth design of Chenault's Flying Tigers.  There's an F-15 cockpit for training purposes and a B-52 nose section.  One of the most interesting aircraft is the Soviet MiG-21 with U.S. insignia. The Fishbed was used as an aggressor in dogfight exercises.

Mig-15, F-86, MiG-21

The Pacific Aviation Museum is a great treat for the history or aviation buff. But it is only accessible from the Pearl Harbor Visitors Center via shuttle bus.

                   Museum Aircraft

• Grumman F-14D Tomcat
• McDonnell   Douglas    F-15C Eagle
• Bell AH-1 Cobra
• Bell UH-1 Iroquois
• Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King
• Convair F102A Delta Dagger
• McDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantom II
• North American Aviation F-86 Sabre
• Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15
• Curtis P-40E Warhawk
• Sikorsky SH-60B Seahawk
• Lockheed T-33 (T-Bird) Shooting Star
• North American T-6 Texan
• Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat
• Douglas SBD Dauntless
• Mitsubishi A6M2 Model 21 Type 0
• Aeronca Model 65TC
• Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21

                                                       Click here for Pacific Aviation Museum website
                                                                        Pearl Harbor Naval Base
                                                                        U.S.S. Arizona Memorial