Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum

The Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum rests upon a former airbase called Naval Auxiliary Landing Field, Pearl Harbor. Also known as Naval Air Station Pearl Harbor or Luke Field as it was named when the US Army controlled it. The Army left when the aircraft that the Army operated had become too big for Luke Field, and the larger Hickam Field was built. When the Army left, the name Luke Field was removed and given to an Airfield on the Mainland. Thus, the field was named Naval Air Station Ford Island. The Island was also home to a fueling station for Pan American’s China Clippers on their way to Asia. Amelia Earhart also used the field on her visit to Hawaii.

The airfield was hit heavily during the attack on December 7, 1941. The Japanese attacked the airfield targeting the flying boats based there. In addition, bombs meant for the ships of battleship row also fell on the airfield causing damage. In the wake of the attack, aircraft from the USS Enterprise were sent out to search for the Japanese fleet. Unsuccessful, they approached Ford Island in order to land. They were met with fierce gunfire from jumpy anti-aircraft crews, and several aircraft were shot down while attempting to land. With more and larger aircraft arriving in Hawaii on their way west, Naval Air Station Ford Island had become too small and fell to disuse with aircraft being stationed at either Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay or Naval Air Station Barber’s Point. The Naval Air Station was decommissioned in the 1960s. Then in 1970, the airfield was reopened and designated Naval Auxiliary Landing Field Ford Island. This field was used for civilian flight training and landing practice, as well as military helicopter training. Air operation finally ceased in 1999.

As unique as the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum is, being the only aviation museum that is also an aerial battlefield, it would not be an aviation museum without the aircraft. As you arrive at the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum on the shuttle from the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, the first building you will see is Hangar 37. It houses the admission desk, movie theater, Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum Gift Store, and the Laniakea Cafe. Housed in this hangar are a group of WWII aircraft, including many rare examples. On display in Hangar 37 is the last remaining pieces of the Niihau Zero. The Japanese A6m2 fighter that crash-landed on the Island of Niihau, where the pilot tried to take over the Island in what is known as the Niihau incident. After years of looting for souvenirs and the parts being taken away by the US Government, very little remains of the wreck. If you want to see what the plane looked like in one piece, the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum has you covered. Hangar 37 houses a restored Mitsubishi A6m2 fighter plane. While this example did not take part in the attack on Pearl Harbor, it is painted in the colors of the Zero that crashed on Niiahu. Standing out in Hangar 37 is the North American B-25B Mitchell bomber. This twin-engine medium bomber was a very successful aircraft in WWII. One of its most famous uses was when a group of 16 B-25 Mitchells made an unprecedented attack on Tokyo after taking off from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet a feat that the bomber was not designed to do. The example in Hangar 37 is a reconstruction made from a later model of B-25 but is painted in the colors of the Doolittle Raiders. Hanging from the ceiling is a replica of a Curtiss P-40 fighter. This one is painted to represent one of the two P-40s that managed to take off and shoot down Japanese aircraft during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

In Hangar 37 sits a relatively rare plane, the Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat. While there are many Wildcats in museums all over the US, most are the later model FM-2 made by General Motors. The F4F-3 was an earlier model, and this one was restored from a plane that was fished out of Lake Michigan, where it had crashed during a training flight. This is one of only two F4F-3s left in the world. The Scout Bomber, Douglas (SBD) Dauntless dive bomber, was the aircraft that took the fight to the Japanese. These aircraft were responsible for the “Five minutes of destiny” when SBDs from the USS Enterprise and USS Yorktown attacked and mortally wounded three of the four Japanese aircraft carriers during the Battle of Midway. Hangar 37 is the temporary home of an SBD-5 on loan to the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum while its SBD-2P is being restored in Michigan. While it does not have the sleek form of a fighter, the humble Stearman N2S-3 made by Boeing is arguably one of the most important. The bi-plane trainer was the first plane for many pilots before, during, and after WWII. Trainers like this one were used to introduce thousands of trainee pilots to the art of flying. This particular Stearman Kaydet trainer was flown by a young cadet by the name of George H. W. Bush, who would one day become the 41st President of the United States.

The Aeronca Model 65 TC was a civilian trainer aircraft. This one represents an aircraft that was in the air over Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attack began. Of the eight in the air on that day, Three were shot down by the Japanese. Last on the list of aircraft in Hangar 37 is the Japanese Nakajima B5N carrier torpedo bomber, Allied code name: Kate. These were the main carrier-based torpedo bomber during the early war period. This type of aircraft participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor. In fact, the B5N was responsible for the greatest loss of life in the attack. It was the B5N that dropped the bomb on the Battleship Arizona, causing the massive explosion that destroyed the ship. They also dropped the torpedoes that capsized the Battleship Oklahoma. The B5N at the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum did not participate in the attack on Pearl Harbor. It is somewhat worse for wear as it had been sitting derelict on an airfield in the Pacific. No matter its condition, this plane is special in that it is one of only two B5N “Kate” torpedo bombers left in the world.

There are two buildings that comprise the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum. The first is Hangar 37, which is the first one where the shuttle from the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center stops. The Second is Hangar 79. Where Hangar 37 is specifically dedicated to WWII-era aircraft, Hangar 79 contains aircraft from more recent times. Hangar 79 has components from a couple of aircraft. The central fuselage from a P-38 and the nose section of a B-52. The P-38 was a successful US Army Air Corps long-range fighter. The P-38 Lightning was the aircraft flown by America’s two top-scoring aces.

Sitting in Hangar 79 is the TBM Avenger torpedo bomber. The Avenger first made its debut during the Battle of Midway, and the Avenger continued to serve as the US Navy’s prime torpedo bomber past the end of the war. The Aviation Museum’s Avenger is painted in the colors of the plane flown by Ensign George H. W. Bush. One of the most important aircraft you will see is the T-6 Texan advanced trainer. The T-6 was the primary advanced trainer for both the US Army Air Corps and US Navy. Another unique plane in the collection at Hangar 79 is the Swamp Ghost. The Swamp Ghost is a B-17E Flying Fortress that crashed in a swamp in the South Pacific and was only recently found. It represents one of the rare examples of the B-17, as the later models are more commonly seen in museums. This is the same model of B-17 that flew into Hickam Field as it was being attacked by Japanese Planes on December 7, 1941. There are many more modern aircraft housed in Hangar 79. From the Mig-15 of Korean War fame all the way to the F-15C, which is still flying with the US Air Force to this day.

As you peruse the outdoor exhibits at the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, you will notice a white tent between Hangar 37 and Hangar 79. This is the Raytheon Pavilion. A place for traveling exhibits of various types sponsored by the Raytheon Company. Raytheon was founded in 1922 as a refrigeration company that later branched out into electronics. Today, Raytheon is a major defense contractor with around 174,000 employees. In 2021, the company was worth $150.62 billion. Raytheon was the first company to develop a missile guidance system that could reliably track a flying target in 1948. They also introduced the first countertop microwave ovens through the Amana Company, which they acquired. Raytheon is a giant in the defense industry. They manufacture radars for planes such as the F-15 Eagle and F-22 Raptor. They are also the producer of missile systems such as Sparrow, Sidewinder, Tomahawk, and Patriot Missiles. Their products have been seen in the 2022 Russo-Ukranian War, such as the Stinger, HARM, and Javelin.

The Raytheon Pavilion at the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum is a place where national and international traveling exhibits can be experienced through the lens of American history. The exhibits can be about any topic. The current exhibit is called Bob Hope: An American Treasure. This exhibit covers the life and times of actor and comedian Bob Hope, famous for his support of US troops through his USO shows with a career spanning WWII to the Gulf War. One of the previous exhibits was entitled Above and Beyond, an interactive air and space exhibit.