How the Spruce Goose was Moved to Oregon 

My dear friend Bob Dutton who died in 2005 is in this video @17:57 on the far right carrying the propeller. I haven't seen him in so long, and the last time I saw him he was so sick before he died. This was quite a shock seeing that face! RIP my friend!

In 2006 the Oregon Air Guard had a "Dining Out" at the museum. They had a Glen Miller style swing band that played until midnight while hundreds of members of the Oregon Air Guard and their spouses ate and danced under the tail of the Spruce Goose. Many of the members there toasted Michael Smith, their friend and comrade in arms.

man, the quality of this video, it should definitely be played on loop in the museum. i havent been to the evergreen museum in ages and now i want to go so badly

I was living aboard my sailboat in the downtown marina in Long Beach which was next to the Queen Mary and the dome housing the Spruce Goose when I went to see Howard Hugh’s creation. I was like everyone else awestruck at the size of the plane but it wasn’t till I was on the platform outside the plane looking in through the cockpit windows and saw the life size figure of Howard at the controls that it really struck me. How small and insignificant he looked against this gigantic backdrop and to think that those two small hands and 10 fingers were in control of this monster of a plane was amazing. It was truly sad how a genius like him wound up in his later years.

I was fortune to get a chance to visit the museum, I was delivering a load of groceries locally and my boss suggested I take the time to visit the spruce goose, I planned on spending 20-30 minutes there, 3 hrs later I finally left, it's a amazing plane and the access granted is spectacular, I encourage anyone to go, you will be very impressed, PS yes I had a very cool boss he even paid me for the time I spent admiring the plane and museum 👍

My wife and I were staying in a beautiful campground along the Oregon coast. In a spur of the moment conversation , a fellow camper mentioned that they had just got back from visiting the Spruce Goose. Although seeing this magnificent airplane was on my bucket list, I somehow forgot that it was in Oregon, and in fact , only a hundred miles from where we were staying. The next day , I fulfilled my bucket list item and spent a wonderful afternoon with this amazing piece of aviation history. All this from a chance conversation with a complete stranger. if you haven't gone, you have to give it your best effort to do so,

All I know about the museum there- My husband, having been in the Korean war and Viet Nam, visited there with me. He was a recipient of the Distinguished flying cross and had over a year of flying time in the Air Force. He was very emotional while visiting the museum. Thank you to those whose effort made the museum possible.

The most magnificent aircraft I've ever stood next to. I was a kid when this made its trip through Oregon. I lived in Portland and had the opportunity to see this happen.

The evergreen museum is amazing. Don't miss the chance to sit in the the pilot seat of the spruce goose.

I retire in a year and my wife and I have added this to our list of must see's in our travels once retired. I think of all the hard work the folks who built this incredible plane had in its construction and care throughout the years, to have it still in a place where it can be appreciated is so great. may all the powers of wonderment keep folks visiting so this historical plane will be available for many more years....we will see you soon

Man, you've got to be the true hidden gem of RU-vid. 13k subscribers only? I'd put your content up against any of the big ones like Wendover, RealLifeLore, etc. Keep it up. Being born and raised in the Portland area, Wilsonville more specifically, your content is fascinating. I'm frankly surprised local media hasn't picked you up.

I’m actually sorry to see it moved to Oregon. In the late 80’s I took my wife and son on a long weekend vacation trip to Long Beach. I wanted our son to see the Spruce Goose. I had grown up in Navy Aviation due to my Career Navy Officer Dad. For 27 years he maintained the Navy’s aircraft. From the War in the Pacific to Korea to the Cold War to a Carrier off the coast of Cuba during the Missile Crisis. After retirement, he built F-4s and F-15s at McDonnell Douglas. I wanted my son to love Aviation as much as my Dad and I did. It was a fantastic trip. Spent a few nights on the Queen Mary. And visited the Spruce Goose. My son loved it. My life long plan eventually worked. He grew up wanting “to build rocket ships and airplanes” just like my Dad. He obtained Aerospace Engineering degrees from Michigan and Washington U. in St. Louis. Went to work for Boeing in St. Louis building the latest versions of the F-15 and the F-18. Boeing had acquired McDonnell Douglas by then. Today, he works for a company that’s building a very large, black, triangular shaped Air Force plane. I think you can guess what it is. I will always remember the look of wonder and amazement in his eyes when he first saw the Spruce Goose. That was such a magical weekend. I’ve always wondered if that was the moment he decided, as he would always say, “to build rocket ships and airplanes” for a career? Thank you Spruce Goose.

One interesting tidbit. Del’s other son, Mark Smith, was an Indy Car driver in the 1993 and 94 seasons. Mark is notable for almost breaking the curse of the “Smiths” at the Indianapolis 500, in which no driver named “Smith” has ever qualified for the 500 (despite being the most common surname in the US. In 1994 Mark Smith almost broke the curse until the last minutes of qualifying when he was bumped from the field by Bobby Rahal. Smith attempted to bump his way back in but on his final attempt he crashed and the curse of the Smiths lives on to this very day. After 1994 Mark retired from professional racing to concentrate on his business ventures and on that fateful day in 1995 was the one behind the wheel in the accident that took his brother’s life. Mark was uninjured

When I was 7 years old, my dad brought me down to Mcminnville to watch them drive the hull over to the museum grounds. Absolutely unforgettable memory! I've been in the museum 5 times and just brought my 6 year old son to see it.😁😁😁.

I was a crew member on John Wayne’s yacht, the Wild Goose, in 1980. My last charter on board was when the Spruce Goose was towed out of the hanger after all those years. We had many local celebrities and dignitaries on board for the occasion. I was at the controls of one of the boat’s runabouts or shore boats with some guests to get a closer view of the plane as an aircraft took a picture that was made into a postcard. So I’m there with the Wild Goose, the Spruce Goose, and my boat. Kinda cool! Once it was open for viewing next to the Queen Mary, I got a chance to see the inside of the enormous plane. Great documentary of the various owners and of the massive undertaking to move the Spruce Goose to Oregon, where I now reside. I haven’t been to the museum yet, but I’m sure I will to complete my brief history with the aircraft.

I was one of the lead mechanics on the disassembly crew back in 92. Great video and a good general overview. Stand Soderberg was a great guy and had a lot of stories from 1947 to the present day. My prize possession is a picture of the Goose signed by Mr. David Grant the copilot on the flight. He was kind enough to sit down with me one day and give me the full account of the flight with Mr. Hughes. FYI...the Evergreen guys took the props and engines off and we did the rest.

Having worked for the Evergreen Aviation Museum in the early 2000's it might be of interest for your viewers to know that making the interior of the aircraft safe for visitors took quite some time, even after the museum and the exhibit was opened. By the end of my tenure, the viewing platform for the hold had been completed and opened, but access to the flight deck was not available to the general public. I only got to go up there once, to my disappointment! In the meantime, the museum was able to obtain some other fantastic aircraft including a decommissioned SR-71 Blackbird.

I worked at Evergreen International as a contract maintenance mechanic from 1997 until 2012 at JFK airport alongside with their maintenance team. I’ve never worked with a more dedicated and experienced team and this story is an excellent reminder of that. We were mostly all ex Pan Am employees who grew up with the Queen of the sky 747-100/200 and 400’s . Hopefully one day I can venture out to McMinnville and see that beauty in person . Thanks for that glimpse of a giant😉

We live just down the hwy. from the Evergreen Museum. This really helped fill in the blanks for me since I was not able to follow the details if the plane's journey from California. I was busy with our 2 young children and we did not have TV at this time. But I will always remember the day that the Spruce Goose crossed Hwy. 18 to its new home. Our children were part of the "Gosling Crew" that followed it across on foot. They were too young to understand, but I was so happy that they had the chance to participate in this little piece of history. We still have the little, yellow shirts they wore.

What an absolutely heartwarming story of a fathers love for his son.

Having been to the Evergreen Aviation Museum in the past couple years, I can attest that the Spruce Goose is indeed a sight to behold, almost an 8th wonder of the world. The museum itself contains so many wonderful exhibits of both aviation and space exploration and is well worth a trip. So many thanks to the people whose vision brought the museum to life and saved this magnificent plane.

Hughes was a remarkable man. Gifted, talented, and an Icon of the 20th century!

My first apartment in 1990 was on Ocean Blvd. Long Beach, CA. I could see the Queen Mary and The dome that house the Spruce Goose from my 3rd floor windows. I was there when Disney bailed and the Spruce Goose was moved. I remember the impact of the community of Long Beach after. The redevelopment of that area with the current aquarium. I’m know in my 50’s and live in SW Washington. It has been on my list for the 20 years I have lived here to find out what became of the Spruce Goose. This film has definitely put the Evergreen Museum on my winter plans. Thank you for such a well researched film. Like everyone else, I did not realize how much that plane meant to my circumstances until I watched this.

How has this channel not blown up yet?!?

Glad they repainted it silver. Too many visitors in Long Beach called the plane a White elephant. Hughes dreamed big, and the H4 showed the world just how big! Kudos on a excellent tribute to an incredible aircraft. 👏👏

I was able to see the Spruce Goose in 2011. Sitting in the pilots seat where Howard Hughs sat was an experience of a life time. Huge doesn't give justice to the size of this plane. The Evergreen Aviation Museum is amazing and the people that work there were great.

I was one of those who stood at Waterfront Park when the Spruce Goose was on the barge there. I was in awe of the size. I knew it was big, but WOW! Later we saw it in the museum in McMinnville. Awesome!

Evergreen and the museum were my business clients, and In 2005 I had the pleasure of a private tour of the Spruce Goose by the team that oversaw disassembly, shipping from Long Beach, and reassembly. We were allowed to sit in the pilots’ seats, and I have some great photos of sitting in the same place as Howard Hughes as well as photos of the interior. We also toured inside the wings down narrow catwalks where engineers monitored each of the 8 engines. They allowed me to open the top hatch at the rear of the cockpit area, climb up the ladder and look down the fuselage and across the wings for an incredible vantage point and a real sense of the size of that airplane. Great video, Peter. It brings back some wonderful memories.

Incredible video. My wife and I saw the Spruce Goose when we were in California on our honeymoon in September of 1991. Still married and our 30th anniversary coming up in a few weeks. Glad the Spruce Goose was preserved for all to see. Best wishes from Tennessee,

I've visited the Evergreen Museum 3 times and am still amazed at it's size. Included in the Museum is a very good collection of other aircraft including the SR71 Blackbird.

It’s one of my bucket list items. One of these days will be able to go from very close to Long Beach to do the same trip this majestic plane did. Thanks for the documentary. And thanks to all the volunteers that made it happen.

"The Spruce Goose" was the solution to the puzzle I solved to become the big winner for the day on Wheel of Fortune back in November of '99.

In 2004 or 2005 I visited the McMinnville museum, having happened upon it by accident as I explored the Oregon coast with my brother and his family. As a former Navy flyer who has visited a number of aviation museums, I can testify that this is an outstanding museum, and seeing the Goose there was certainly a highlight.

I’ve live my life in the Pacific Northwest. Mr. Dibble, your documentaries are amazing! Your Oclaca State Park episode made me get in my car and go there. I am from McMinnville. My sister worked for Del Smith. Thank you for your terrific work. I will definitely add to the tip jar!

I was born and raised in Oregon, and seeing all the footage and pictures of the PNW from the 90s made me super homesick

I remember driving home through McMinnville on the highway late one day, passing the buildings and saying to the family I think I just saw the spruce goose. 18:46 Love the Evergreen Museum! I got to visit twice.

An interesting side note I just learned: the locks in Oregon City have been out of operation since 2011, creating an impassible point on the Willamette, but after a whole decade closed plans are finally being made to repair the locks and reopen them to the public. Hopefully it won't be too long before it's once again possible to travel the river all the way to Portland from cities further south in the valley.

I was lucky enough to see the Spruce Goose last year on a month long roadtrip. I had never heard of it before that day. It was an incredible sight. The Evergreen Air Museum is one of the best museums I’ve ever been too.

1,000,000 THANKS for keeping the 4:3 ratio AND NO blurred background on the sides!! 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖👍👍👍👍🌷🌷🌷🌷

This is awesome. I live in Corvallis, Oregon and have been by the spruce goose a bunch. That's crazy the wood came from Toledo, Oregon.

I was fortunate enough to visit this museum in 2022. As a veteran NAVY aviation mechanic. This is on par with Smithsonian curation. My wife who isn't a space and plane nut had a good time and couldn't stop talking about it for the next week. I highly recommend a visit if you get a chance.

I drive past this thing all the time. Pretty amazing to glance over and see THE Spruce Goose here in McMinnville. I'm originally an East Coaster and had no idea the plane was here. One day I drove past the museum and couldn't believe what I was seeing. haha Evergreen is an interesting company and you can find out about some pretty sneaking shit they did with the CIA back in the day if you look hard enough. They've also got an SR71 in the collection. The museum is a pretty cool place. Thanks for making this video!

IT IS SPECIAL !..... I just saw and touched it for the first time last summer👍👍👍,.. what a great place to showcase this great plane... Thank You to Evergreen and Peter Dibble for this Video.😁... ..........and the SR-71 ....FANTASTIC.

Though I will probably never get a chance to see this as I live over 2000 miles away, I want to thank the Smith Family, everyone at Evergreen, members of the Aero Club, and everyone else who had a hand in saving this piece of aviation history.

This is the most fascinating and well produced video I have ever seen on RU-vid. At some parts of it I got tears in my eyes. I has similarities with the saving of the sunken old warship Wasa in Stockholm, Sweden in the sixties, where my father played an important role. Both projects are characterized by being led by a few devoted idealists recruiting super competent professionals to realize it. With amazing results.

I'm a life long Oregonian and tomorrow my boys and I are going to visit Evergreen and the Goose for the first time. Thank you for your amazing and touching video.

I've been to the museum 3 times and have enjoyed it very much every time. The Spruce Goose is awesome, but there is a lot of awesome airplanes in that building. Among my favorites are a beautifully restored Boeing B17 Flying Fortress, a beautiful F4 Phantom which in my opinion is one of the most " Bad Ass " looking jet fighters ever, an awesome old Ford Tri Motor passenger plane, and many, many more lovely restorations. I have yet to visit the new Space Museum, which I am looking forward to someday. If you haven't been you will definitely be amazed and enjoy yourself. Plan on an all day visit. And bring the kids for sure !!!

I feel kind of guilty - I've been a lifelong Oregonian (and I remember a fair bit of the hype when it passed through Portland - I was 13 at the time), and I just moved to McMinnville a couple months ago. The museum is less than 10 minutes from my house, and I pass it at least 3 times a week, but I've never once been there. I really should go check it out. Excellent video as always!

We lived in Oregon City where we fished the Willamette River. Our neighbor, Melvin Freeman guided the Spruce Goose parts up Willamette River to McMinnville, Oregon! The picture you have on title page,"Willamette River" is the Oregon City falls where we caught many Chinook salmon. Tommy Lee Jones made movie right at the falls pictured here, about a soldier he trained!

This was very well done! Thanks for posting 😊✈

Wow the engineering to more her up the coast was as challenging as the engineering to build that beauty. Thanks for telling us the story! It was much more complicated than getting it to the harbor for its maiden flight. So glad it worked out.....she is a sight to see!

Why am I crying?? Very Special Plane and History... We'll never see another Like him or the Spruce Goose.

I totally forgot about the Spruce Goose and in the time I was in the Northwest, we never visited the museum to see it. The way you did this really tells the right story for a plane few people even remember.

I was fortunate enough to see this aviation wonder in 2019 while visiting an old high school friend in Portland. The sheer magnitude and enormity of this plane was breathtaking and overwhelming at the same time. The statistics on the miles and miles of electrical cables alone was fascinating. The museum was run all by ex retired military volunteers. A great bunch of people willing to answer any questions and also give some background on the exhibits.

I visites the museum as a 9 year old kiddo in the early 2000s. The Aviator had recently come out and these two factors sparked a long standing interest for that big ol’ boat! This video was so cool, I even sent it to my mom. Thank you!

We just visited her today. We took the tour, and had our photos taken sitting where Howard Hughes sat, and flew the mighty flying boat. What a lovely day.

as an engineer and an Oregonian, I love your documentaries so much :D I love having this plane just an hour away

What a truly remarkable and inspiring story! This is the real America, that I’ve come to know and admire!

My wife and I saw the Spruce Goose at the Evergreen Museum just after 911.We were in Oregon all flights were cancelled and to ease the wait we began to tour the Area. First came the Tillamook museum , then to the Evergreen. What a thrill to see this magnificent flying machine.

For two years I was employed as Director of Training for the company's Afghanistan Operations. My office was across the road from the museum which I have to say, next to the Smithsonian, is the best aviation museum I've ever visited. I would occasionally make my way into the cockpit of the Goose and sit there, in wonder at this amazing aircraft. Would it have flown ? We'll never know. It certainly did take off on that famous run made by Hughes, but it remained in 'Ground Effect'. I learned from one of the museum's guides that during that run, unknown to Hughes, a rigger had been at the very rear of the fuselage, close to the tail. Not expecting Hughes to attempt a flight he remained in place where he was working, he commented afterward that he was convinced that the tail was about to destruct, the vibration was so bad and the resonance was becoming unstable, (getting worse). My guess is that these issues would have been overcome, that's what testing is all about.

Just sat down with my coffee, perfect - Love your documentaries ✌&🤟

A wonderful story. One of determination, tenacity, remembrance tribute and vision. On many levels, spanning over 7 decades. Kind Regards

Been to the museum a number of times... The "Spruce Goose" IS a Great Display... Also going up to the MiG-29 "Fulcrum" was inspiring to me. I remember when it first came out to western observers & did the airshow in Finland, in 1986. Wow. Seeing it up close was really exciting to me...

I visited the Goose many times when she was in Long Beach. When they took her on the barge out into the Pacific, I was there in my Bayliner taking photos. I was shocked to see that I was the ONLY boat there to see her off, none of the "media" bothered to show up !

I was on the shore of the Columbia at 10:00 when the barge when past. I definitely remember how big it was, even in comparison to the container ships.

What an amazing work..The old saying"If there is a will,there is a way" comes true..👍

Nice! I am a born and raised Oregonian and had no clue that this happened. I only heard of the Spruce Goose from a cartoon my kids and I watched, Phineas and Ferb. Love the show because there was a small hints of truth or theoretical ideas in each episode. I love learning something new every day.

I got to meet Del as a kid in the 2000s while visiting the museum. He was generous enough to let my sibling and I each pick any one item from the gift shop. Have really fond memories of that museum and the Goose growing in the area and the annual school trips we would take there. Appreciate the content you provide.

I was lucky to tour this plane a couple of times when it was located at Long Beach, California. I happen to be there for a year in 1990-91 for training in my field of work and would visit the Queen Mary with lunch engagements and then over to see the Spruce Goose. Little did I know at the time (nor now in 2021) that it was on borrowed time at the Long Beach location. So I was very lucky to see this plane in person as it's highly unlikely I'll ever venture to Oregon to see it. Thanks for the story

Such a truly amazing story and i would imagine Howard Hughes was looking down being very amused at how much effort Evergreen put in to get it to Oregon, Howard would have flown it there given the chance. It's such a huge shame it was never flown properly back in the 40's..

Awesome video! I was driving through Oregon and stopped by the museum the Spruce Goose is in on impulse and I can't believe how huge it was.

Living in the LA/Orange County area in 83-85, there were three things that were the highlight of that for me (besides every family and friend that visited wanting me to go to Disneyland...again.) I was in Huntington Beach, not too far from the Long Beach Harbor. The first, was just seeing and exploring the Queen Mary. It was amazing. After that, during the years that I lived there, I would often ride a bike up there early on Sunday mornings, and have coffee at the restaurant on the ship. The second was of course, seeing the Spruce Goose, and I am glad that it has a final home where it will be cared for and maintained. Until you see it in person, there is no way to fully understand the size, and the incredible ingenuity that Howard Hughes put into it. It was WAY ahead of its time. And of course, the third was being able to witness the Summer Olympics in 1984. First and last times that I have been able to attend the Olympics, especially as they were, not so much as they are now. Saw several baseball games at Dodger Stadium (it was a demonstration sport for the first time), fencing at Long Beach , and some track and field events . But glad I got to see the Goose before she was moved. Nice story, thanks.

I was lucky to see the Spruce Goose in Long Beach. I hoped to see it again a few years ago when I was in Portland on business, but unfortunately time did not permit. It's hard to get a sense of just how large this airplane is until you see it in person. Great video documenting a truly impressive achievement moving this national treasure.

It is a beautiful museum, with many outstanding artifacts in both aviation and space. Worth a trip! And the Spruce Goose is, of course, an enormous, perplexing, and informative period piece that is one of a kind and really quite awe inspiring. Worth going!

Superb film. Wish that it won the Oscar for Best Short Documentary film for "Peter Dibble & Company." Kudos for the delightful musical score which could have been composed by Richard Rodgers or John Williams. It's that good.

Thankyou for this. I went to the museum just before covid. It was an incredible visit well worth the time. I encourage others who visit Oregon to go there.

I was an Air Traffic Controller at Long Beach tower between 89-92. We used the dome as one of our VFR reporting points for aircraft from the south. We followed most of the news on it at that time. A couple of days after they left on the barge a pilot reported inbound for the airport with "Over the Spruce Goose." to which I replied "That would put you somewhere off the coast Oregon sir, give a call when you're a bit closer."

We live in Oregon and loved going to that museum when the boys were younger - they loved the air themed water park next door as well - such a nice tribute to the spruce goose. Thank you!

My Wife and I saw the plain after we were married in 1985. Thank you for saving this wonderful piece of aviation history. I remember looking at the plain and a additional engine that on display in Long Beach, we also had lunch there. It was a great day, I will talk with my wife and will see if we might come up to revisit this great piece of history.

Glad to see you got some well-deserved recognition by the museum. I wish I could have been there for the official unveiling of the exhibit around your documentary, however I was stuck at work!

As to why they didn't fly it there... FAA regs would be one reason, but say Hell with them anyhow and you decide to outlaw it. It's been mothballed for a very long time. You've got ancient lumber and fabric that could have come apart, the effort of resurrecting all those old systems and making sure everything is working, you've got no pilots that are exactly qualified for this thing, you've got nowhere to land it, and finally, if something happened, it's the only one. If it were certainly air worthy though, I think it would have been cheaper to dig a lake at it's site. It would have been so much cooler to fly it to it's new home but incredibly risky. This was a prototype and a very old one at that. I've heard it said that it was maintained in flight ready condition but who knows? You'd need it thoroughly inspected before you could try and the team of inspectors and crew required, and then any repairs and maintenance, it was probably cheaper and tons less complicated to just dismantle it and move it instead of going through thousands of miles of red tape and bureaucracy just to get clearance to attempt it. You'd be burning money the entire time getting flight clearance and having the inspection team go over the thing and if they found that something was catastrophically bad, that was all in vain. Dismantling and moving it was the sure thing. Let's just be grateful that it's been preserved.

I got to crawl around inside the Spruce Goose when she was still disassembled at McMinnville before the museum was built for it. My Father inlaw worked for Evergreen at the time. This was in 1997 it was a impressive thing to crawl around in the wings and all the flight control cabling and hydraulic boosters to move the flight controls.

Very beautifully produced -- well done! This was an unexpectedly well made video that surpassed my expectations when I selected it on a whim, having heard of the "Spruce Goose" over the years. Thanks for posting this.

The journey from Long Beach to the coast of Oregon then flat bed semis through Oregon to near Willsonville was great to watch. It was better in the dome!

This is by far the outcome for the Hercules. It was never real popular in Long Beach since besides the Queen Mary there was nothing else to see there. The Evergreen Air and Space Museum is a great place to visit, there's much more there than shown in this excellent video. Not to mention that McMinnville is a nicer place to visit than Long Beach CA.

I visited the McMinnville museum in 2012. It's absolutely beautiful. The Sprouse Goose is amazing. We stayed in an RV park next door. It was a great experience.

I were in the Spruce Goose at Evergreen with my brother in 2003, that was the last time I saw him alive. Thank you for the video.

Peret, this is an outstanding production of Aircraft History. Thank you to all who contributed to the Goose coming home to Oregon.

I just flew into McMinnville airport a few weeks ago and walked over to the Evergreen Museum. They have an amazing aviation and aerospace collection. However, I would say the Spruce Goose is King of hill. To say it is big and an engineering marvel is an understatement. Wish I had seen this video before I went to better understand the logistics of moving her.

Just moved to the pnw and this is by far one of the best RU-vidrs I've heard so far doing the pnw

My father in law was a VP at Hughes Aircraft. With his position he was able to get in the hanger where the Spruce Goose was kept. One weekend he took me and my family inside to see the Spruce Goose. I'll never forget that day!

Hey Peter I've been loving your content and being a huge aviation fan I was delighted to see this upload. I live in Eastern WA and so far the Evergreen aviation museum has been my absolute favorite aviation museum so far. They have so many fantastic aircraft, I'm especially a fan of the cold war building. Unlike most museums you get to go right up face to face with most of the aircraft and unless they're fragile or rare you can even touch them. It's such a great experience for an aviation nerd, last time I spent 5 hours there. Unfortunately it's obvious they're hurting. They've had to get rid of some rare aircraft to stay afloat and I fear it's only going to get worse. If you're ever in the area or visiting Portland and want to see an awesome museum do yourself a favor and pay them a visit. I'm sure they'll appreciate it greatly and if you have any sort of passion of aviation and aviation history I guarantee you'll enjoy it.

What a true joy it was to tour the Spruce Goose in the Evergreen Museum in 2016! Even my wife enjoyed it.

Thank Del Smith ......I worked for Del and his sons Mark and Mike Smith when I worked at P1 racing service....RIP Del and Mike Smith

I was just there last week, a must see if you are in the area. It now has two buildings that house air and space craft, plus a third building that is an imax theater. A lot of things to see and do, plus the volunteers couldn't be nicer. You will be glad you went.

I was at Willamette falls when it came through.

I lived in and around McMinnville, during this time period in my early 20s. It was a really BIG celebration in portland, i was in aw at how massive the parts were. When it first arrived there was no coverings and i was able to see the goose ! I moved away in 98, Im planning to take the family and grand kids there in spring of 2022. Ps. Great documentary.

You did a great job on this presentation. I have visited it several time in Long Beach and McMinnville. For fans of the Flying Boat like me, the display in Long Beach was better but the fact that in McMinnville you can actually sit in the pilots seat where Mr. Hughes sat is almost magical. Howard Hughes was one of the greatest minds in aviation history. The book, Empire, by Bartlett and Steele is a fantastic read and detail MANY things about Mr. Hughes' life that really make you appreciate how gifted and shrewd he was. He was a man with many faults but never lacked courage or intelligence, and his beat down of Owen Brewster at the Senate investigation is truly epic! R.I.P. Mr. Hughes.

Great job Peter. Well produced video. I saw the Spruce Goose as a kid in Long Beach. I need to make it up to Oregon to it's new-ish home.

Subscriber and long-time fan of your channel, Peter. I agree with others - you cannot comprehend the enormity of the plane and the challenges of moving it until you visit the Museum. Some great vintage videos and photos try to make this point but it's still amazing to experience in person. Hats off to the Smiths for taking on this project. BTW the large collection of aircraft and spacecraft is itself a reason to visit the Museum. It's a usual destination for out of town visitors.