Alaska Aviation Museum

The flying was tough, and the pilots tougher

September 1, 2025 By Julie Summers Walker

Nowhere in the United States is aviation more important than in Alaska.

The displays at the Alaska Aviation Museum in Anchorage are as varied as aviation is in the state. Photography by David Tulis

It is the linchpin that drove the development in the Frontier State, a land where many people saw an airplane before a car or train. That heritage is celebrated in the four hangars and tower that comprise the Alaska Aviation Museum, situated on the south shore of Lake Hood, the largest seaplane base in the world. Exhibits range from historic photos of early aviation notables like Noel Wein, Ted Stevens, and Wiley Post and Will Rogers to aircraft such as a 1928 Stearman through time to a 1981 Boeing 737. The romance and adventure of Alaskan aviation is told through archival records, stories, and photos. The larger-than-life heroes of aviation are depicted throughout the museum. There is an active restoration hangar, which is currently restoring a Grumman Goose and a Curtiss P–40; most days visitors can watch restorers at work. In the Seybert Tower, you can listen to the live ATC feed of takeoffs and landings from Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC), just a few miles away. The museum is open daily in the summer but with limited hours in January and February. It is staffed with enthusiastic volunteers who love to tell the story of aviation in Alaska.