The Tillamook Air Museum and Friends of Tillamook Air Museum (FOTAM) have created a lot of buzz lately, and for good reason!
August 2023 marks the 80th anniversary of the completion of Naval Air Station Tillamook (NAST) and our historic blimp hangar, Hangar B. To mark this milestone, the Friends of Tillamook Air Museum is hosting a special “Hangar Days” event on August 19th, 2023. The daytime activities from 10am-5pm will be a FREE community event for all ages, including specialty exhibits, outside vendors, and live music, performers include the Joel Baker Swing Band and Stardust Trio! The evening will be reserved for a ticketed (there are a few tickets still available, contact Rita at Tillamook Air Museum for more information rwelch@tillamookair.com) 21+ fundraising dinner, dance, and silent auction from 6pm-11pm. The dinner will be curated by Fathead BBQ’s Chef Matt Swain, who is recreating a modern-day menu of an archived 1943 menu from NAS Tillamook. The dinner and dance will be 1940’s themed and include special musical guests Portland’s Jumptown Big Band. The Friends of Tillamook Air Museum is a dedicated 501(c )3 non-profit dedicated to fundraising and outreach, their mission is- “the preservation and continued maintenance of Hangar B and Tillamook Air Museum to allow future generations access to the WW II blimp hangar.”
There’s so much going on during the FREE community event …
The goal of the upcoming Friends of Tillamook Air Museum ‘Hangar Days Event’ is outreach, community engagement, and fundraising towards continued outreach and future phased projects for the preservation of Hangar B. There are several significant infrastructure projects that need attention to help Hangar B stand for another 80 + years. For more information on the upcoming 8/19/2023 event, ways to join the board, volunteer, or for donations, please reach out to the Friends of Tillamook Air Museum.
www.tillamookair.com/fotam E-mail: fotamairmuseum@gmail.com or info@tillamookair.com. Find information or buy tickets to this event on our website at www.tillamookair.com/events or on Facebook: search key words: TillamookHangarB80. For donations you can reach out directly or find our GoFundMe search keywords: Save Hangar B.
What are the long-term goals you might ask? FOTAM, with the assistance of the Port of Tillamook Bay has worked since 2017 to recognize the needs of Hangar B to achieve FOTAM’s mission. These needs include:
50K – Capacity building- FOTAM needs funding to help with administrative tasks including promotion of Hangar B, hosting/scheduling outreach programs and events, managing donations, recruiting volunteers and members, along with other clerical tasks.
200K- Structural assessment- In 2022 Hangar B underwent a structural assessment funded in part by a TLT grant, tested was the wooden trussing and structure. This assessment found overall Hangar B is in good shape. We feel funding further studies with an emphasis on areas of priority including the doors, box beam, and exterior will help to accurately assess engineering and structural needs of the building for future phased planning and projects.
500K – Monitor ventilation restoration- Phase I- We have secured and completed an engineering SOW that includes estimated costs of about 500K for material and labor to complete t this project. This portion of the project entails the restoration and re-opening of the building’s ventilation system.
2M- Upper crown re-roof-Phase I cont.- estimated 80-90% of the water penetration is at the transition of rolled roofing material and corrugated metal, re-roofing this section will greatly increase the lifespan of the building. We have received several SOWs on this project to help us understand the scope and cost.
250K- Future project planning- The above listed phase I projects are noted to be the top priority for starting restoration, but there are many more projects to fully restore Hangar B. FOTAM and the Port of Tillamook Bay will be able to start planning for these projects after the top needs are addressed, including the restoration of the box beams and replacement/removal of the corrugated metal.
Helping save this unique piece of American history will ensure access for future generations to come and continue to provide our community and beyond the opportunity to learn about the Lighter Than Air Program during World War II and all the efforts the servicemen and women went through to help protect or country and our freedoms.
How Historic is the Hangar? By-the-numbers:
- There is enough lumber in the hangar to build about 180 three-bedroom homes;
- If you were to take it all and turn it into 2-by-4s and stretch them end to end, you would have close to 1,000 miles in 2-by-4s – basically from Tillamook to Los Angeles
- The floor spans about 7 to 7.5 acres; the roof would be about 11 acres if you laid it out flat.
- The hangar was built in nine months and is known as Hangar B, though it was built first. Hangar A burned in August 1992
- The letters on the side are 100 feet tall and 30 feet wide each. It took workers two weeks to paint them.
— Tillamook Air Musuem
