Exploring Oahu - Honolulu, Waikiki and Oahu - page 262

A memorial of fallen soldiers at the National Cemetery of the Pacific.
PaciicAviationMuseumPearlHarbor Opened on the 65th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl
Harbor, the first phase of this historical museum (in a 42,442-sq.-ft. hangar) tells the story of
military aviation in the Pacific during World War II via a collection of original, historical air-
craft (Japanese Zero fighter, Navy Wildcat fighter, Army Air corps B-25 Michell bomber, and
so on), documentary films, displays (the story of the little-known battle of Niihau, where the
Hawaiian residents captured a crash-landed Japanese pilot), and (our favorite) the interactive
simulated aircraft control where you can “experience” what it was like to fly either an Amer-
ican or Japanese plane. They recently have added an “Aviator's Guided Tour,” where trained
tour guides take you on a journey into aviation history, with stories about the planes and the
battles they saw, plus you get a sneak peak into behind the scenes at the museum with access
to parts of the collection not generally seen by the public (like aircraft being restored, a close-
up of the F-14 Tomcat, the F-15 Eagle, Bell helicopters, and other vintage aircraft). Note: No
bags of any kind are allowed on the shuttle bus to Ford Island.
Pearl Harbor Hangar 37, Ford Island, 319 Lexington Blvd. & 808/441-1000. www.paciicaviationmuseum.org . Tickets
$20 adults, $10 children ages 4-12; Aviator's Guided Tour $30 adults, $20 children (ages 4-12); flight simulators $10.
Daily 9am-5pm. From Waikiki take H-1 east to the USS Arizona /Stadium exit, no. 15A (the 2nd exit after the airport).
Continue on H-99 (Kamehameha Hwy.) 1½ miles, at the 4th traffic light, turn left on Kalaloa St and go about 1/10th of a
mile. The visitor center will be on your left. Tickets may be purchased at the USS Bowfin Ticket Office. Bus: 20 or 42.