The Museum of Flight has a new, permanent exhibit honoring some of the military and civilian aircraft that were part of the Vietnam War. "Vietnam Divided: War Above Southeast Asia" opened Memorial Day Weekend in the museum's glass-walled main gallery.
The museum says the display focuses on the air war over Southeast Asia from 1955 to 1975.
"For the first time we're really able to put them in a fuller context of where they sit, not only in this gallery, but you know, the bigger picture of how they fit into history," said Museum of Flight's Ted Huetter.
Visitors will see films told by aircrew members and see multiple aircraft used in combat including the Bell UH-1 "Huey" helicopter, McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom, MiG-21, and the famous Lockheed M/D-21 Blackbird spy plane.
"Now with a dedicated exhibit around it, people can stop. They know what it is. They can learn about the operations that these planes, these crew members had to go through," said Heutter.
The exhibit also spreads into the museum's main campus and to the Restoration Center in Everett.
It will extend to a new outdoor display in November. Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park will open west of the museum's Aviation Pavilion complete with a Boeing B-52 bomber that will be transported from Everett to the museum in pieces next weekend. Once it's complete, that exhibit will be open to the public free of charge.
