Tillamook Air Museum is housed in an enormous wooden structure, commonly known as a ?blimp hangar,? and exhibits an impressive collection of aircraft from World War II as well as over 100 photographs and other memorabilia. Though it now houses an aircraft museum, the hangar was originally built as a home base for blimps to be used in anti-submarine missions along the Pacific coast dating from World War II. The hangar spans more than 1,000 feet long and 192 feet tall and covers an area of more than seven acres. It is one of two that were built at what was then Naval Air Station Tillamook. The museum inspires people to enjoy everything when visiting - the aircraft, the building and the history.

Built in 1943, the Tillamook Hangar housed blimps, the nonrigid airships that patrolled the coastal waters of the Pacific. After the war, the hangar has been used as a lumber mill and as a storage area for a blimp company. It was in 1992 when the Port of Tillamook Bay established a small blimp museum and by 1996 had acquired one of the finest collections of operational vintage World War I and II aircraft and a modern F-14 Tomcat fighter jet. Today, the museum features more than thirty war birds, including a Bf-109 Messerschmitt, A-4B Skyhawk, P-38 Lightning, Martin AM Mauler, 1938 Bellanca Air Cruiser, Bell Helicopter, Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber, AD-4W Skyraider, and the rare Nakajima Ki-43, known as the Peregrine Falcon. The planes have been donated by private collectors, purchased by the museum and put on permanent loan by the U.S. Navy.

The nonprofit museum is one of the major landmarks on the Oregon Coast and approximately 80,000 people a year visit the museum, which is open daily, year-round. Visitors can climb into a jet simulator and view historical wartime and aviation artifacts, including pieces of the German airship, the Hidenburg. Picture taking is allowed but the lighting is very low so it is advisable to bring a flash. The museum offers guided tours for school groups.