About the Pacific Coast Air Museum

The Pacific Coast Air Museum (PCAM) is a family-friendly, easily accessible open-air museum. We display over 35 historic aircraft and have indoor exhibits as well. PCAM is located on a five acre parcel at the Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport and is open five days a week year-round.

Our mission is to Educate and Inspire both young and old about our aviation heritage and space technology, to Preserve historic aircraft and artifacts, and to Honor veterans.

This is a “hands-on” museum: We believe the only way to properly learn about and appreciate these amazing and historical artifacts is to walk right up to the airplanes and helicopters and touch them, look inside them, and see what made them work.  

PCAM is a popular destination for anyone interested in aircraft, whether they are a pilot or just love planes. Many of our visitors and members are military Veterans. PCAM is very popular with school and youth groups.

So come and visit! Bring a lunch and eat it on our shaded patio after you’ve strolled among our planes. And bring the kids; we’re one of the most child-friendly locations in the county. Plan your visit for one of our monthly Open Cockpit weekends and they’ll be able to look right into the cockpit of an authentic fighter, bomber, trainer, transport or other type. You can even sit in the cockpit of some of them!

It’s Really About the People

The Pacific Coast Air Museum is a volunteer-focused institution. We have approximately 850 members and 100 active volunteers. We are a friendly, active, and knowledgeable bunch of people who are passionate about flying and preserving the past.

Though aircraft and aeronautic technology are the overwhelming physical features, our museum exists to tell the stories of the people who used that technology.

We are honored to have among our members and volunteers a large number of military Veterans, current and retired pilots, and many men and women who have been involved in flying in countless ways. Some were mechanics, some were managers, and some were ground crew. What they all have in common is a love of aircraft and a desire to give back to the community.

The Pacific Coast Air Museum is a friendly, open environment where people are eager to share their knowledge, talents, and energy to build exhibits, restore aircraft, host events, and welcome the public. Our volunteers manage the day-to-day business, mow the grass, and perform countless small and large tasks that make it possible for our Museum to exist. They in turn benefit from the camaraderie of like-minded airplane lovers and from their contact with the public. Best of all, it’s fun.

Find out more about volunteering at the Pacific Coast Air Museum.

Our Exhibits

It wouldn’t be a museum without cool stuff to look at. We have approximately 35 aircraft. They are primarily military, from the Cold War era through the modern age. Our premier exhibit is the F-15A “First Responder,” which was the first fighter jet to respond to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Indoor exhibits include a large number of model aircraft, a genuine Norden bombsight from World War 2, space exploration artifacts, and historical displays.

Find out more about exhibits at the Pacific Coast Air Museum.

Education

One of our primary goals is to preserve our aviation heritage so future generations can learn about it. Our Education department offers summer aviation technology classes for school-age children, classes on the history of aviation and principles of flight, and Boy Scout Aviation Merit Badge classes. School groups are always welcome for special educational tours with advance reservations. Guest speakers from our large membership are available to speak on aviation-related topics for events put on by other organizations.

Find out more about education, field trips, and classes at the Pacific Coast Air Museum.

Gift Shop

The PCAM gift shop sells a wide assortment of aviation related products, including tee shirts, die-cast models, toys, books, video discs, jackets, and more. The gift shop is open whenever the Museum is. Proceeds from the gift shop help support the Museum.

Find out more about the Gift Shop at the Pacific Coast Air Museum.

Museum Activities and Events

PCAM is known for the many fun events it hosts throughout the year, and for being a great place for community organizations to host their own events. These are detailed elsewhere in this website but in summary they include:

 Monthly member meetings with fun presentations and interesting guest speakers.

• Santa Fly-In every December that is free to the public
• Visits by schools and youth groups
• Monthly Hot Dog Thursday lunches during the warm parts of the year
• Special events with celebrity guest speakers
• Volunteer appreciation barbeques
• Boy Scout gatherings
• Car club meets
• On-site concerts
• Movie Night (members only)
• Semi-annual gala fundraiser
• We also provide displays for educational science fairs and other community events.

Find out more about Events at the Pacific Coast Air Museum.

Air Show

Our biggest event of the year by far is the annual Wings Over Wine Country Air Show, held every September. The Air Show features top-name air show performers, military aircraft demos, classic planes, and plenty of historic military “warbird” aircraft, both flying and on static display. It attracts about 20,000 visitors every year.

Find out more about the Wings Over Wine Country Air Show sponsored by the Pacific Coast Air Museum.

News and Communications

The Pacific Coast Air Museum has a lot going on all the time, and we actively communicate with our members and the community. The “Straight Scoop” is the Museum’s monthly newsletter packed with museum news, photos, history articles, a calendar of events, and much more. The “News” page of this website publishes museum announcements. We regularly send out our “E-Scoop” email announcements to members about events and other important news.

Find out more about News and Communications at the Pacific Coast Air Museum.

Flight Wing

PCAM is unusual in that some of our aircraft actually still fly! Our Flight Wing is devoted to restoring selected historic aircraft to FAA-approved flight status. The Flight Wing is a great opportunity for anyone — youngsters in particular — to get their hands on a real working aircraft, and to have the satisfaction of knowing their effort helped get them back in the sky. All people of all skill levels are welcome.

Find out more about the Flight Wing at the Pacific Coast Air Museum.