McNary Field (Salem Municipal Airport), Salem, Portland, OR, Oregon

B-17 Alliance Museum & Restoration Hangar

Cultural Venue
Event Venue
Landmark
4.8(26)

Known For

  • Lacey Lady B-17 (flight-worthy restoration in Hangar C)
  • Guided docent tours (typically 30–45 minutes)
  • Women in Aviation exhibit
  • Archive letters and the Bill & Dottie Tunstall 'Secret Code Map'

Insider Tips

Best Time

Visit on open days (Tuesdays, Thursdays or Saturdays, 10am–4pm); arrive mid-morning for quieter guided tours.

Ideal For

Aviation enthusiastsHistory buffs and veteransFamilies on road tripsSchool and educational groups

Pro Tip

Call ahead to be admitted through Gate W-10 by the tower or arrange an appointment; donations directly support the restoration and docents often share extended, personalized tours.

Editorial Review

You walk through Gate W-10 and stumble into a working hangar where history is loud and oily. This is not a museum of glass cases; it’s a shop floor of lived memory. The Lacey Lady, a B-17G, sits mid-restoration beneath the rafters while volunteers — veterans and lifelong tinkerers — graduate stories into your ear between rivet pulls and riveted skin. Tours often run 30–45 minutes and a docent will point out a Secret Code Map, archive letters, and a Women in Aviation display with equal reverence. Locals treat the place as an intergenerational clubhouse; road-trippers and aviation pilgrims arrive wide-eyed. The community leans on it as an education engine and fundraiser, staging fly-ins and living-history events that fill the hangar with engines and conversation. It feels intimate, hands-on, and proudly unfinished — the best kind of history, messy and human. Bring curiosity, a camera, and a willingness to linger by the restoration bench.

Contact

+1 971-803-2428

Hours

  • Sunday: Closed
  • Monday: Closed
  • Tuesday: 10AM - 4PM
  • Wednesday: Closed
  • Thursday: 10AM - 4PM
  • Friday: Closed
  • Saturday: 10AM - 4PM

Frontier Insights

Hidden Gem
Understated Excellence
Gem Score
86

Excellent quality, understated presence

Only 86.66666666666667 reviews but 4.8 stars

Tourist Awareness

LevelLow

TripAdvisor: #41 of 147 things to do in Salem

Data confidence: high(5 sources)
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