Air of adventure/aviation museums

In 12 seconds on Dec. 17, 1903, two brothers changed the world: Orville and Wilbur Wright pioneered the first powered flight. A fitting way to celebrate the centennial anniversary of that event is to tour Oregon's air and space museums.

The perfect place to fuel up for this aviation adventure is the Bomber Restaurant in Milwaukie, seven miles south of Portland on Highway 99E. Opened in 1947 as a gas station, then operated as a drive-in, this local landmark offers the chance to dine on "Bomber Burgers" in the shadow of a real B-17 bomber, the Flying Fortress. The nose cone of the B-17 sits in the Wings of Freedom museum next door to the drive-in.

Witness the evolution of aviation by traveling south 105 miles on Interstate 5 to Eugene and the Oregon Air & Space Museum. Striking scale models showcase more than 800 planes, from the first Kitty Hawk flyer to today's most advanced stealth aircraft. Another exhibit documents explorations in space. Other unique collections at this intimate museum include a set of first-day issues of flight-related stamps and memorabilia from Oregon's own World War II flying aces - fighter pilots who successfully shot down five or more enemy aircraft. Museum director Dean Abbot, a fighter pilot in the Korean War, beams with pride as he shows visitors the museum's F-86 Sabre, the jet he himself flew in combat.

A scenic drive west on Highway 126 and then north along the Oregon coast leads to the Tillamook Air Museum. The museum displays one of the five largest private collections of World War II planes in the country, including the rare twin-tail P-38 Lightning, the F-14 Tomcat made famous in the movie Top Gun, and the F4U Corsair flown by the Tuskegee Airmen, the all-black fighter squadron.

Equally impressive is the massive hangar that houses the planes. Built by the Navy during WWII for a squadron of anti-sub blimps, the enormous arched structure extends more than a thousand feet in length and soars 192 feet high. Eight K-class blimps, each 252 feet long, were housed at Naval Air Station Tillamook from 1943 to 1948. The hangar's builders had a sense of humor, too: Above the 120-foot-high door at each end of the hanger is a basketball backboard.

If size does matter, be sure to visit the world's largest airplane by driving inland via Highway 22 to Highway 18 and Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville. The HK-1 Flying Boat, dubbed the Spruce Goose, sprawls across the museum's floor, dwarfing other aircraft on display like the Corsair, the Avenger and the SR-71 Blackbird.

Designed during WWII by eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes as a prototype for transporting troops and equipment, the Spruce Goose flew only once yet remains a marvel of engineering. The monstrous plane was built entirely of wood - though mostly birch, not spruce - to conserve valuable metals needed for the war effort. The Flying Boat boasts eight engines on massive wings that span 318 feet, and the plane's tail towers eight stories high.

Across from the museum at McMinnville Airport, Cascade Soaring offers adventurers the chance to indulge their desire to take flight. Guided glider flights provide the thrill of soundless soaring as the farms below shrink to a patchwork of greens and browns. Daring flyers can even take a turn piloting the plane - the perfect ending to this Oregon aviation odyssey.

And what's more... The Bomber Restaurant and Wings of Freedom Museum Bomber Burgers and thick milkshakes under the wing of a B-17, the Flying Fortress, at this Portland-area landmark. Open Tuesday through Sunday, 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. (Open Mondays to 2 p.m.). Seven miles south of Portland on Highway 99E at 13515 S.E. McLoughlin Blvd., Milwaukie. Call 503-659-9306.

Oregon Air & Space Museum More than 800 scale-model planes, and guided tours from a real jet fighter pilot. Open Monday through Saturday, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.; $5, adults; reduced youth and senior rates. 90377 Boeing Drive, south end of Eugene Airport off Highway 99. Call 541-461-1101, or visit www.oasm.org

Tillamook Air Museum The massive blimp hangar that houses the museum is as impressive as the private collection of WWII planes. Open year round, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. 6030 Hangar Road, two miles south of Tillamook on Highway 101. $9.50, adults; reduced rates for youth and seniors. Call 503-842-1130 or visit www.tillamookair.com Evergreen Aviation Museum Home of the Spruce Goose, the world's largest aircraft. Open year-round, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. 3685 N.E. Cumulus Drive, on Highway 18 in McMinnville. $9.50, adults; $5.50 students; kids 5 and under free. Call 503-434-4180, or www.sprucegoose.org

Cascade Soaring Experience the thrill of floating on air. Glider flights Fridays and weekends starting in March, Thursday through Sunday from May through September, and by appointment. Flights last from 10 to 45 minutes for one to two people. Priced from $40 to $160, including the chance to fly the glider. McMinnville Airport, off Highway 18, four miles southwest of the Highway 99W junction. Call 503-472-8805.