The Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum is the aviation museum on historic Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, Honolulu, housed in two World War II hangars that still carry damage from the December 7, 1941 attack.
It holds more than 50 aircraft across Hangar 37, Hangar 79, and the Operations Building. The museum tells the air war in the Pacific, from the morning of the attack to Korea, Vietnam, and beyond.
Key Points
- The Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum is open daily 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.
- Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum general admission is $29.99 for adults and $17.99 for children ages 4–12; children 3 and under are free.
- The Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum sits on Ford Island, reached only by the free shuttle from the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center.
- Hangar 37 covers the December 7, 1941 attack; Hangar 79 keeps its original bullet-holed glass and later war aircraft.
- Allow about 2 hours at the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, plus shuttle time each way.
- The Passport to Pearl Harbor bundles the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum with the Missouri and the Bowfin over two days.
By Best Pearl Harbor Tours — your guide to Pearl Harbor’s historic sites, written for first-time visitors.
Why the Aviation Museum Is Worth Its Own Two Hours
Most visitors do the USS Arizona Memorial and leave. That misses the one Pearl Harbor site where you stand inside the battlefield itself.
Hangar 37 and Hangar 79 were strafed on the morning of December 7, 1941. In Hangar 79, the original blue glass windows still show bullet holes, left exactly as they were.
The Arizona Memorial tells you what was lost. The Missouri tells you how the war ended. The Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum shows you the airfield the attackers hit first, and the aircraft both sides flew.
Best Pearl Harbor Tours recommends the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum as the third stop on a full Pearl Harbor day, after the Arizona Memorial and the Missouri, because it completes the story the other two sites start.
Hangar 37: The Morning of the Attack
Start in Hangar 37, the air-conditioned seaplane hangar where the shuttle drops you. A short film, East Wind Rain, sets up the morning of the attack before you walk the exhibits.
The hangar walks you through Hawaii in 1941, then through the attack itself. Aircraft are arranged so you can compare what each side flew that morning.
The Japanese Zero and the Ni’ihau Story
The Japanese Zero on display is the fighter from the Ni’ihau Incident. It crash-landed on Ni’ihau after the raid, setting off a week-long standoff with the families living there.
Read the full story beside the aircraft. It is stranger than anything in the movies, and it explains why this one plane draws a crowd.
American Aircraft to Look For
Look for the Boeing N2S-3 Stearman biplane, the type a young George H.W. Bush flew during his solo qualifications. Nearby sits a B-25B Mitchell, the bomber type Jimmy Doolittle led off a carrier deck toward Tokyo in April 1942.
The hangar also holds a large artifact recovered from the USS Arizona, still showing fire and blast damage. Give yourself a quiet minute there.
Hangar 79: Bullet Holes, Jets, and the Swamp Ghost
Walk across the open ramp to Hangar 79 and look up before you look at any airplane. The blue glass panes along the doors are the original 1939 windows, holed by strafing fire in 1941.
Inside, the story jumps from World War II to Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf War. Jets and helicopters fill 80,000 square feet, including a swing-wing F-14 Tomcat that stops plane-mad teenagers mid-sentence.
The Shealy Restoration Shop and the Swamp Ghost
The back of Hangar 79 holds the Shealy Restoration Shop. Its star is the Swamp Ghost, a B-17E Flying Fortress that ditched in a swamp in Papua New Guinea in February 1942.
The Swamp Ghost sat in that swamp for more than 60 years. Salvage crews pulled it out in 2006, and it arrived at Ford Island in 2013 for a restoration that is still going.
You can see the Swamp Ghost from the hangar floor. A guided hangar tour gets you closer, into the restoration shop and inside a Douglas C-47 Skytrain.
Best Pearl Harbor Tours tip: Drink water before you cross the ramp between the hangars. Hangar 37 is air-conditioned, but the ramp is open sun, and Ford Island is flat, treeless, and bright.
The Ford Island Control Tower and Rooftop Terrace
The red-and-white Ford Island Control Tower is the museum’s landmark. It sent out the first radio alert of the attack, and later played itself in the films Tora! Tora! Tora! and Pearl Harbor.
General admission includes the rooftop terrace on the Operations Building below the tower. Plaques there point out Battleship Row, the Arizona Memorial, and the Missouri across the harbor.
Paid tower upgrades take you higher, by restored elevator plus steep stairs, to an observation deck 168 feet above the battlefield. Anyone who cannot do stairs stops at the deck below, and some deck spots are no-photo zones because you are looking down on an active base.
Tickets, Shuttle, and Practical Details
Everything in this section was checked against the museum’s official plan-your-visit page and the official Pearl Harbor Historic Sites ticket page before publishing.
Tickets and Prices
General admission to the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum is $29.99 for adults and $17.99 for children ages 4–12. Children 3 and under are free, and members are free.
Admission covers all 50-plus aircraft and exhibits in Hangars 37 and 79 and the Operations Building. A free audio tour is included in English, Japanese, Spanish, Korean, Cantonese, and Mandarin.
Kama’aina and military rates of $20.99 for adults and $10.99 for children are sold at the museum only, with a valid Hawaii ID or military ID. Do not hunt for them online.
The Passport to Pearl Harbor: Is It Worth It?
The Passport to Pearl Harbor costs $99.99 for adults and $49.99 for children ages 4–12. It bundles the Aviation Museum, the Battleship Missouri Memorial, and the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum.
The Passport also includes a Visitor Center narrated tour and one virtual reality experience. It is valid over one or two consecutive days, with one visit per venue.
The Passport does not include USS Arizona Memorial boat reservations. Those are free and booked separately through Recreation.gov, so do not assume the bundle covers the boat.
Buy the Passport only if you will visit at least two of the three paid sites. For the Aviation Museum alone, a single ticket is cheaper.
Hours and Closures
The Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.
The Hangar Cafe is open 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with the grill closing at 3:00 p.m. The museum store is open 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Getting There: The Free Ford Island Shuttle
Ford Island is an active military base, so you cannot drive your own car onto it. Every general visitor reaches the museum on the free shuttle from the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center.
Put Pearl Harbor Visitor Center in your map app, not the museum address. Rideshare and taxis also drop at the Visitor Center, never at the museum itself.
Free shuttles run about every 15 minutes from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The last shuttle back to the Visitor Center leaves the museum at 5:00 p.m., so set a phone alarm before you get lost in Hangar 79.
Parking at the Visitor Center costs $7 per day, paid by mobile app or at an on-site kiosk. Arrive early in peak season, when the lot fills fast.
Bags, Food, and Accessibility
Bags are not allowed inside the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center or on the Ford Island shuttle. Keep your phone, wallet, camera without its case, and a water bottle; store everything else at the Visitor Center bag facility for a fee.
Eat before the shuttle or budget for the Hangar Cafe, which serves classic American meals in air-conditioned, World War II-themed seating. You do not need a museum ticket to eat there.
Strollers roll fine through both hangars, and wheelchairs are available on site. The tower’s top cab needs stairs, so visitors who cannot do stairs stop at the deck below.
Best Time to Visit
Visit the Aviation Museum in the late morning or early afternoon, after an early Arizona Memorial program. That order keeps the boat reservation first and the hangars for when the day warms up.
Hangar 37’s air-conditioning makes it a good midday refuge on muggy days. Bring a hat and sunscreen for the open ramp and the rooftop terrace.
A Full Pearl Harbor Day That Fits the Aviation Museum In
Start at the Visitor Center for an early USS Arizona Memorial program, around 8:00 or 8:30 a.m. Then catch the Ford Island shuttle, stopping at the Missouri before the Aviation Museum.
Give the Missouri about 1.5 to 2 hours, then spend about 2 hours in the Aviation Museum’s hangars. The full four-site day, including shuttles, runs 6 to 8 hours, so do not rush the last hangar.
If you have only half a day, choose the Arizona Memorial plus one Ford Island site. Best Pearl Harbor Tours recommends the Aviation Museum for plane lovers and families, and the Missouri for the surrender story.
Location Map
The Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum is located at 319 Lexington Blvd, Ford Island, Honolulu, HI 96818, inside Pearl Harbor.
Open Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum in Google Maps
Frequently Asked Questions
How much are Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum tickets?
Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum general admission is $29.99 for adults and $17.99 for children ages 4–12, and children 3 and under are free.
How do you get to the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum?
Visitors reach the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum only on the free shuttle from the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, because Ford Island is an active military base.
What are the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum hours?
The Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum is open daily 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and it is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.
How long should you spend at the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum?
Allow about 2 hours at the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, plus shuttle time each way from the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center.
Does the Passport to Pearl Harbor include the USS Arizona Memorial boat?
No, the Passport to Pearl Harbor does not include USS Arizona Memorial boat reservations, which must be booked separately through Recreation.gov.
Is the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum good for kids?
Yes, the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum suits families well, with open-cockpit aircraft, flight simulators, and two hangars children can walk freely through.
Conclusion
The Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum is the stop that turns Pearl Harbor from a memorial visit into a full battlefield visit. The bullet-holed glass in Hangar 79 alone is worth the shuttle ride.
Pair this guide with our USS Arizona Memorial visitor guide, our USS Arizona Memorial tickets guide, our USS Missouri Battleship Memorial guide, and our Pearl Harbor tours from Honolulu comparison to plan the full day.
By Best Pearl Harbor Tours — ride the Ford Island shuttle, start in Hangar 37, and do not leave without looking up at the bullet-holed glass in Hangar 79.