Our Aircraft
Our collection of vintage aircraft provides a glimpse into the rich history of mountain flying.
Stinson Voyager 150
The Museum’s Stinson Voyager 150 was donated by Jo Ann Hinman. Manufactured in December 1946, the Stinson is a classic American light aircraft known for its reliability and ease of handling.
Popular among private pilots and flight schools, its versatility and robust construction made it a favorite for both civilian use and military training.
Powered by a 150-horsepower Franklin engine.
This is a true 4-seat aircraft with a useful payload of 1062 pounds.
An interesting feature is the wing leading edge slats for the improvement of short field performance.
1929 Travelair 6000
A treasured plane in the collection, this 1929 Travel Air has been on loan from one of the Museum founders, Charles R. “Dick” Komberec. Known for its reliability and ease of maintenance, the “limousine of the air” was unmatched in hauling smokejumpers, mail, miners, hunters, supplies, and flying emergency missions into the area’s backcountry.
NC8865 made her debut in Idaho hauling miners and their supplies. A workhorse, it was located in a variety of locations until 1958, when NC8865 was added to the Johnson Flying Service fleet, carrying smokejumpers and supplies. Eventually, it was sold and found its way back to Idaho where it was restored and used in air shows. In March of 2013, Dick Komberec fulfilled a dream, bringing NC8865 back to Missoula for display at the Museum – one of only six still flying in the world.
The Travel Air S-6000-B is a 6 place utility monoplane composed of metal tubing, wood and fabric construction.
The power plant is a Wright Whirlwind 9-cylinder 300 JP radial engine.
This type aircraft was utilized under contract with the USFS for active Smokejumpers.
1931 DeHavilland Gipsy DH Moth
The DH-60 was considered a major beginning of Family flying. Even though it was only a two seater, It was dependable, and considered a very stable platform to fly. Many remain on display today. The Museum of Mountain Flying was fortunate to have this aircraft donated in 2022 for permanent display.
The DH-60 was developed from the larger DH-51 biplane.
The Moth was a two-seat biplane of wooden construction, it had a plywood covered fuselage and fabric covered surfaces, a standard tailplane with a single tailplane and fin.
A useful feature of the design was its folding wings which allowed owners to hangar the aircraft in much smaller spaces.
Grumman Avenger TBM
Missoula’s TBM-3, constructed in 1950, was originally operated with the US Navy (1950-1952) and the Royal Canadian Navy (1952-1963). Next came the fire service in Lewiston, Idaho (1963-1966), with Johnson Flying Service in Missoula (1967-1975). Its robust construction and significant payload capacity made it an invaluable asset in fighting fires in Montana’s backcountry. A short stint in Quebec (1972-1975) was followed by more fire service out of Lincoln, Nebraska (1977- 2011). The TBM-3 finally landed at the Museum in 2011.
The Avenger entered U.S. service in 1942, and first saw action during the Battle of Midway.
Despite the loss of five of the six Avengers on its combat debut, it survived in service to become the most effective submarine killer, and most widely-used torpedo bomber of World War II, sharing credit for sinking the super-battleships Yamato and Musashi and being credited for sinking 30 submarines.
To ease carrier storage concerns, simultaneously with the F4F-4model of its Wildcat carrier fighter, Grumman designed the Avenger to also use the new Sto-Wing patented "compound angle" wing-folding mechanism, intended to maximize storage space on an aircraft carrier; the Wildcat's replacement, the F6F Hellcat, also employed this mechanism.
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We are looking for vintage aircraft, memorabilia, artifacts and more to add to our museum.
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