Museum Hopes to Take Ownership of Boeing 747 Abandoned on Its Property [Video]

A Boeing 747 was parked in the field in front of the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum nearly eight years ago. The tourist attraction’s owners hope to take control of Evergreen International’s derelict jumbo jet when it is auctioned on July 25, 2022.

McMinnville Properties sued Jet Midwest, the company that purchased the 747 after Evergreen International Aviation filed for bankruptcy in 2014, and two other companies. The suit, filed with the Yamhill County Circuit Court, sought the prompt payment for storage fees, interest, and additional charges for more than $587,000.

A spokesperson for Bill Stoller, McMinnville Properties LLC controller and Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum’s owner, said they hope to prevail at the foreclosure sale. Wayne Marschall added that there are no concrete plans for the Boeing 747. Since the jet “has no engines, flying off into the sunset isn’t an option.”

Since “it’s become a bit of a landmark,” Marschall explained, there is a possibility the Evergreen International 747 will remain one of the museum’s features.

The attraction owns the other Evergreen International 747, part of the Wings and Waves Waterpark’s roof. It serves as the starting point for the slides ending in Splashdown Harbor.

In addition to the waterpark, the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum campus is home to Howard Hughes’ H-4 Hercules, also known as the Spruce Goose. After he died in 1976, the Goose moved from its climate-controlled hanger in Long Beach, California, to McMinnville in the 1990s.

Visitors have the opportunity to go inside the historic plane that only flew once for 26 seconds. “The Spruce Goose is a marvel even now, over 70 years since its first, and last flight,” Geoffrey Morrison wrote after his tour.

The Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum will celebrate Spruce Goose’s 75th anniversary on November 5 to commemorate its place in history.

Aviation buffs, historians, and those dreaming of Mars are among some of the thousands that flock to the museum campus every year. As part of its ongoing program to educate while entertaining guests, youth can attend the Aviation and Galaxy Summer Camps.

Additionally, they partnered with the Boy Scouts of America Cascade Pacific Council to offer BSA Troop members the opportunity to earn merit badges in engineering, aviation, sustainability, American labor, and more. Finally, visitors can hear more about aviation and space during Storytellers Series events.

Written by Cathy Milne-Ware

Sources:

The Oregonian: Abandoned 747, parked outside Evergreen air museum, to be sold at foreclosure auction; by Jeff Manning
CNET: Inside the amazing Spruce Goose at the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum; by Geoffrey Morrison
Yamhill County’s News-Register: Done deal: Stoller purchases Evergreen properties out of bankruptcy; by Nicole Montesano
Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum: Save the Date

Featured and Top Image by M.O. Stevens Courtesy of Wikimedia – Creative Commons License
Inset Image by Burley Packwood Courtesy of Wikimedia – Creative Commons License