Please see frequently asked questions and answers about our services and conducting research at The Museum of Flight Research Center below. If you have a question that is not on this list, consult the Dahlberg Reading Room Guidelines on our Research Forms page.
For more information, contact us via our research request form, call us at 206-764-5874, or email curator@museumofflight.org.
Our Services
The Museum of Flight is conveniently located off Interstate 5, just south of downtown Seattle and 8 miles north of SeaTac Airport, on Boeing Field (King County International Airport). The Museum of Flight Research Center, containing The Harl V. Brackin Memorial Library, The Museum of Flight Archives, and the Dahlberg Reading Room, is on the west side of the museum campus next to the Charles Simonyi Space Gallery and Aviation Pavilion.
All researchers are strongly encouraged to make an appointment in advance, but drop-in customers wishing to view materials from the Library collection (books, magazines, journals, and clippings files) are welcomed to the Dahlberg Reading Room during our open hours with no appointment necessary. Researchers wishing to view material from Archives collections (manuscripts, photographs, drawings, blueprints, etc.) and the Library’s manual collection must make an appointment in advance. Contact us by calling 206-764-5874 or sending an email to curator@museumofflight.org. Please be aware that due to limited space availability, we may not be able to accommodate every drop-in customer.
If you cannot come to the Research Center in person, we are happy to provide remote assistance when possible. Please submit a detailed request using our online form or contact us at 206-764-5874 or curator@museumofflight.org.
Paid museum admission is not required to visit the Research Center. Please see our Research Information page for more information about what we can provide, as well as information about remote research assistance and photo/reproduction requests.
Drop-in hours: Monday – Thursday, 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Advance appointment hours: Monday – Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM
Closed major holidays and second Friday of each month
All researchers are strongly encouraged to make an appointment in advance, but drop-in customers wishing to view materials from the Library collection (books, magazines, journals, and clippings files) are welcomed to the Dahlberg Reading Room during our open hours with no appointment necessary. Researchers wishing to view material from Archives collections (manuscripts, photographs, drawings, blueprints, etc.) and the Library’s manual collection must make an appointment in advance. Contact us by calling 206-764-5874 or sending an email to curator@museumofflight.org to plan your visit. Please be aware that due to limited space availability, we may not be able to accommodate every drop-in customer.
If you cannot come to the Research Center in person, we are happy to provide remote assistance when possible. Please submit a detailed request using our online form or contact us by calling 206-764-5874 or sending an email to curator@museumofflight.org.
The Museum of Flight Archives holds collections containing a wealth of visual materials, including photographs and negatives, as well as architectural and engineering drawings, maps, manuscripts, and other paper-based items. The Library contains tens of thousands of books and periodicals, as well as technical reports, subject files, and an expansive manuals collection. Please see Museum of Flight Archives and Harl V. Brackin Memorial Library to learn more about their collections. Note that although the Research Center staff strives to provide access to material, some collections may be closed to researchers due to processing or preservation issues.
View Archives page.
View Library page.
In addition to its aircraft collection, there are also over 25,000 objects such as air and spacecraft models, uniforms, medals, and personal memorabilia in The Museum of Flight’s Small Object Collection. If you are interested in examining objects from the collection with a staff member, please contact us by calling 206-764-5874 or sending an email to curator@museumofflight.org. Please understand that due to the size and mobility of objects, condition issues, and staff availability, we may not be able to honor every request to view objects from the collection.
To access finding aids for select archival collections, visit our research portal: Archives at The Museum of Flight. To browse digitized materials from our archival, library, and artifact collections, visit our online repository: The Museum of Flight: Digital Collections. New content is added regularly to both sites, so check back often!
Go to The Museum of Flight Digital Collections
You can also search for materials in the Library collection via our online catalog. Requested materials can be viewed in-person in the Reading Room.
While many collections at The Museum of Flight Research Center have material that relates to The Boeing Company and its employees over the course of its history, our museum is a separate entity from The Boeing Company and as such we do not have access to its corporate or personnel records. Please contact our research team about your research question by submitting a detailed request using our online form or contact us by calling 206-764-5874 or sending an email to curator@museumofflight.org.
If you are researching in person at the Research Center, see the attendant for assistance. Note that we can generally make photocopies available the same day requested, but high-resolution digital reproductions require a longer turnaround time. Please see our fee schedules for more information.
If you are a remote researcher, please submit a detailed request to our research team. Please see our fee schedules for cost of photocopies, PDF documents, high-resolution digital images, and more. You may be asked to sign a usage agreement based on how you intend to use the material.
Please note that some copyrighted materials may not be eligible for reproduction or licensing by The Museum of Flight.
View Fee Schedules.
Conducting Research and Using Research Center Material
All new researchers must present a valid photo ID and provide contact information to conduct research at The Museum of Flight. As a registered researcher, you will be issued a temporary guest badge.
Laptop computers or tablets are permitted while in the Reading Room, but cases and all other personal belongings must be stored in the area designated by the attendant. Pencils and note cards will be provided should you wish to take handwritten notes.
Scanners and cameras are not permitted for use in the Reading Room. If you wish to have reproductions of material made, please see the attendant for assistance. Note that we can generally make photocopies available the same day requested, but high-resolution digital reproductions require a longer turnaround time. Please see our fee schedules for more information. Also please note that some copyrighted materials may not be eligible for reproduction or licensing by The Museum of Flight.
View Fee Schedules.
Food and drink (including gum, cough drops, etc.) are not permitted in the Reading Room. The Museum of Flight Wings Café in the main building across the street from the Research Center is accessible to visitors without paying admission to the museum. Drinking fountains are located near the restrooms in the Research Center building.
Cell phone ringers and notification alerts must be silenced and all phone conversations must be conducted outside the Reading Room so as not to disturb other researchers and staff.
Researchers may connect to a free guest Wi-Fi network available throughout the museum’s campus, including in all galleries, the lobby, Wings Café, and Research Center.
Archival materials and rare books must be handled carefully and gloves must be worn unless the items are in protective sleeves. Only one folder may be out of the box at a time and all materials must be laid flat on the table. No books, papers, or other objects may be laid upon material. For especially fragile material, an archivist may handle the items and show them to researchers.
Some shelves in the Dahlberg Reading Room are open for reference use only, but the archives and library stacks are closed. Staff will retrieve items and material will be brought to the Dahlberg Reading Room for you to look through. Please note that if you want to use material from The Museum of Flight Archives or the Harl V. Brackin Library manual collection, you must make an appointment in advance so that staff have sufficient time to locate and retrieve the requested materials.
Search for materials in the Library collection in the online catalog before your visit to maximize your research time.
The Library collection is non-circulating and material may not leave the Dahlberg Reading Room.
Search for materials in the Library collection in the online catalog before your visit to maximize your research time. You can request to view specific books or periodicals from the catalog in advance and they will be waiting for you in the Reading Room.
Proper permissions must be obtained to publish or display publicly any material from The Museum of Flight Research Center collections, but please note that some copyrighted materials may not be eligible for reproduction or licensing. Please see our fee schedules for costs. You will be asked to sign a license agreement based on how you intend to use the material.
View Fee Schedules.
Other
See our donation page to learn more about donating material to The Museum of Flight collection.
View Donation page.
The Museum of Flight does not lend archival material for use by other institutions.
The Museum of Flight is prohibited by law from appraising any property, even if it has been donated to the museum. Contact the organizations below for assistance in appraising your personal property and look for appraisers specializing in “aeronautica” (aviation) or “astronautica” (space) material.
Kenneth Dahlberg (1917-2011) was a World War II fighter ace and later a successful businessman who generously contributed financial assistance to support development of The Museum of Flight Research Center.
Harl V. Brackin (1920-1977) served as the first director and historian of Boeing Historical Services in the 1960s and 1970s and was also a founding member of the Pacific Northwest Aviation Historical Foundation, the precursor to The Museum of Flight. Brackin worked diligently to bring the Red Barn to its current location at the museum and his support also helped to form the library, the oldest part of the museum's collection.
