Do you know who established the first scheduled air taxi-commuter airlines in the Northwest that has survived to this day? Can you name “The Flying Doc of the San Juans?” What recent Orcas resident took the famous “Earth Rise” photo from Apollo 8? Have you heard of our own humble but willing and skilled Mercy Pilots?

Check out this year’s feature exhibit in the Orcas Island Historical Society’s Pioneer Museum to learn the answers to these questions and to learn much more about the history of flight on Orcas Island. “The Wings Over Orcas Island” exhibit features stories and memorabilia from local and national aviation legends. Our director has assembled more than a hundred photos, rare aviation artifacts spanning the era from World War II to the present, aviation art and much more to make this a fun exhibit that you don’t want to miss.

The Pioneer Museum is located at 181 North Beach Road. next to the Village Green, and is open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Sunday from noon to 3 p.m. Visits at other times, or for groups, may be arranged by calling the Orcas Island Historical Society office at 376-4849. To learn more about what the historical society is doing and what is happening at the Pioneer Museum and the Crow Valley School Museum, visit our website at https://www.orcasmuseums.org.